Adapting to Survive: The Compliance Revolution

Directives Inc. || September 9th Edition

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Businesses that don’t change will disappear,” but let’s be honest—this isn’t groundbreaking anymore. What is new is where that change is now urgently required: compliance. The regulatory tidal wave - #tsnunami - coming from Brussels is unlike anything businesses have faced before, and the clock is ticking. If there was ever a time to redesign your business to face this challenge, it is now.

Here’s the reality: compliance has always been a back-office concern, often delegated to the margins. But with regulations now touching every aspect of sustainability, circularity, and transparency, it’s clear that this can no longer be just a checkbox exercise. The very core of your business needs to shift, and that shift isn’t going to be easy. It’s going to take time, and it’s going to require making some unpopular decisions today for survival tomorrow. Let’s face it—your buying lag time is already nine months or more out. Delaying is no longer an option.

What about Willing and Able?

When change looms, one of the key models we often turn to is the ‘willing and able’ matrix, applied to both your staff and suppliers. It’s not just about what needs to change—it’s about who is ready to embrace that change. Some of your team members or supply chain partners might be willing but not able, meaning they need investment in training. Others might be able, but not willing, requiring you to reconsider relationships, contracts, and partnerships that don’t fit your long-term vision.

Training is non-negotiable. It’s time to equip your people with the skills to navigate these waters. But beyond skills, we also need to revisit every contract. Are your current agreements fit for a future of stricter sustainability mandates and transparent reporting? Or are they relics of a bygone era, waiting to trip you up in the regulatory minefield ahead?

First Things First: A New Horizon

Before we can think about training, contracts, or operations, we need to set the destination. The new business model on the horizon is one that can withstand the pressure of evolving compliance landscapes. This is a business that embraces circularity as more than a buzzword, where sustainable operations aren’t the exception but the rule, and where transparency is embedded in every layer of decision-making, supply chain, and governance.

Building that future will require a shift in mindset, and yes, some of the decisions you make won’t win you friends in the short term. But think long-term. Are you positioning your business to not just survive, but thrive in this new regulatory age?

Change is inevitable. Compliance is the frontier. The time to start is now.

Regards, Caspar

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