Training Modules

The SUFABU modules cover the full green transition journey for family SMEs — from strategic frameworks and data, to leadership, communication, and impact assessment.

Across the modules, you will explore:

  • How to align your business with the European Green Deal, SDGs and green KPIs.
  • How to analyse your current situation, your industry and competitors, and your data flows (ERP).
  • How to strengthen sustainable leadership, family dynamics, and green communication with employees and customers.
  • How to work through circular economy and LCA, cross‑organisation collaboration, and community engagement & sourcing.
  • How to develop a roadmap for the green transition, report on progress through sustainability reporting and certifications (GRI, ESG), and conduct an impact assessment of your actions.

Each module includes presentation materials, practical activities for your company, and self‑assessment tool, so that you can combine conceptual understanding with practical reflection on your own family business. Each module is also connected to a short education video that will help you get into the topic smoothly, so we highly recommend watching it first.

Immerse yourself in the learning path and use it as a starting point for meaningful conversations about the future of your company.

1. Green Project Management Model

Green Deal, SDGs + Green KPIs

Takeaways
  • Define the European Green Deal (EGD) and the
    Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • Understand the importance of the principles of the green
    project management model and the green KPIs.
  • Identify the business benefits of adopting sustainable
    practices.
  • Integrate sustainability goals into daily business strategy.
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2. Self-Evaluation for Greener Practices in Family Businesses

Takeaways
  • Understand the key principles of greener business practices and why they are important for long-term success.
  • Assess the current sustainability performance of their business using simple self-evaluation tools.
  • Identify main environmental impacts in areas such as energy use, waste, water, and emissions.
  • Explore practical ways to improve resource efficiency and introduce greener processes.
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3. Knowledge of the industry and competitors

Takeaways
  • Analyze their industry’s current sustainability practices and green transition trends
  • Identify key competitors and their environmental initiatives
  • Assess market opportunities arising from green transition requirements
  • Develop competitive intelligence strategies for sustainability benchmarking
  • Position their family business strategically within the green economy of their sector
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4. Balancing economic and social sustainability

Takeaways
  • Differentiate between economic and social sustainability goals
  • Analyze the trade-offs between goals and their influence on family firm decision-making
  • Apply structured frameworks to evaluate the family’s own diverse goals and determine green practices in line with those goals

 

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5. Circular Economy & Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Takeaways
  • Understand Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) concept
  • See how they improve sustainability and competitiveness
  • Apply basic practices in your own business

 

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6. Understanding the Data Flow

In an ERP System

Takeaways
  • Understand what “data flow” means in the context of an ERP system
  • Recognise how different parts of a business are connected through data
  • Identify common data flow problems in everyday operations
  • Review and reflect on your current business workflows
  • Identify practical ways to improve data flow and efficiency

 

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7. Sustainable Leadership

Takeaways
  • Identify the concept and role of sustainable leadership.
  • Define the required skills for successful sustainable leaders.
  • Understand the relevance of sustainable leadership for SME family businesses.
  • Integrate green values and responsible practices into the business leadership.
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8. Family Dynamics & the Green Transition

Takeaways
  • Understand the four circles of family business (Family – Ownership – Business – Unifying Purpose) and learn how they influence the success or failure of the ecological transition,
  • Be able to recognize typical conflicts and dilemmas when making decisions about green investments and acquire methods for resolving them,
  • Understand how to connect family values (continuity, responsibility, tradition, cohesion) with an ecological vision and turn them into a competitive advantage,
  • Become familiar with the main challenges and opportunities of the green transition and learn to reflect on them with your own family.
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9. Green Communication

Towards Employees & Customers

Takeaways
  • Understand why communication is a key part of the green transition and how it affects the family, employees, customers, suppliers, and the community.
  • Learn to identify communication target groups and adapt both language and format accordingly.
  • Get familiar with a wide spectrum of traditional and modern communication tools and learn how to use them in synergy (omnichannel approach).
  • Gain practical tips on how to involve family and employees in ecological changes and turn them into sustainability ambassadors.
  • Be able to create a simple communication plan and master the skill of storytelling.
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10. Cross-organisation Collaboration for Sustainability

Takeaways
  • Understand how cross-organisation collaboration enables sustainability, innovation, and resilience in family businesses
  • Recognise the main forms of collaboration and their strategic value for green transition and compliance
  • Identify potential partners and define first, low-risk steps toward a sustainability-oriented collaboration
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11. Community Engagement & Sourcing

Takeaways
  • Understand the role of community engagement and local sourcing in the green transition of family businesses.
  • Identify concrete strategies to reduce environmental impact and increase local resilience through community partnerships.
  • Analyse real-life examples of family businesses creating shared value through collaboration with local actors.
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12. Sustainability Reporting & Certifications

Takeaways
  • Understand the purpose and value of sustainability reporting and/or certifications
  • Identify several important reporting frameworks and certifications
  • Recognize challenges when adopting sustainability reporting and/or certifications
  • Adopt the fitting reporting frameworks and/or certifications for your family firm
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13. Roadmap for the Green Transition in Family SMEs

Takeaways
  • gain a clear understanding of what it means to create a realistic roadmap for the green transition in a family SME,
  • learn to apply the key planning steps (baseline analysis, goal definition, milestones, responsibilities, strategies, resources, feedback),
  • learn how to involve the family, employees, and partners in the planning process,
  • understand how to set measurable indicators (KPI, ROI, CO₂e, energy self-sufficiency),
  • become familiar with tools (grant programs, community energy, PPA, circular solutions),
  • be able to translate a vision into an action plan for 12–36 months for their own business.
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14. Impact Assessment of Green Transition

Takeaways
  • Understand what impact assessment means in the context of the green transition,
  • Learn to distinguish between economic, environmental, and social impacts,
  • Master the principles of measuring, monitoring, and reporting ESG impacts (KPI, CO₂e, ROI, SROI, etc.),
  • Understand impact assessment methods and gain an overview of tools and standards (LCA, GRI, CSRD, SBTi),
  • Be able to create a basic “impact map” of their own company.
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