Target group
The established compact seminar is aimed in particular at those responsible persons for sustainability issues who see the topic as an opportunity for their company and for themselves personally and who are motivated to implement this in the company, including from the areas of marketing, project management, quality management, human resources and management.

Aim of the Seminar
To make the issue of sustainability your core business! We enable you to implement sustainability management in your company effectively and credibly. The small group size of the seminar (max. 15 participants) allows the development of customer-specific solutions.

Further information and events you can find here

Target group
The qualification is aimed at people from business and science who want to become "leaders" in order to initiate and implement new initiatives, projects and change processes in their organizations. An interdisciplinary group of about fifteen participants from different European countries will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with other leaders on an international level.

Aim of the seminar
To develop personal capability as a leader and innovator in order to transform the passion for sustainability into the success of your own organization. This training focuses on people with their strengths and leadership potential. The participants reflect their own leadership skills in order to become aware of their strengths and to use these in a long-term and targeted manner in everyday project work.

Target group
The established format of the webinar is aimed in particular at those responsible for sustainability issues who see the topic as an opportunity for their company and for themselves personally, and who are motivated to implement this in their company. The online presentation provides the opportunity to ask questions directly.

Aim of these webinars
Short impulses that support the company in the implementation of various sustainability challenges. The topics vary.

Further information and dates can be found here

Wenzig, J., Nuzum, A.-K., & Schaltegger, S. (2022): Path dependence of accountants - Why are they not involved in corporate sustainability?, Business Strategy and the Environment, S. 1– 22, https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3263

Eberle, U., Wenzig, J. & Mumm, N. (2022): Assessing the contribution of products to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals - a methodological proposal, The International Journal of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment,  Jg.  27 Nr. 7, S. 959–977, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-022-02063-8

Schaltegger, S., Christ, K.L., Wenzig, J., Burritt, R.L. (2022) Corporate sustainability management accounting and multi-level links for sustainability – a systematic review. International Journal of Management Reviews. S. 1–21, doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12288

Gruchmann, T., Timmer, V., Gold, S., Geßner, C. (2021): Dynamic capabilities for sustainable change in the food processing industry: A multilevel perspective, Journal of Cleaner Production.

Lindner, J.P., Eberle, U., Knuepffer, E. et al. (2021) Moving beyond land use intensity types: assessing biodiversity impacts using fuzzy thinking. Int J Life Cycle Assess.

Kühnen, M., Silva, S., Beckmann, J., Eberle, U., Hahn, R., Hermann, C.,·Schaltegger, S., Schmid, M. (2019): Contributions to the sustainable development goals in life cycle sustainability assessment: Insights from the Handprint research project. NachhaltigkeitsManagementForum | Sustainability Management Forum 27 (1), 65–82.

Project period: 01.04.2023 - 31.03.2024

Project description

Sustainable production and consumption of food is an important building block for sustainable development. Transforming our food systems is also essential for maintaining planetary boundaries (Rockström et al., 2017; Steffen et al. 2015). To promote the transformative powers of the spice industry, a workshop series on sustainability in the spice industry and beyond will be conducted. The target group are actors the spice industry such as representatives of producing companies, trading companies, associations, research institutions and non-governmental organizations. The aim is to collect the most important sustainability challenges for the spice industry, to show examples of successful corporate and scientific solutions to these challenges, and to discuss and set visions and goals for the spice industry. The topics for the workshops are based on planetary boundaries, as they represent the most important environmental challenges facing the world to ensure a safe space for humanity (Rockström et al., 2009, Steffen et al., 2015). In addition, there is a theme on the protection of human rights as this is considered the most fundamental pillar of social sustainability with many global and regional challenges (McPhail and Ferguson, 2016). Furthermore, one workshop will focus on solutions for successful supply chain management. Therefore, the workshop topics include the following:

Click here to register.

Project funding
The project "Sustainability along the #upply chains of spices and other plant-based raw materials" is funded by the Adalbert RAPS Foundation.

