Keywords
EU Deforestation Regulation
CSRD
teak forestry
stakeholder engagement
ESG reporting
Abstract
Novelteak is a Swiss-owned forestry company that has operated in Costa Rica and Nicaragua for more than 30 years, managing over 7,000 hectares of teak plantations and controlling its value chain from forest management to export. It already holds FSC® certification and, according to the plan, is undergoing B Corp™ certification. Yet certification alone is no longer enough: European clients, investors and regulators increasingly expect transparency, measurable impact and genuine internal commitment.
This article distils the first stage of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan prepared for the company. The plan combines a regulatory review of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), a stakeholder map, a benchmark against five teak and forestry peers, and a SWOT analysis. On that basis it proposes ten CEO priorities with estimated budgets, six low-cost "quick wins" across environmental, social and governance dimensions, a five-week internal rollout plan and four GRI-aligned key performance indicators (KPIs).
All outcomes are projections. The plan estimates an overall ESG score of about 75 for 2024, with targets of 80 for 2025 and 90 for 2028, and anticipates visible results within twelve months if quick wins are combined with governance enablers. For managers of mid-sized natural-resource companies, the case offers a practical lesson: start with governance and data, treat regulation as a route to market advantage, and scale from small, measurable pilots.
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“For Novelteak, a teak exporter operating in Costa Rica (low risk) and Nicaragua (standard risk), the EUDR means two compliance regimes within one supply chain; plot geolocation, batch traceability and documented due diligence define the data architecture its strategy needs.” — Malliaroudaki & Villagrán Melo (2026), Conscious Management Journal, 4(1).
“Without claiming that Novelteak is directly subject to the CSRD, the plan argues that aligning with its reporting logic is critical, because EU clients bound by the directive will require such data from their suppliers.” — Malliaroudaki & Villagrán Melo (2026), Conscious Management Journal, 4(1).
“Novelteak's CSR plan models a sequence that mid-sized natural-resource companies can replicate: governance first, through an almost cost-free CSR committee; data second; quick wins third; and scaling only once evidence exists.” — Malliaroudaki & Villagrán Melo (2026), Conscious Management Journal, 4(1).
“The plan projects that six quick wins requiring limited resources, each with an indicative effort level, deadline, KPI and named risk, combined with governance enablers, could enable Novelteak to achieve visible results within twelve months.” — Malliaroudaki & Villagrán Melo (2026), Conscious Management Journal, 4(1).
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