This study analyses the implementation of sustainability strategies in German multinational enterprises and aims to identify the criteria which make corporate sustainability strategies and management processes successful. In order to do so, twenty multinational German enterprises were analysed on the on the basis the following categories:

• motivation and perception
• identification of strategic challenges
• strategy development,
• operational implementation
• control and monitoring

Key findings of the study include:

• although the enterprises attach great importance to sustainable management, sustainability aspects only play a subordinate role in strategic management
• while sustainable aspects are largely integrated into management processes and systematically implemented within the environment sector or in social standards, the sustainable management scope for value added remains largely unexploited in areas such as research and product development
• often there is a gap between words and deeds, between the challenges faced and the strategy adopted, or between strategy and implementation
• there are enterprises that perceive sustainability as more than just taking defensive or reactive measures and seek to harness the economic potential of sustainability issues, for example for new products or markets

The study also categorises enterprises into different groups:

• drivers grasp the meaning and influence of sustainability issues for their core business and mainstream and are also strong enough to clearly define and operationalise long-term strategies and turn them into competitive advantages
• operators have a tradition of taking individual sustainability aspects very seriously due to practical exigencies, such as risky production processes. Nevertheless, their commitment does not have a direct bearing on core business
• calculators mainly place the focus of sustainable management on capital market communication. Sustainability activities are closely aligned with ratings and indices, so that coherent corporate challenges are seldom identified
• minimalists attach no very great importance to sustainability as an issue. The response usually ends with reactive risk avoidance and meeting outside requirements.

Based on its categorisation, the study identifies four essential success factors:

• integration instead of separation
• active management of the corporate environment
• local adaption instead of global blueprints
• simplification by setting priorities.