FU³lda Sustainability Conference

Speaker: Miriam Gogel (Verso GmbH)

Miriam Gogel is Customer Success Lead for Sustainable Supply Chain at VERSO GmbH. She has been supervising clients on sustainability-related topics for 15 years. At VERSO, she helps her SME clients implement ESG requirements for their supply chains using software-based solutions.

In her presentation, Miriam Gogel will answer the following questions:

• What role does the sustainable supply chain play in the SDGs?
• What ESG requirements do enterprises face?
• And how can digital platforms and AI support enterprises in implementing these requirements?

Speaker: Stephanie Raabe (SAP SE)

Stephanie Raabe is the Human Rights Officer at SAP SE and heads the global team for human rights and AI ethics. She has been working in the sustainability division at SAP since 2009, where she has been involved in a wide range of topics: human rights due diligence, integrated reporting, sustainable finance / EU Taxonomy Regulation, compliance with the 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact across the entire value chain, environmental management in accordance with ISO 14001, sustainability in procurement, ratings and rankings, and sustainability strategy.
Since 2019, she has been an elected member of the Executive Board of the UN Global Compact Network Germany e.V.

Academic Keynote: Prof. Dr Bettina Stoll (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, member of the CeSSt executive committee and FU³ member)
Practice partners: Susanne Bolduan (Soroptimist International Germany) | Dr Anke Günther (Fulda University of Applied Sciences)

This keynote presentation will demonstrate what kind of management – in terms of attitude, style and actions – is required to enable enterprises and institutions to manage their organisations sustainably across all dimensions – environmental, social and economic – whilst simultaneously contributing the best possible way to the transformation of society as a whole.
The session covers:
• Key management qualities and competencies, e.g. the ability to reflect, systems awareness and tolerance of ambiguity.
• Specific management approaches for embedding sustainability into structures and processes.
• The role of enterprises in promoting societal sustainability beyond mere compliance.

Academic presentation: Prof. Dr Carsten Müller (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, FU³ member)
Placement partners: Dr Martin Bleider ( Schott AG) | Markus Semmler (Fritz Winter Eisengießerei GmbH & Co. KG)

This keynote session examines regulated and voluntary CO₂ markets and highlights the role that CO₂ allowances and other climate finance instruments can play in the decarbonisation of enterprises. It will highlight their potential, limitations and challenges.
The focus is on the question of how energy-intensive industrial companies can credibly plan and fund their decarbonisation. Together with the placement partners, specific use cases, transformation strategies and critical aspects will be discussed.

Academic lead: Prof. Dr Angelika Sawczyn-Müller (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, member of the FU³ Head of the Centre)
Placement partners: Christoph Ehlert (Planaris Eurotreu AG) | Friederike Hoppe (Strauss Deutschland)

In times of global crisis, enterprises are confronted with dynamic market changes, disrupted supply chains, rising costs and developments that are difficult to predict. As a result, short-term business objectives such as securing liquidity, reducing costs and stabilising earnings often take centre stage, whilst social and environmental sustainability aspects appear to be losing importance.
Strategic sustainability management, however, shows that taking economic, environmental and social dimensions into account can strengthen an enterprise’s resilience. Efficient use of resources, funding for sustainable innovation, resilient supply chains and an employee-focused corporate culture increase adaptability and resilience in the face of global crises. Sustainability can therefore be a driver of innovation and a key to success in volatile times.

Academic contribution: Prof. Dr Kai-Oliver Maurer (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, FU³ member)
Placement partners: Dr Christian Müller (Zement- und Kalkwerke Otterbein GmbH & Co. KG) | Sascha Weber (Raiffeisenbank im Fuldaer Land eG)

Even beyond their legal obligations, enterprises in both the financial and non-financial sectors are increasingly aligning their business activities with sustainability objectives. Bank lending lies at the interface between these two sectors: for small and medium-sized banks in particular, granting loans is at the heart of their business activities. For other enterprises, it is a key source of funding for business activities in the real economy. This panel discussion will examine why sustainability is already an indispensable component of lending decisions for financial reasons alone, how banks take sustainability into account in their lending decisions in practice, and how manufacturing enterprises incorporate bank loans into the funding of their sustainable projects.

Academic keynote: Prof. Dr Anja Thies (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, FU³ member)
Placement partners: Christiane Reda (REDA human resources management) | Ina Rohde (RhönSprudel GmbH)

This keynote presentation focuses on healthy leadership as a key success factor in sustainable human resources management. Healthy leadership comprises the systematic support of employees’ physical and mental health at the workstation and contributes measurably to health and wellbeing. Drawing on findings from occupational and organisational psychology and health research, the presentation demonstrates how appropriate leadership behaviour (including a focus on resources, fairness, participation, communication, stress management) can influence employees’ health, motivation, retention and performance, whilst also reducing absenteeism, staff turnover and the loss of skills. Practical measures suitable for everyday use will be presented as examples, particularly to serve as inspiration for participating representatives from the business world.
The aim of the presentation is to provide impetus for effective HR strategies in terms of health, securing a skilled workforce (=> economic sustainability) and social sustainability.

Academic presentation: Prof. Dr Boris Zimmermann (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, FU³ member) | Bruno Nemec (Fulda University of Applied Sciences)
Placement partners: Dr.-Ing. Georg Avemarie (Folivora Solutions GmbH) | Nicolas Brielmaier & Leonie von Ribbeck (Amazon Logistik GmbH)

What if electric lorries could do more than just reduce CO₂ emissions? And what if logistics companies became part of the energy transition? This presentation shows how logistics companies can open up a new business area through the transformation of the transport sector by marketing their lorries’ battery capacity on the electricity market. It addresses challenges, potential opportunities and the implications for both the transport and energy sectors, as well as for society as a whole.

Academic Keynote: Prof. Dr Ulf Schwalbe (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Head of the Centre)
Placement Partners: Dr Arnt Meyer (RhönEnergie Fulda GmbH) | Klaus Schleicher (KSE Energietechnik GmbH)

Energy costs are a key competitive factor for regional SMEs. This keynote presentation demonstrates in a way related to practice how enterprises can use modern system technology not only to reduce their costs but also to actively benefit from fluctuations in the electricity market.
The focus is on the intelligent interplay of three levers:
• Industrial storage systems: cutting peak loads (peak shaving) and creating the necessary operational flexibility.
• Capitalising on volatile energy prices: Using a smart energy management system (EMS) to automatically control procurement and storage in line with dynamic electricity tariffs.
• Sector coupling: The targeted integration of electricity, heating and e-mobility to maximise efficiency potential.

Academic lead: Prof. Dr Tonia Ruppenthal (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, FU³ member)
Placement partners: Thomas Gutberlet (ENSO eCommerce GmbH) | Matthias Weller (Rhöner Biosphären Schinken e.V.)

The shopping and dietary habits of young adults in Germany vary; in other words, diet-specific differences and distinct dietary styles can be identified within the younger generation. In the keynote session ‘Sustainable Nutrition for Young Adults in Germany: Food Shopping and Dietary Habits’, relevant academic findings will be presented alongside practical experience.