ZNU Standard: Finally, a sustainability system that’s got your back.
EXCLUSIVELY INTEGRATED IN THE LEADITY SOFTWARE
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Externally certifiable = unassailable — communicate with confidence and without fear of greenwashing
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Improve measurably — build a more sustainable business year after year, instead of just ticking boxes
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Competitive advantage, not a cost factor — stand out with customers, banks & top talent
leadity. lead with clarity.
The biggest challenges for sustainable business management
You fill in questionnaires — but does that actually make your business more future-ready, the way the ZNU standard does?
Customer A requires ISO 14001. Customer B wants EcoVadis. The bank needs an ESG rating. And you? You fill in questionnaires, gather the same data for the tenth time, and lose hours in spreadsheet chaos. Yet at the end of the year, you still don’t know exactly where you stand — or whether you’ve made any real progress on sustainability.
The problem: Most standards do nothing more than check whether you meet requirements. They don’t actually help you operate more sustainably — or position yourself as future-ready. No structured process. No clear roadmap. No measurable, continuous improvement you can credibly demonstrate to the outside world.
The result: You invest time and money — but your sustainability performance stagnates. Customers remain sceptical. Banks demand additional evidence. Sustainability becomes a bureaucratic exercise instead of a competitive advantage.
The good news: There is a better way — with the ZNU Standard and leadity software.
The difference between compliance and genuine progress
With the ZNU standard, you build continuous sustainability into your business — rather than just ticking boxes.
The ZNU Standard for Sustainable Business is more than a reporting framework: It establishes a complete management system that guides companies systematically through all material sustainability topics. leadity is the only software that enables you to implement the ZNU Standard — from initial assessment through to audit.
What companies gain with the ZNU Standard in leadity:
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Maximum credibility through external verification: Third-party certification delivers the highest level of trust and robust evidence for banks, customers, and partners.
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Competitive advantages that pay off: A stronger position with customers, cost savings through sustainability, and greater appeal as an employer brand.
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Real progress, not just compliance: Make measurable sustainability progress — not just tick off requirements.
Exclusive to leadity: leadity is the only software that fully maps the ZNU Standard in a digital environment, guides you through the certification process step by step, and transforms fragmented standards into a coherent sustainability management system. The entry licence with the ZNU Standard module is available to you at no cost.
As voluntary sustainability communication increasingly depends on robust, verifiable evidence, the centralised, audit-proof documentation logic of the ZNU Standard in leadity delivers real value — your Winning Team for more sustainable business.
Successfully implementing the ZNU standard with leadity
How to embed sustainability holistically — with a structured path to ZNU standard certification.
Your path to ZNU certification starts here.
1. Implement the ZNU standard Implement the ZNU standard exclusively with leadity, the only software that fully reflects the standard. Capture all relevant KPIs, evidence, and measures in one place. leadity intelligently links your evidence with the requirements of the ZNU standard. From your first sustainability check to final documentation — everything fully traceable, audit-ready, and reusable multiple times. A single source of truth for all requirements.
2. Measure impact and make it visible Achieve real progress — not just on paper: leadity gives you full transparency on where you stand, which measures are working, and where there is room for improvement. Stay on top of your progress and remain ready for external certification at any time.
3. Continuously improve and get externally certified Continuously develop your sustainability management: With a clear focus on measurable improvement, you make your business more sustainable year after year. Secure the highest credibility through external certification: The ZNU standard is reviewed annually by accredited certification bodies such as, among others, DEKRA, TÜV SÜD, and TÜV Rheinland. leadity fully prepares all evidence — for a smooth certification process.
Science & software in practice
Real impact with the winning combination of ZNU standard and leadity
The leadity software is built on the ZNU standard — and takes you efficiently to certification and real impact.
“We want to focus on actions and projects that make a difference – in line with the ZNU standards. leadity provides our office with a clear process and takes care of the time-consuming documentation.”
Sustainability management with leadity – from SMEs to global players
lead with clarity — with more than 600 companies across 20+ industries in 50+ countries
State-approved. Science-based. Externally certifiable.
The ZNU Standard is the first holistic sustainability standard with DAkkS-recognised accreditation capability. Developed by the ZNU at the University of Witten/Herdecke and audited annually by independent, accredited bodies — delivering the highest level of credibility and reliable documentation for banks, customers, and partners. As the only software to map the ZNU Standard end-to-end in digital form, leadity provides centralised evidence management and audit-proof documentation for external certification.
FAQs on the ZNU Standard
Questions and answers about FLAG emissions with leadity
If you have any further questions, please feel free to email us at kontakt@leadity.de
The ZNU-Standard Nachhaltiger Wirtschaften is a holistic sustainability standard that helps companies embed sustainability systematically across their organisation and have it verified by an independent third party.
The ZNU standard is particularly suitable for companies that do not only want to demonstrate sustainability externally, but want to manage it in a lasting way internally—for example, because customers expect reliable evidence or because sustainability is relevant as a competitive and employer topic.
Reporting standards help present information in a structured way. A management standard, by contrast, is designed to embed sustainability into day-to-day operations and implement it holistically: responsibilities, measures, evidence, routines, and continuous improvement all become a permanent part of the organisation.
That depends heavily on your starting point, data availability, and internal organisation. What matters less is “how fast” — what matters more is “how cleanly” you start: clear responsibilities, a centralised data foundation, and an auditable evidence process significantly reduce the need for rework later on.
External verification means that your statements, data, and evidence do not only seem plausible internally, but can be traced and verified by an independent third party. That is exactly what increases credibility with customers, banks, and partners—and reduces the risk that your communication can be challenged.
Because leadity maps the ZNU standard in full as a digital software solution. This means: requirements, KPIs, measures, and evidence are structured, interconnected, and documented in a traceable way for the audit.
The first step is not “collect more data” — it is to create structure: clear responsibilities, defined data sources, and an evidence logic that holds up to scrutiny later on. With leadity, you implement the ZNU standard directly in the only system that maps it in full.
