Communities of practice

In a community of practice, you get to work with a fixed group of companies and organisations for an extended period of time. The programmes are aimed at participants struggling with a specific, shared sustainability challenge.

You will exchange knowledge and experience with colleagues from various sectors and, together with experts, get to work on taking structural steps forward. Are you also looking forward to working on a strategy that actually works in practice?

Below is an overview of our ongoing and planned programmes. Interested? Click through to the community of practice of your choice and leave your contact details for an intake meeting.

Ongoing programmes

These tracks are running today or starting again soon. Take a look and pre-register for the next cohort or edition.

Embedding Inclusion in Talent Strategy

Without talent, there is no future. In a tight labour market, the real difference is made by a culture where everyone has the space to grow. More and more organisations are investing in diversity, equity and inclusion to attract people, prevent burnout and turnover, and strengthen their overall resilience.

Work with experts and peers to develop a talent approach that actually works.

Build your Biodiversity Strategy

Biodiversity is disappearing, and you can feel it: higher risks, scarce resources, less resilience. More and more Belgian companies are turning the tide by investing in nature to avoid loss and create value. In this community of practice, you will work with fellow companies and biodiversity experts to put biodiversity on your corporate agenda – right at the heart of your activities – and build a strategy that drives real, structured progress.

Design your Business for Purpose

Work alongside other CEOs and experts to explore the mission, structure and governance of your organisation, guided by the Doughnut Design for Business model. You become part of a community of like-minded leaders who, just like you, are committed to building a future-proof business model and creating meaningful change.

Moving the Building Ecosystem

The construction sector is undergoing a fundamental shift, driven by climate targets, evolving regulation and growing resource scarcity. This calls for more than purely technical solutions.

In this community of practice, The Shift brings together businesses, public authorities and experts to actively shape the transition across the construction value chain. Because together we are stronger.

Decarbonised Supply Chains

On average, supply chain emissions are more than 11 times higher than a company’s direct emissions. In other words, Scope 3 plays a key role in any decarbonisation journey. In this community of practice, you will exchange with peers and experts on tangible strategies to mobilise suppliers and reduce emissions on a large scale.

Journey to Net Zero

The climate challenge is growing and European regulations are changing rapidly. Organisations need to think ahead and act purposefully. In this community of practice, you join forces with other pioneers. You translate ambitions into effective actions and, supported by a scientific framework, work on a well-founded and future-proof net zero strategy.

Developing your Inner Skills

Sustainability challenges are not just technical or systemic – they are deeply human. To lead with meaning in a complex world, we need inner growth. With this community of practice, you’ll gain the tools, techniques and network to strengthen your inner power to make a difference.

LIFE BE FREE

LIFE BE FREE has been bringing together financial and social players since 2022 to speed up a more inclusive energy transition in Belgium. Through roundtable discussions, the consortium explores innovative ways to scale up investments in energy innovation and make them more accessible to everyone.

What we did before

Over the years, we worked with our members around a variety of sustainability challenges. Explore a selection of past communities of practice and partnerships here.

Belgian Alliance for Climate Action

The Belgian Alliance for Climate Action (BACA) was founded in 2020 by The Shift and WWF-Belgium to connect organisations with a shared ambition to accelerate the transition towards a climate-neutral society. The initiative focussed on taking concrete climate action through Science-Based Targets, peer learning, interactive workshops and inspiring events.

Supply Chain Leaders Group

The Supply Chain Leader Group brought together leading companies from the
Belgian Alliance for Climate Action
to leverage the impact of their supply chain in the fight against global warming. The program consisted of a series of roundtable sessions sharing key challenges and best practices and shaping science-based reduction strategies.

B Corp

Between 2019 and 2023, B Corp Benelux and The Shift joined forces to strengthen the B Corp movement in Belgium. Together, they built a growing community of companies that put sustainability and social responsibility at the heart of their strategy.

Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence

Between 2020 and 2022, the Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence programme supported companies in strengthening human rights and environmental due diligence throughout their value chains. Through workshops and tailored guidance, participants developed risk maps, action plans and strategies to sustainable embed due diligence into their policies.

Beyond Chocolate

Beyond Chocolate brought together chocolate brands, governments, retailers and NGOs in 2018 to make the cocoa chain fairer and more sustainable. The partnership worked towards living incomes for farmers, preventing deforestation and increase transparency, with lasting impact from producer to consumer.

Biodiversity in Action

Biodiversity in Action, a collaboration between The Shift and WWF-Belgium, gathered organisations that recognize their impact on nature and biodiversity to work on this, right to the heart of their business strategy. In the Biodiversity Action Labs, members from various sectors worked on concrete strategies to strengthen, measure and sustainably embed biodiversity in their operations.

Work and Inclusion

Work and Inclusion (2022-2023) gathered companies, policymakers and civil society actors to build inclusive workplaces. In a series of interactive sessions, participants learned how diversity and inclusive leadership lead to stronger teams, greater innovation and new perspectives on talent and collaboration.

Green Deal Circular Purchasing

From 2017 to 2021, the Green Deal Circular Procurement united companies, governments and civil society organisations to strengthen sustainable procurement policies. By sharing knowledge and developing circular criteria in tenders, the initiative stimulated a market that fuels reuse and innovation. An important step toward a structural circular economy in Flanders.

Green Deal Sustainable Urban Logistics

Between 2017 and 2021, the Green Deal Sustainable Urban Logistics brought together companies, cities and experts to organize deliveries smarter and emission-free. Through innovative pilot projects and knowledge sharing, solutions emerged for cleaner, livable and future-proof cities.

Green Deal Green Deal Protein Shift on Our Plate

The Green Deal Protein Shift has been accelerating the shift from animal to plant-based proteins since 2021. Companies, governments, researchers and organizations are joining forces to develop innovative actions, change consumer behavior and strengthen local production. The goal: a healthy and resilient food system for people and planet.

Green Deal Shared mobility

The Green Deal Shared mobility united companies, governments and citizens from 2018 to 2022 to embed shared mobility in Flanders. Through collaboration and innovation, the initiative promoted sustainable, accessible alternatives to individual transportation.

Sign for my future

Sign for my Future, launched in 2019, grew into one of the largest climate campaigns in Belgium. The initiative brought together citizens, businesses, civil society and academics to call on policymakers for ambitious and binding climate policies. With more than 340,000 signatures, The Shift as a unifying force ensured broad public support.

Talent2Connect

Talent2Connect, launched in 2015, united companies, governments and social organizations to better support vulnerable groups on their way to work. New collaborations led to innovative solutions for a labor market where everyone can use their talent.