Contact person
Julius Wenzig | +49 2302 926-599 | Julius.Wenzig@uni-wh.de
Alicia Seifer | +49 2302 926-556 | Alicia.Seifer@uni-wh.de

Project period: 01.11.2020 - 30.10.2024

Project description

BioVal develops solutions to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity from food along the life cycle. The project focuses on the food sector, as it has the greatest impact on biodiversity protection and conservation due to its use of a wide variety of ecosystems (e.g. cultivated grasslands, fields, oceans, lakes). BioVal addresses the overarching research question of how biodiversity can be enhanced along product life cycles from three perspectives: the societal perspective on values towards biodiversity, the methodological perspective on the impact assessment of products on biodiversity, and the corporate perspective on biodiversity-enhancing business practices and integration into management processes. The societal perspective is handled by the Zentrum für Technik und Gesellschaft (ZTG) of the TU Berlin, the methodological perspective by the Hochschule Bochum and the corporate perspective by the ZNU. The corporate perspective includes three living labs with food companies, Frosta AG, Seeberger GmbH and Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, in which it is being investigated how they can contribute to the promotion of biodiversity along the product life cycle, and how they can anchor this in their management and communicate it. Measures are developed and tested for this purpose.

BioVal also involves various companies, primarily from the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, in a biodiversity working group in the development and testing of management tools and approaches for communicating biodiversity to consumers. The working group is open to all companies and serves to discuss (interim) results, to test them in practice and to exchange experiences. The main results of BioVal are recommendations for increasing biodiversity along product life cycles and concrete solutions for companies to integrate biodiversity into management systems and tools as well as into B2B and B2C communication. Furthermore, the (further) development of the impact assessment method for biodiversity in Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) will contribute to the international methodological discussion.

Project Funding

The project "BioVal - Biodiversity Valuing & Valuation" is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bmbf) in the funding program Social-Ecological Research (SÖF) under the funding code 01UT2010.

White Paper

Aquatic Biodiversity Impact Assessment – first ideas

Contact person

Dr. Ulrike Eberle | +49 2302 926 545 |  Ulrike.Eberle@uni-wh.de

Julius Wenzig | +49 2302 926-545 | Julius.Wenzig@uni-wh.de

Project duration: 01.07.2020 - 30.06.2022
 
Project description
The aim of this project "Sustainability Clustering of Spices" is to identify ways and strategies for more sustainable supply chains in the spice sector. To this end, the first step will be to use secondary research and information to provide an overview of existing initiatives and projects on sustainability in the spice sector. A comprehensive literature review will elaborate the current state of research on sustainable supply chain design. This will include, in particular, highlighting best practices, conditions for success and barriers.
 
In a second step, the project will develop a clustering of spices based on different characteristics. The aim of the clustering is to identify groups of spices that have similar problems that hinder or complicate sustainable sourcing. Based on the identified challenges that hinder the sourcing of sustainable spices, proposed solutions for the spice groups are developed that involve the individual actors along the value chain.
 
Project funding
The project "Sustainability Clustering of Spices" is funded by the RAPS Foundation.
 
Publications
Hot Spot Guide Spices  (available only in German)

Contact person
Dr. Ulrike Eberle | +49 2302 926-545 | Ulrike.Eberle@uni-wh.de
Julius Wenzig | +49 2302 926-545 | Julius.Wenzig@uni-wh.de

Up to now, hardly any methods for the integrated analysis and evaluation of the sustainability of products and services existed. One of the main reasons for this was that until recently there was no globally uniform and accepted system of objectives or evaluation standards. With the United Nations Agenda 2030, adopted in September 2015, and the 17 sustainability goals and 169 sub-goals contained therein, this is now available. In addition to life cycle assessments, product sustainability analyses and integrated sustainability assessments are often called for in politics today.
Within the framework of the research project "SDG Evaluation - Further Development of a Sustainability Assessment Method based on the Sustainability Targets of the United Nations (Agenda 2030)", which was funded by the BMBF, the method "SDG Evaluation of Products", or SEP for short, was developed for integrated product sustainability analysis and product sustainability assessment.

We have compiled the results for you here.

