Due to their production and service activities, companies of all sizes are partly responsible for the ecological, social and economic crises. However, as places of technical, economic, social and ecological innovation, they also offer a central field of action for promoting socio-ecological development. Apart from the direct opportunities for companies to reduce resource consumption and environmental impact, companies also have a significant influence on consumption structures and the behaviour and lifestyles of the workforce.
Large and medium-sized companies in particular are increasingly committing to the guiding principle of "sustainable development". However, implementation in strategic long-term planning and operational business is currently unsatisfactory, as the three dimensions of sustainability are largely unconnected within most companies: innovative sustainability concepts and instruments are essential both for companies' future-proof business strategies and for embedding them in the social environment.

Benchmarking procedures can make a significant contribution here, as analysing cause and effect relationships between economic, ecological and social parameters is a genuine component of a benchmarking process. In view of the high level of acceptance of benchmarking procedures, further development and utilisation of this instrument for sustainable corporate development is also promising.

The focus of the project was on analysing ways of expanding traditional strategic benchmarking, which is primarily based on monetary factors, to include socio-ecological indicators. To this end, criteria catalogues and workshop modules were developed for use in companies, which show companies a practical approach to "sustainability benchmarking".