The paper deals with contemporary means of diminishing the ecological footprint of companies and discusses a strategic component of such approach. An overview of existing voluntary tools supporting sustainability in companies is given. Further analysis explores one of the tools-the ecodesign and points out its advantages and possible weaknesses. Strategic approach to sustainability planning in a company is introduced together with Method for Sustainable Product Development (MSPD), which offers a system approach to product development. It is argued that today s ecodesign tools need to be complemeted by strategic guidelines ensuring that the measures taken will lead a company on a sustainable path in the long run also. Some of the key features of MSPD are principle defined sustainability, enhancement of communication on different levels in companies and decision making support in trade-off situations