Paper "Assessing the contribution of products to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: a methodological proposal"

Contact person
Dr. Ulrike Eberle | ZNU | +49 2302 926 545 | Ulrike.Eberle@uni-wh.de
Martin Möller | Öko-Institut e.V. | m.moeller@oeko.de

In September 2018 the ZNU has started the project "Feasibility study of the biosphere region Berchtesgadener Land as an alpine quality and sustainability region":
The feasibility study aims to establish criteria for responsible business, which are based on the requirements of the biosphere region Berchtesgadener Land as a worldwide model region and a network of responsible business partners to form mutually supportive and promoting economic operators and thus help the region to shine. It is therefore important to encourage, motivate and enable entrepreneurs to align their economic activities with the objectives of the alpine region Berchtesgadener Land and to analyze potentials for strengthening regional value creation. The core questions of this feasibility study are: Are the criteria for "responsible management" feasible across industries? Which conditions must be met to make the criteria as attractive as possible to companies of the various industries in the region? On a scientific basis, we develop credible and attractive criteria for responsible business practices with pilot companies of production, health care, food, and tourism sector.

The criteria encompass all areas of responsible management:

• Environmental protection, e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, packaging, waste
• Nature conservancy, e.g. low land use, high land quality
• Economy & Governance, e.g. fair value creation, sustainable management
• Social issues, e.g. employee management, occupational safety, health, equal opportunities

Financing

• Leader-project, the government of Upper Bavaria

Project sponsor

• Biosphere region Berchtesgadener Land

Project partner

• corsus – corporate sustainability, Hamburg
• 3zam communication, Traunstein
• ZNU – Center for Sustainable Leadership

Contact person
Dr. Ulrike Eberle | +49 2302 926-545 | Ulrike.Eberle@uni-wh.de  

The aim of this project, which is funded by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), is to develop a concept for a practice-oriented and internationally applicable self-check sustainable supply chains for SMEs. The sustainability tool is being developed in close cooperation with representatives of SMEs. In addition to a survey on the needs and expectations of such a tool, a trial version is to be tested in a working group and selected companies. If you are interested in participating as a practice partner, or if you have questions or suggestions concerning the project, please contact ZNU.

Project partner

• German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ)

Contact person
Dr. Christian Geßner | +49 2302 926-581 | Christian.Gessner@uni-wh.de
Jona Nelson | +49 2302 926-863 | Jona.Nelson@uni-wh.de

The Handprint is an innovative and holistic approach that makes it possible to assess, measure and communicate the ecological, economic and social sustainability effects of products. The existing Footprint approach focuses on the negative ecological impacts of individuals, organizations or countries. In contrast, the Handprint is designed to record, measure and evaluate the social added value or positive sustainability impacts of products and to include the social and economic dimension in this consideration. While the widely used Footprint is thus used metaphorically to represent a negative burden, the Handprint symbolizes positive, creative management and targeted steering towards sustainable development.

Project partner

• Centre for Sustainability Management (CMS), Leuphana University Lüneburg
• Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) gGmbH
• University Hohenheim / University Kassel
• Centre for Sustainable Leadership (ZNU), University Witten/Herdecke

Contact person
Dr. Ulrike Eberle | +49 2302 926-545 | Ulrike.Eberle@uni-wh.de

Modern logistics services and lifestyles are interdependent. The logistics industry is always trying to develop tailor-made answers, especially for developments in consumer behavior. Basic logistics services are increasingly being joined by additional services tailored to specific customer groups. If we examine sustainability aspects, there are clear interdependencies between individual lifestyles and modern logistics management. The fact that the customer always remains king, despite the consistent focus on sustainable logistics systems, is not a contradiction, but a challenge. After all, the consumer also bears responsibility for our ecosystem and can give priority to more sustainable products with his purchasing decisions, and use sustainable logistics services in a targeted manner. Environmentally friendly value-added chains only work if both the consumer and the service provider redirect.

The "Innovative Logistics for Sustainable Lifestyles" (ILoNa) project is examining the question of the extent to which actors along the entire logistics chain, through the consumer, can contribute to sustainable services in the logistics sector.

