Sustainability in the Digital Age </> Sustainable Digitalization

The 2017 Nauener Gespräche focused entirely on the interplay between digitalization and sustainability. In an open atmosphere, the 150 participants and speakers discussed topics relevant to business and society surrounding the digital transformation and its potential for sustainable global development.

Right at the start of the conference, we welcomed author Marina Weisband and BMW’s Vice President of Strategy Digitalization, Jens Monsees, as speakers on the topic “Digitalization: Overwhelming Challenge or Opportunity for Control?” They discussed what needs to happen in society and business to actively shape digitalization.

Since the potential of digitalization can at times overwhelm individual understanding and action, it is all the more crucial to build competencies—both within companies and in society. Companies must take the lead in this regard and set an example with digital structures, e.g., by breaking down hierarchies and fostering networked work. Both agreed, however, that this requires a new mindset among management and intrinsic motivation among employees.

 The workshops on the first day focused on questions of operational implementation: How, for example, can technologies such as blockchain or 3D printing be used to promote sustainable development and achieve the SDGs? And what can we learn today from existing digital business solutions designed to promote sustainability?

The workshop “Blockchain: The Solution for Sustainable Supply Chain Management?” addressed the question of to what extent the values of transparency and trust—which are central to sustainable supply chain management—can be addressed with the help of blockchain technology. The experts Prof. Dr. Nils Urbach (Deputy Scientific Director of the Business Informatics Project Group, Fraunhofer Blockchain Lab), Dian Balta (Research Associate in the Open Data and Information Management Competence Area, fortiss), and Prof. Dr. Julia Schwarzkopf (Sustainability Management, HTW Berlin) discussed the expectations many people have for blockchain technology. The technology has the potential to curb corruption and ensure transparency and security in transactions, and could be used as a company-neutral platform for CSR audits. Whether the technology will prevail in the long term remains to be seen in practical testing—as does the acceptance of (potential) users.

In the workshop “3D Printing: A Revolution in Sustainable Business Through Additive Manufacturing?”, the three speakers—Stephan Richter (expert in additive manufacturing technologies, Institute for Innovation and Technology at VDI/VDE-IT), Ansgar Baums (Head of Government Relations EMEA, HP), and Daniel Büning (Global Head of Strategy and Innovation, BigRep) first provided an in-depth look at the current state of 3D printing technology, its development, and its areas and forms of application. They also highlighted the industries and markets for which the technology is particularly relevant. Together with the participants, they explored the sustainability potential of 3D printing and discussed potential applications and business models.

In the workshop “SDGs and Digitalization: How Can Companies Contribute to Achieving the SDGs and How Does Digitalization Help?”, econsense and Accenture presented their joint handbook on SDGs and digitalization for the first time. The handbook outlines seven practices showing how companies can link a positive impact on SDG achievement with business success and digitalization. Five representatives from econsense member companies presented concrete real-world examples during the workshop. In particular, the process and challenges of implementation were discussed. Additionally, an open-space discussion addressed further questions, including those regarding the measurement and evaluation of corporate impacts and the role of digitalization in preserving and advancing know-how.

In his keynote address on the second day of the event, Dr. Joachim Lang (Chief Executive, BDI) analyzed the results of the federal election from a sustainability perspective and made it clear that disruptive developments such as digitalization hold enormous potential for sustainable development, but that European and global systemic solutions—rather than isolated ones—are needed here.

 The workshops on the second day then focused on the overarching political framework: How can achievements such as decent work, data protection, and data security be guaranteed even in the age of digital transformation?

In the workshop “Work 4.0 – Decent Work and Digital Transformation: Harmony or Contradiction?”, a broad dialogue was initiated on what and how we want to work, and what opportunities and needs for shaping the future exist for companies, employees, social partners, and policymakers. The speakers Sabine Igler (Head of ICT Solutions Passenger Transport, DB Systel), Anna Kaiser (Founder and CEO, Tandemploy), and Dr. Max Neufeind (Advisor on Fundamental Issues of Labor Policy, Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs) discussed, among other things, what a compromise between employers’ flexibility requirements and employees’ needs might look like, as well as what values tomorrow’s corporate culture must embody. One thing is certain: a joint training initiative is needed because jobs are changing on a new scale, as well as the development of a sustainable infrastructure to ensure that everyone can participate in digitalization.

The workshop “Data Protection and Data Security in Industry 4.0: A Conflict to Be Resolved?” featuring experts Monika Menz (Attorney – Senior Associate, Ernst & Young), Stefan Becker (Head of the Cybersecurity for Business Division, Federal Office for Information Security), and Prof. Dr. Christian Thorun (Managing Partner, ConPolicy – Institute for Consumer Policy) addressed the question of how data protection and data security can be technically implemented and within what framework the stakeholders operate. It became clear, on the one hand, that German solutions for data protection enjoy a global reputation for trustworthiness that needs to be further strengthened, and that Corporate Digital Responsibility must be—or become—part of corporate strategy in order to be prepared for the upcoming challenges of digitalization.

In the workshop “Research and Innovation: What Framework Conditions for a Digital and Sustainable Economy?” it was first noted that research and innovation form the basis for a digital and sustainable economy, since without new ideas and insights, no new—nowadays often digital—products, services, and/or processes can emerge that are necessary for sustainable development. Dr. Nathalie Martin-Huebner (Head of Innovation Policy – Public Funding, Robert Bosch), Dr. Karl Eugen Huthmacher (Head of the Future Planning Division – Basic and Sustainability Research, Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and Thomas Fußhöller (Head of Sustainability, Environment & Energy Management, thyssenkrupp AG) discussed, based on concrete corporate activities, how the existing framework conditions can be further developed to support companies in integrating digitalization and sustainability in research and innovation. There was agreement that this issue should not be reduced to the dichotomy of “regulation yes, regulation no.” Rather, a digital and sustainable research and innovation system requires a dynamic governance regime involving cooperation among politics, business, science, and civil society.