About this Toolbox

The Toolbox is aimed primarily at Swiss companies of all sizes and sectors that want to become more sustainable and would like some guidance on how to do so. -Specific guidelines have been developed for eight sectors, prioritized according to the number of companies and employees.

The goals and measures provide guidance on thematic priorities, ambitions and scope for action. They are intended as voluntary inspiration. The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals served as the basis for the formulation of goals and measures.

The examples include companies from the priority sectors that have published targets and measures related to the priority fields of action and SDGs. For reasons related to competition law, the examples are only published anonymously. However, the names of the example companies are known to the ARE.

The following criteria must be met for aids, websites, tools, links, checklists, etc. (hereinafter generally referred to as “instruments”) to be included in the 2030 Agenda Toolbox for businesses:

• The instrument is managed or co-managed by the federal government, a canton, a municipality, a national industry/umbrella organization or a recognized social partner (employer and employee associations). This criterion is also met if the organization has received financial support from a public authority in the last five years or if public authorities are involved in a strategic body of the organization (seat on the board of directors, board of management, etc.).
• The responsible organization needs to offer at least one free service.
• The instrument must be relevant in the context of the 2030 Agenda. This means that at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be at the core of the issue.
• There must be a link to the Confederation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy.
• The instrument must be applicable in a national or global context. Instruments on the cantonal or communal level will not be included in the toolbox for the time being.
• The instrument must to be updated on an ongoing basis.

The Toolbox was developed by the Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE (part of the DETEC) in collaboration with B Lab Switzerland and implemented by Kernbrand AG. An advisory group with representatives of the relevant federal agencies and a specialist group on the economy, consisting of representatives of companies and industry associations, assisted in the content creation.

Do you know of any good practice examples, tools or other support offers? Let us know and we will be happy to consider adding them to the Toolbox.

Submit your own measure →

The Toolbox is updated on an ongoing basis and developed further where necessary. If the Toolbox meets with sufficient interest and there is a demand to include further sectors, the Toolbox can also be supplemented with further sector-specific content.