While it is agreed that corporate sustainability strategy formulation is relevant for companies, to date
only little attention has been paid to its actual implementation, i.e. to the concrete steps needed to
translate sustainability strategy into practice. The research presented in this article is based on the
existing literature in the field and on an in-depth analysis of a case in the automotive industry. The case
study entailed participant-observation over a period of three months, and is supported by company data,
qualitative expert interviews and workshop data. The main objective of this study is to investigate the
factors involved in the successful implementation of corporate sustainability strategy. The success factors
identified provide new insights concerning how the gap between the formulation and the implementation
of corporate sustainability strategy may be bridged. Particular focus is placed on identifying
the conditions needed in successful corporate sustainability strategy implementation, i.e. on factors
relating to organizational structure, organizational culture, leadership, management control, employee
motivation and qualifications, and communication. In addition, the study was also able to identify factors
which are largely ignored in the relevant literature, such as employee motivation and communication.
Evidence from an in-depth analysis of a single case in the automotive industry provides the basis for the
research. It is hoped that the insights gained will be helpful to other companies and scholars engaged in
analyzing the crucial transition from strategy formulation to strategy implementation and to all those
seeking to cope with the challenges arising in the research field of corporate sustainability strategy
implementation.