This also shifts the perspective on competition. Cooperation is increasingly becoming a strategic tool. Not every innovation needs to remain exclusive. In some cases, impact is achieved precisely when knowledge is shared.
Gyde Wollesen, Head of Impact at followfood, provided an example of this. The company plans to make its fishing guidelines publicly available. “We’re posting our guidelines online so others can see the criteria we use,” she said. If more companies adopt similar standards, sustainable production could spread more quickly throughout the market.
This does not automatically mean that a company’s competitive advantage is lost. “One brand’s USP does not automatically become another’s,” says Wollesen. Often, it initially serves as an additional selling point—while the market as a whole is growing.
Rethinking Sustainable Business Models
The discussion also showed that sustainable business models are increasingly going beyond traditional sustainability issues. They are frequently linking environmental concerns with social or organizational innovations.
The social enterprise HEYHO is a prime example of this. The company produces granola—but its core mission is something else: to give people with challenging life stories a new opportunity in the job market.
Co-founder and CEO Timm Duffner therefore describes the company less as a food brand and more as a testing ground—especially given the stagnant market: “The market isn’t growing,” he said. “People aren’t eating more—they’re just eating differently.”
For companies, this means that growth does not necessarily result from increased consumption, but rather from new forms of value creation. Sustainable business models are increasingly linking economic activity with social impact.
This perspective also changes the way we view work. Many companies are already facing social challenges—such as employees dealing with personal crises or difficult life situations. HEYHO is trying to develop a deliberately designed organizational model based on this.
From Niche Product to Competitor
At the same time, it became clear that the organic market must hold its own more effectively in direct competition. Friedemann Wecker, managing director of Bauck Mühle, emphasized that organic products should not be confined to a separate “organic section.”
“We’ve seen our best performance in categories, rather than in the organic section,” he said. When organic products are placed right next to conventional alternatives, they also reach new target groups.
For Wecker, this also includes greater transparency in communication. Companies need to do a better job of showing how they work and what decisions they make. “Authentic insights and conversations—even with competitors—can help spread sustainable solutions more quickly.”
Step Out of the Moral Bubble
Another point that came up repeatedly during the discussion relates to communication within the industry. Sustainable companies often operate within a very engaged community. While this can be inspiring, it also carries the risk of becoming too inward-looking.
