The standard- setter is the ZNU – Center for Sustainable Leadership at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Witten/Herdecke University.

For an overview of all contacts, please click here.

The ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change was developed for and together with the food industry in 2013 and has been tried and tested in practice for six years. As a result, enterprises along the value chain as well as other industries took notice of the ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change so that manufacturers of other consumer goods (e.g., cosmetics and pet food or logistics and food services) could be certified according to the ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change. Another objective was to make the standard more accessible: Now it is also applicable to companies with several sites – and on an international scale as well. Last but not least, the quality of a standard is about reviewing it on a regular basis and adapting its contents to current issues as well as to modifications of other standards and initiatives. The present ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change may therefore serve the business community as an instrument for implementing global sustainability goals.

If you are interested in the ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change, please contact the ZNU – Center of Sustainable Leadership at +49 (0)2302 / 926-545, write an email to znu@uni-wh.de, or consult one of the approved certification bodies.

The duration of an audit depends on the number of employees, existing certifications and other criteria. You may quickly and roughly calculate expenses by using the calculation tool.

The certification body issues the ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change certificate for a period of three years. An annual review ensures that the company complies with and implements the requirements of the ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change. Before the certificate expires, it is possible to extend it for a further period of three years by passing a re-certification audit.

The ZNU StandardFood turns into the ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change: open to all industries, to manufacturers as well as to service providers, and applicable on an international scale. In addition, the site-specific standard turns into a corporate standard facilitating multi-site certification, thus simplifying the certification process for large companies with several sites or branches.

The standard is subdivided into nine documents for a better overview:

Z 1 (Objectives and overview) and Z 2 (Requirements including compliance options) are the standard’s core documents. Documents Z 3 to Z 9 include further information on the standard and certification system. That way, the information is provided in a more targeted and clearer way.

Please refer to the download page for all ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change documents.

Yes – due to recent developments we have placed greater emphasis on current issues, such as innovations, personal contribution, sustainable consumption, and contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the result that the present ZNU Standard – driving sustainable change may serve the business community as an instrument for implementing global sustainability goals as well.

General approval requirements apply to all auditors. Please download the detailed requirements for certification bodies and auditors here: Download