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AI for the sustainability function

More impact with the resources you already have. Advisory for the effective use of AI in your sustainability function.

A research-backed read on where AI pays off in your sustainability function — then we build the priorities into your existing systems until they run in production.

Dominik Kaufmann
"

AI doesn't replace sustainability teams. It augments them.

Dominik Kaufmann 10+ years in sustainability consulting · Ex-Deloitte (Audit + Advisory) · Past clients include Uniper, Kion
Benefits

More possibilities for your sustainability team

Four concrete shifts you'll notice after we work together.

Impact

We find your biggest levers together — and turn sustainability into a business advantage. Cost/benefit and a board-ready deck included.

Time saved

Up to 70% less time on reporting compared with manual processes (industry benchmark). One data pipeline feeds CSRD, ratings and customer questionnaires at the same time.

Reliability

Research-backed potential analysis, a maturity check before you build, and fully documented methodology — so you back the right AI bets.

Plugs in

Minimally invasive: nothing new to learn, no extra step in the daily flow. AI runs inside your existing systems — the knowledge stays with your team.

The challenge

Do you recognize these challenges?

These bottlenecks shape many teams' day-to-day — but they don't have to stay that way.

01
Strategic work loses out to reporting pressure

Reporting and disclosure tie up most of the capacity. The strategic work — impact roadmap, business case, action planning — keeps slipping down the list.

02
Requirements keep moving

CSRD Omnibus, CBAM, EUDR, packaging laws, ISSB. Standards shift faster than processes can settle — and the assurance bar keeps rising.

03
Same data, new formats every time

The same KPIs, packaged into a new template every quarter: CSRD, EcoVadis, CDP, MSCI, SBTi, bank and customer questionnaires. Even after Omnibus relief, banks, insurers and customers will keep asking for structured ESG data.

04
AI pilot, not AI system

AI initiatives often produce polished text but no auditable logic. Data protection, audit trail and EU AI Act stay unresolved — and most pilots never make it into production.

Solution

Three steps to unlock your AI potential

Easy to start. Clear path. Each step ends with a real decision point — continue or stop.

01 · Step
Diagnose
Methodology-based assessment · 3 weeks · fixed price
  • Workshop: your workflows broken down into clean sub-tasks
  • Each task scored against the 5-stage methodology (Task · Capab · Deploy · Gov)
  • Recommendation on the autonomy scale: Human · Tool · Consultant · Collaborator · Expert
  • Roadmap of the top workflows with effort, impact, and preconditions
You know which tasks pay off — and which don't.
Methodology: how we assess AI potential →
02 · Step
Build
Implementation through handoff · 8–12 weeks · fixed price
  • Implementation of the prioritised workflows inside your systems
  • Operationalisation per task: inputs, rubric, tools, output, review
  • Audit-ready method documentation and data lineage
  • Handoff: training your team, roles, accountability
Workflows run — and from here, your team owns them.
03 · Step
Run
Sparring after handoff · ongoing · monthly
  • Model updates: recalibration when new frontier generations land
  • Regulatory updates: ESRS, EU AI Act, CBAM, EUDR
  • Sparring on demand: assess new use cases, catch drift
  • Monthly check-in with a transparent update path
Your workflows keep evolving — and you're not on your own.
Security

Data protection and confidentiality come first.

What you can count on when we work together.

Data stays in your environment

AI runs inside your own EU cloud environment or on-premise — coordinated with your IT team. Every provider we use carries a contractual no-training guarantee: your data never feeds anyone else's model.

GDPR + EU AI Act

A GDPR Art. 28 data processing agreement is in place before we start. Workflows are built around the EU AI Act (fully applicable from August 2026). Read full AI policy →

Audit-ready documentation

Every AI output traces back to the source file. Sources and methodology are visible to auditors — no black box.

Testimonials

What clients say

"

Dominik brought structure to the process quickly and worked very independently. His pragmatic, solution-oriented approach visibly took load off the team — he was highly valued. The handover and solutions are set up so the team can keep going internally without friction.

Anne Hem Uniper
"

Dominik's commitment and his deep grasp of sustainability impressed me. His client-first thinking and willingness to go beyond what was asked made him a real asset on our projects.

Viola Joncic Deloitte
Insights

Examples from my practice

Visions, analyses, tools — built from client work and my own research.

Ready-to-use templates, workshop formats and tools — all on the resources page.

View resources

Where does AI pay off in your team?

In a 30-min intro call we walk through where you are and where AI could pay off. If it's a fit, I'll sketch a possible approach.

Free, no strings attached 30 minutes · phone or video A concrete recommendation at the end

Get in touch

About me

Background

Dominik Kaufmann

I got my start in sustainability management in 2016 as a working student at elobau, a mid-sized sensor manufacturer in Germany's Allgäu region. The team was already experimenting with recycled materials and sustainable product designs — years ahead of the market. When demand for climate-neutral components later picked up, that early work paid off. That entrepreneurial view of sustainability has shaped my work ever since.

After that came Protiviti — sustainability for the financial sector — and four years at Deloitte in Frankfurt and Mexico City, working with sustainability teams across industries from mining to pharmaceuticals. I saw how differently programs can be built — and how the hurdles look the same everywhere: unclear mandates, missing resources, no board buy-in, complex production processes. I also saw how they get solved, often creatively.

I've worked independently since 2021, advising medium and large companies in close, confidential collaboration — not as an outside vendor, but as an extension of the team. My bar: quality clients can rely on, and a way of working that's respectful and energizing.

How I work

Method and approach

My method
AI with a small footprint

Small, specialized models instead of frontier LLMs wherever possible. Deployed in cloud regions with a high renewables share — coordinated with your IT team.

Token-based CO₂ tracking per workflow. Cloud usage data flows straight into your Scope 3 reporting.

How I work
Direct access — no junior team behind the scenes

You work directly with me — no rotating consulting team in the background. I think with you, not just tick off tasks. If something doesn't add up, I'll say so.

Plain language, no consulting loops. Practical results, not perfect PowerPoint decks. I reply within 24 hours on weekdays. If I commit to something, it happens.

Where I draw the line
What AI can't replace

AI needs a data foundation — it can't invent one. AI makes mistakes (industry error rates run around 23% today). And AI doesn't replace materiality or strategy decisions.

The division of labor stays clear: AI accelerates, humans decide. I build that split into every workflow.

Handover
Independence after the project ends

Code, prompts and methods belong to you. Standard tools your team can maintain on its own — no consultant lock-in.

After handover, you can carry on alone or bring me back for specific next steps. Either works.

Newsletter

Monthly insights on CSRD reporting, EU Taxonomy data and AI tools for sustainability teams.