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Companies

GIZ as a skilled and strategic partner for companies

With our global presence, local expertise, far-reaching networks and years of experience working with the private sector, GIZ is a competent strategic partner for companies. We support companies in achieving their sustainability goals, producing joint sustainability strategies and implementing them around the world. Our focus is on developing countries and emerging economies.

How companies benefit from cooperation with GIZ:

  • GIZ puts you in touch with the right partners in government, business and civil society in more than 130 countries. This boosts the effectiveness of your sustainability activities, reduces your project risks and means a more rapid return on your investment.
  • We introduce you to international networks, alliances and initiatives to facilitate knowledge transfer and to help you to obtain funding.
  • GIZ advisors are sustainability specialists from a very wide range of areas. They can build global supply chains in line with international standards, train suppliers and embed expertise locally, facilitating long-term secure access to raw materials and resources.
  • As a neutral intermediary, GIZ organises sustainability dialogue in cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder processes.
  • GIZ assumes responsibility for project management on behalf of our cooperation partners, from planning and execution through to evaluation.

A global network and reliable contacts in developing countries and emerging economies

For more than 50 years, GIZ has been working around the world for sustainable development. Contacts with the private sector, civil society and political actors, especially in developing countries and emerging economies, form the basis for successful cooperation and sustainable economic development. GIZ operates globally but acts locally and has the skills to plan, manage and implement processes in this complex environment.

Working with companies to devise tailor-made solutions

We provide companies with tailored advice on cooperation in the global and local context and support projects, from the original idea and design through to project management and evaluation. We help companies to comply with environmental and social standards and make supply chains and production processes more transparent and sustainable, whether to improve working conditions in the textile sector in Bangladesh, promote responsible use of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or support sustainable agriculture in Brazil. In doing so, we harness the knowledge of local employees in developing countries and emerging economies and systematically build on this knowledge through technical and vocational training and ongoing mentoring. We work with companies to achieve sustainable project outcomes and to secure measurable results and impacts that are reflected in sustainability assessments and corporate indicators.

Selected GIZ solutions at a glance

  • Corporate sustainability and responsibility: providing advisory services on sustainability issues, producing sustainability strategies, and implementing projects in developing countries and emerging economies to achieve corporate goals that reflect sustainable local development
  • Sustainable supply chains: improving process and product quality by means of sustainably designed production processes in value chains and supply chains 
  • Market access: facilitating market entry by improving market conditions, especially in developing countries and emerging economies, through excellent access to governments, networks and other stakeholders around the world
  • Product development: promoting product and technology innovation in developing countries and emerging economies
  • Capacity development: organising training and skills development for staff and suppliers locally and embedding knowledge within local education providers
  • Sectoral transformation: enabling networking, dialogue and mediation between stakeholders on dialogue platforms to promote sustainability in specific sectors

Cooperation formats: let us advise you

Are you looking for a tailor-made solution to an individual challenge? Then you should commission GIZ as a service provider.

Or perhaps you are looking for an existing project whose design fits in with your ethos and business? You can be involved in financing and designing the project, which can be expanded by a further module while still working towards the same overall objective.

A further opportunity is to become involved in a public-private development partnership beyond your core business.

Sectoral and cross-sectoral challenges are best tackled by means of strategic alliances and multi-stakeholder partnerships. By providing access to our dialogue platforms and networks, we enable companies from all branches of industry to exchange expertise on a wide variety of topics with national and international interest groups.

Additional information

  • The Agency for Business and Economic Development (AWE) is the central point of contact for the German and European business community interested in engaging with development cooperation. It specifically promotes partnerships in countries of the Global South. With its international network of experts, AWE offers advisory services on funding, financing and project development and establishes contacts worldwide.

    Agency for Business and Economic Development

  • The platform AWE MatchMaker identifies opportunities for cooperation with German development cooperation. It connects interested companies with local experts. The service is free of charge and can be filtered by country and industry sector.

    AWE MatchMaker

  • Invest for Jobs supports companies in their labour-intensive activities in Africa. The special initiative ‘Decent Work for a Just Transition’ - the official title - offers comprehensive advice, contacts and financial support to remove barriers to investment.

    Invest for Jobs

  • Development partnerships with the private sector: through develoPPP.de, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) offers financial and technical support for companies that invest in developing countries and emerging economies.

    develoPPP.de

  • In the lab of tomorrow, companies from Europe and partner countries jointly develop economic and sustainable solutions for concrete problems.

    lab of tomorrow

  • The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest and most important corporate social responsibility initiative. The Global Compact Network Germany (DGCN) helps companies and organisations to align their strategies and activities with the Sustainable Development Goals.

    Global Compact Network Germany

To make it easier for German companies to make a sustainable commitment to developing countries and emerging economies, GIZ, Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) and the Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs) publish market guides for selected future markets.