What econsense does

econsense – Forum Nachhaltige Entwicklung der Deutschen Wirtschaft e. V. is a Berlin-based registered association (e.V.) founded in 2000 within the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and operating as an independent legal entity since April 27, 2004. It functions as the sustainability network of German business, bringing together 51 internationally active German member companies—including SAP, BMW Group, Covestro, ZEISS, Deutsche Börse, and Fresenius—through three thematic clusters: Klima & Umwelt (Climate & Environment), Finance & Reporting, and Menschenrechte & Wertschöpfung (Human Rights & Value Chains). The organization also operates a Competence Program serving 47 medium-sized enterprises, bringing the total network to 98 companies with operational presence across approximately 140 territories, and reaches more than 2,500 professionals annually through its formats.

The core product surface comprises the econsense Membership Network (cross-sector peer exchange, working groups, governance bodies), the Competence Program for SMEs (monthly calls, quarterly deep-dive sessions, action tracks, priority event access), the annual ecolution conference, publications including position papers and themed reports such as "Sustainable Finance in der Unternehmenspraxis," and a Trainee Program. The organization maintains a curated partnership portfolio with BDI (founding partner), WBCSD (Global Network Partner since 2004), SDSN Germany (since 2014), CSR Europe, Business for Nature, ICC Germany, and the Branchendialog Automobilindustrie. The internal team comprises two Managing Directors (Dr. Thomas Koenen and Katarin Wagner) and approximately ten project managers across thematic areas.

The business model is subscription-based: revenue is generated through annual membership fees paid by the 51 corporate members and participation fees from the 47 Competence Program participants. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective members must contact the organization directly. As a registered nonprofit association under German e.V. law, econsense is not a venture-backed, capital-markets-active, or M&A-driven entity—it has no funding rounds, no subsidiaries, no parent company, and no disclosed revenue. Distribution and member engagement occur through direct enterprise relationships, member-appointed representatives, the Berlin-based office, and member companies spanning ~140 territories globally.

Name

econsense

Legal name

econsense – Forum Nachhaltige Entwicklung der Deutschen Wirtschaft e. V.

Website

https://econsense.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

econsense is a Berlin-based registered association (nonprofit) founded in 2000 that operates as the sustainability network of German business, serving 51 large internationally active corporate member companies and 47 SME participants through thematic working groups, an annual ecolution conference, publications, and peer-exchange programs across ~140 territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Sustainability Network / Business Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Sustainability network
• Corporate ESG advisory
• Sustainable finance guidance
• Human rights due diligence
• Climate transition consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: econsense generates revenue through membership fees from its 51 internationally active member companies. Companies pay to participate in the network, access working groups, and receive sustainability expertise and peer exchange.
2. Competence Program participation fees: Revenue is generated from the Competence Program, which currently has 47 participating companies (primarily medium-sized enterprises) who pay for access to practical knowledge transfer, expert exchanges, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

econsense is a registered non-profit association (e.V.) that operates a membership-based sustainability network for German business, comprising 51 internationally active German companies and a Competence Program with 47 medium-sized enterprise participants. It delivers its offering through three thematic clusters (Climate & Environment, Finance & Reporting, Human Rights & Value Chains), monthly and quarterly working sessions, the annual ecolution conference, collaborative publications, and structured peer-exchange formats. Revenue is generated via annual membership and program participation fees paid by corporate participants.

Product overview

econsense is a sustainability network for German business organized as a registered association (e.V.), not a software product. Its offerings consist of a membership network of 51 internationally active companies, a Competence Program for 47 medium-sized enterprises, and annual event formats including the ecolution conference. The organization operates through three thematic clusters (Klima & Umwelt, Finance & Reporting, Menschenrechte & Wertschöpfung) plus cross-cluster offerings, supported by working groups, monthly calls, and quarterly expert sessions. Publications, a trainee program, and governance bodies (Executive Board, Board of Trustees) round out the organizational structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ecolution: Annual flagship event focusing on corporate sustainability, bringing together practitioners from sustainability management across German businesses.
• Kompetenzprogramm

