Making the economy sustainable is a joint task which needs the interaction of different actors. Companies play a central role in this: the design, development, manufacture and sale of products are their core competence. It is true that product development and its design are part of entrepreneurial freedom. But social concerns, especially the sustainable development goals, should be integrated from the very beginning - also to meet the demands of customers.

Civil society actors such as environmental and consumer organisations have developed apps with which consumers can collect criticism and requests for changes to products. Companies can use these apps productively: They can strengthen their customer dialogue and use the feedback as a supplement to their market surveys to perceive shifts in consumer preferences. Above all, however, companies can take up the impulses and thus set sustainable trends in their industry.

The guide shows which steps are necessary to constructively take up the feedback, among other things with a checklist. Using the apps "Replace PalmOil", "ReplacePlastic" and "ToxFox" examined in the project, it also explains how the offers work and how civil society organisations use them to campaign for higher environmental and health standards. The guide encourages companies to work more closely with environmental organisations, as they can use their expertise and connections to customers to help make products more sustainable and thus more future-oriented.