Module I. Setting the Stage: Corporate Sustainability Regulation
- I. Setting the Stage: Corporate Sustainability Regulation ↓
- II. Contracts as drivers of sustainability
- III. Defining the Problem: What is wrong with current contracts?
- IV. How to Make Contracts Work Better
How to use this module
This module sets the baseline for the entire toolkit. Its purpose is to help you understand
- why sustainability expectations exist,
- where they come from, and
- why contracts have become a central tool for putting them into practice.
You can use this module in three main ways:
1. As a shared orientation
Use this module to build a common understanding across legal, sustainability, procurement and business teams. It explains key concepts – such as X and X (corporate sustainability? due diligence?) – in accessible terms, helping different roles align on what is expected of companies and why.
2. As a framing lens for contracts
Read this module with your existing contracts, Codes of Conduct, or supplier requirements in mind. It helps you see what contracts are expected to do in sustainability governance, for example, how they are meant to translate regulatory expectations into concrete responsibilities across the value chain. This framing will be useful when you later assess whether your contracts are actually capable of doing that work.
3. As a foundation for the modules that follow
This module prepares you for Modules II to IV by clarifying the regulatory backdrop against which sustainability clauses operate.