How can an SME integrate sustainability from strategy to SBTi objectives?

When Charlier-Brabo Group (CBG) approached Route 2030 in 2023, their ambition was clear: they wanted more than a sustainability strategy on paper. They wanted direction, stability, and a team that could become the driving force behind change.

But at the same time, there were also questions. How do you make sustainability tangible for every employee? How do you ensure that strategy isn't something imposed from above, but something everyone embraces? And how do you translate complex themes like CO₂ reduction, materiality, and SBTi into actionable steps?

The answer emerged during a process that not only brought insights, but above all peace, clarity and self-confidence — from within.

The start: ambition, uncertainty and the need for clarity

CBG wanted to move forward. They wanted to know where they stood, which themes were priorities, and which initial actions would truly work. But as with many companies, sustainability simultaneously felt:

• important,

• abstract,

• and sometimes overwhelming.

  
  

During the initial discussions, it became clear that CBG needed a process that was both strategic and human: a path that involves employees, makes complex material understandable, and helps make concrete choices.

A train-the-trainer program that sets the organization itself in motion

That's why we opted for a train-the-trainer approach . In six intensive sessions, we built an internal core team that:

• understood what sustainability means for CBG,

• learned how to perform analysis,

• and understood why this is relevant to every part of the organization.

  
  

The goal wasn't for Route 2030 to "give" them a strategy. The goal was for them to learn to lead , direct, and make their own businesses sustainable.

From insight to impact: footprint & materiality

The next step was gathering facts and insights. Together we conducted:

• a CO₂ footprint (their first baseline measurement)

• a double materiality analysis , using our DMA tool

For some, this was confronting—sustainability in numbers can sometimes be a wake-up call. For others, it was a relief: finally, clarity, direction, and an objective basis for making choices.

Or as Nathalie, Buyer & Quality Manager, said:

By translating complex material into understandable language, sustainability became not a theoretical chapter, but a workable compass .

Strategy, action plan and KPIs: sustainability that truly takes root

With these insights, we jointly built a sustainability strategy that:

• concrete

• realistic

• ambitious

• and was supported by people from across the organization

The result was an action plan with clear KPIs, a roadmap towards emission reduction and a team that knew what needed to be done — and why.

Sustainability no longer became a “side project”, but an integral part of how CBG works, decides and communicates .

SBTi trajectory and substantiated reduction roadmap

Together with Route 2030, Charlier-Brabo Group developed scientifically sound emission reduction targets for its Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, in line with the global 1.5°C target. Route 2030 guided CBG through the entire SBTi process: from defining the appropriate ambition and scope, to developing and substantiating the targets, to submitting and following up with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

Parallel to this validation process, we also supported CBG in developing a well-founded carbon reduction roadmap. This reduction roadmap translates the ambitions into concrete action. It clearly outlines the necessary reductions for each emission source and team, the levers to be deployed, and how the objectives can be effectively achieved.

Charlier-Brabo Group's objectives have now been officially validated by SBTi, confirming that their climate ambitions are scientifically sound and future-oriented.

What CBG is building on today

The foundation is in place: there's a clear reduction roadmap, and each team knows what to do. The focus is now shifting to less straightforward reductions—where collaboration makes the difference.

Today we support CBG primarily in:

• realizing reductions that are more difficult to unlock, through collaborations with suppliers and customers,

• developing due diligence within the framework of the European no-deforestation legislation (EUDR).

  
  

A journey that brought more than strategy: it brought ownership

This trajectory proves that sustainability is not a sprint, but a process of:

• listen

• communicate clearly

• making complex content digestible

• building engagement

• and move forward step by step

CBG discovered that the power does not lie in one document, but in people who participate, think along and provide direction .

Route 2030 guided, translated, challenged and provided structure — but it is CBG itself that is the driving force behind their sustainable future today.

The CBG case shows how strong it is when strategy, analyses, train-the-trainer and SBTi objectives are combined

come together in one logical growth path.

👉 Do you also want to embed sustainability in your organization with support, strategy, and concrete CO₂ reductions? Route 2030 guides you from insight to implementation. Schedule an exploratory meeting .