Project partner

• General Psychology: Cognition (University Duisburg-Essen)
• Center Media & Health – Communication for Social Change
• Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) gGmbH
• Efficiency Cluster Logistics Ruhr
• Schachinger Logistic Holding GmbH
• Transport systems and -logistics, Professorship for technical logistics (University Duisburg-Essen)
• Centre for Logistics and Traffic, University Duisburg-Essen
• Center for Sustainable Leadership (ZNU), University Witten/Herdecke

Sponsored by

• Federal Ministry of Education and Research
• Research for Sustainable Development – FONA

Contact person
Dr. Axel Kölle | +49 2302 926-573 | Axel.Koelle@uni-wh.de
Dr. Christian Geßner | +49 2302 926-581 | Christian.Gessner@uni-wh.de

Within the framework of the concept phase on agricultural systems of the future, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the ZNU (project management) and other research partners are working on the question of sustainable protein sustenance. In the project "Meat of the Future", we address the central sustainability challenges of today's agriculture and regard them as important drivers for the further development of systems for the sustenance of high-quality proteins for the future. In particular, we are investigating the further development of meat production with farm animals, alternative "meat" from insects, as well as from plant sources and muscle stem cell culture.

Contact person
Dr. Ulrike Eberle | +49 2302 926-545 | Ulrike.Eberle@uni-wh.de

To support companies in the nutrition industry in collecting and avoiding food waste in their operations, ZNU - Center for Sustainable Leadership - has prepared the study "LeDaNa - Food Waste Data for More Sustainability in the Nutrition Industry" on behalf of the NRW Ministry of Consumer Protection. On the basis of international and national studies as well as in exchange with partners from the food industry, we have developed practical definitions of food waste in companies. We not only investigated which waste definitions can be applied in practice but also what information on food losses in companies is available and what obstacles arise in the determination of waste data.
In the course of the study, a guideline for the collection, use and data communication on food losses was developed. It shows further options for action for the food industry.

Publication

Laumann, Markus / Fels, Jacob (2016): Leitfaden zum Umgang mit Lebensmittelabfällen in der Lebensmittelindustrie, im Auftrag Ministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Landwirtschaft, Natur- und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen

Contact person
Dr. Christian Geßner | +49 2302 926-581 | Christian.Gessner@uni-wh.de

One of the first corporate fields of action that come to mind when it comes to sustainability is logistics. Many individual measures can be observed here in recent years, but comprehensive sustainable concepts that also systematically integrate social aspects are rare. There is still a need for research in this area, which ZNU is addressing within the framework of the joint project Corelo (CSR in logistics networks) within the Efficiency Logistics Ruhr. Research partners in the network are the KWI in Essen and the University of Duisburg/Essen. Together with development partners from practice (e.g. Spedition Große-Vehne and Duisburger Hafen), ZNU analyses sustainability strategies and implementation patterns in the logistics sector and develops approaches for measuring more sustainable corporate management in logistics networks. The project is funded by the BMBF.

Project partner

• Cultural Science Institute Essen (KWI), Center for Responsibility Research
• University Duisburg-Essen, Chair of Service Management and Commerce
• Center for Sustainable Leadership (ZNU), University Witten/Herdecke

Practice partner

• Port of Duisburg
• Große-Vehne Speditions-GmbH, Schieberdingen
• Horst Weyer and Partner Ingenieur-Gesellschaft für Verfahrenstechnik, Sicherheitstechnik und Technische Informatik mbH, Düren
• Relamedia association, Herne
• Verband Spedition und Logistik Nordhrein-Westfalen e.V., Düsseldorf

Contact person
Dr. Axel Kölle | +49 2302 926-573 | Axel.Koelle@uni-wh.de
Dr. Christian Geßner | +49 2302 926-581 | Christian.Gessner@uni-wh.de

Project description
The newly developed climate guide helps companies in the food industry to take a holistic view of the issue of climate protection and to implement the necessary measures for a resource-saving production method. The handbook was developed as part of the BVE climate protection campaign "PlusPlus Principle" together with the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE), the ÖKOTEC Institute and the ZNU - Center for Sustainable Corporate Management. Companies will find clues on how to set priorities in their transformation, it also provides an overview of the ecological and political framework and gives practical implementation tips. The guide serves as an introductory work and for the further development of corporate climate protection strategies.

Publications (only german)
Download

Contact
Leon Halfmann | +49 2302 926-568 | Leon.Halfmann@uni-wh.de