Products and services

• econsense Membership Network Cross-sector membership network of 51 internationally active German companies pursuing ambitious sustainability goals, with structured topic clusters, working groups, and regular meetings for knowledge exchange and collaborative sustainability management. Membership requires companies to be internationally active, have sustainability strategies integrated, and commit to the association's guiding principles.
• Competence Program (Kompetenzprogramm) Structured program for primarily German medium-sized enterprises to navigate sustainability demands, featuring monthly calls, quarterly deep-dive sessions, expert exchanges, action tracks, networking events, and priority access to public econsense events such as the ecolution conference.
• ecolution Conference Annual flagship sustainability event bringing together business, politics, civil society, and science to discuss challenges and solutions for corporate sustainability, featuring keynotes, panel discussions, and interactive breakout sessions.
• Topic Clusters (Klima & Umwelt; Finance & Reporting; Menschenrechte & Wertschöpfung) Three thematic focus areas that organize the membership network's working groups and expertise: Climate & Environment, Sustainable Finance & Reporting, and Human Rights & Value Chains, with cross-cluster offerings for interdisciplinary topics.
• Publications and Reports Sustainability publications including position papers, annual ecolution recaps, and thematic reports such as 'Sustainable Finance in der Unternehmenspraxis' covering financing instruments, market trends, and practical experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• >2,500 professionals reached annually through formats and offerings
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2014Since 2014, econsense has been a partner of SDSN Germany, which was founded by leading German knowledge organizations. The network bundles knowledge, experience, and capacities from German scientific, business, and civil society organizations to promote sustainable development in Germany and worldwide.
• WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2004Since July 2004, econsense has been the German network partner (Global Network Partner) of the WBCSD. The WBCSD is an international business leadership forum connecting over 200 companies committed to sustainable development. This partnership enables cross-border sustainability collaboration and access to global best practices.
• BDI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000econsense maintains a partnership with BDI, which initiated the forum in 2000 with 19 founding companies. BDI is the Federation of German Industries, the leading industrial association in Germany.
• CSR EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSR Europe is the leading European business network for corporate sustainability and responsibility. It unites, inspires, and supports over 10,000 enterprises at local, European, and global level. The partnership enables econsense to connect German companies with European sustainability initiatives.
• Business for NaturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness for Nature is a global coalition of more than 90 influential partner organizations and forward-thinking companies driving credible business action and policy ambition to achieve a nature-positive economy by 2030.
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) GermanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICC is the world's largest business organization with six million members in more than 100 countries. Its goals include promoting international trade and responsible corporate governance. ICC Germany's members include companies, trade associations, and chambers of commerce.
• Branchendialog Automobilindustrie (Automotive Industry Sector Dialogue)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Branchendialog is a multi-stakeholder forum comprising automotive industry representatives and civil society organizations with expertise in human rights risks in automotive supply and value chains. econsense is a member working on existing sector-wide initiatives for human rights due diligence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Federation of German Industries (BDI): Germany's leading industry association representing all industrial sectors and serving as econsense's founding partner since 2000. While BDI has a much broader policy advocacy mandate beyond sustainability, both organizations serve German enterprises on industrial policy and sustainability matters from Berlin.
• World Economic Forum: International organization for public-private cooperation, hosting the annual Davos meeting and regional sustainability convenings. WEF convenes business leaders on sustainability among many other topics, with a flagship-event-driven model similar to econsense's ecolution conference and a comparable cross-stakeholder engagement approach.
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): The world's largest business organization with members across 100+ countries. A strategic partner of econsense, ICC operates a global membership model promoting responsible corporate governance, trade, and sustainability within a much broader international trade and policy agenda.

Emerging players

• Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi): Corporate climate target-setting initiative helping companies establish emissions reduction targets aligned with climate science. SBTi operates as a sustainability standards body intersecting with econsense's Klima & Umwelt cluster on corporate climate strategy and decarbonization.
• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): Global disclosure system enabling companies, cities, and regions to report environmental impacts to investors and customers. While CDP focuses on disclosure infrastructure rather than peer exchange, both organizations serve enterprises on sustainability reporting and management in overlapping ways, particularly on climate and environmental topics.
• Eurosif: European sustainable investment forum promoting sustainable investment practices across European capital markets. Eurosif represents a related but more specialized sustainability network focused on financial sector sustainability, with overlap to econsense's Finance & Reporting cluster.

Direct peers

• Ceres: US-based sustainability nonprofit mobilizing business leadership on climate change, water, and equitable economies. Ceres serves as a comparable American counterpart with a similar member-network model targeting large enterprises on sustainability advocacy, investor engagement, and policy work.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): CEO-led organization of 200+ companies working on sustainable development. econsense has been WBCSD's German Global Network Partner since 2004, sharing the same membership-based sustainability network model and offering similar peer exchange, working group, and policy advocacy services to large enterprises.
• United Nations Global Compact: The world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with thousands of participating companies across 160+ countries. Both organizations operate membership-based models connecting companies around shared sustainability principles and offer peer-learning formats, principle-based frameworks, and engagement platforms.
• CSR Europe: European business network for corporate sustainability and responsibility, uniting thousands of enterprises at local, European, and global levels. An explicit strategic partner of econsense, it operates the same membership-based model focused on European corporate sustainability with comparable peer exchange and working group formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/econsense
• Xx.com/econsense

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about econsense