Nowadays, it is prevalent that companies communicate their sustainability and CSR strategies and their contributions to society. But how do consumers respond to these claims on sustainability and social issues? What challenges does sustainability communication bring? What is crucial for good communication? And what hot topics does the future bring? Professor Laura Marie Edinger-Schons discussed these questions with Professor Sankar Sen, Lawrence and Carol Zicklin Chair in Corporate Integrity and Governance, and Professor of Marketing at Baruch College/City University of New York. Furthermore, Sankar shares some information and anecdotes on his pathway from traditional consumer psychology to sustainability and CSR topics and his favorite research projects. Lastly, he stresses the importance of good theoretical frameworks in research if junior researchers want to make a unique contribution to the literature.

The climate crisis is a global issue and needs to be tackled systemically across borders. In today’s episode, Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons and co-host Apurva Gosalia have invited Dr. Estelle L.A. Herlyn to discuss the challenges that the aim of carbon neutrality brings. Estelle stresses how reducing, avoiding, and offsetting emissions must go hand in hand. Furthermore, she explains her perspective on how to do offsetting right. Lastly, Laura, Apurva, and Estelle discuss the financial gaps that slow down the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and how this crisis requires international financing, the transfer of technology, and the cooperation of different actors.

The resources which our planet can offer are limited and the consequences of consumingtoo much of them are already noticeable. Therefore, alternative business models of thecircular economy”are urgently needed. In today ́s episode Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons is supported by Co-Host and circular economy expert Talke Schaffrannek, Director Circular Economy at BASF. Together they interview Christoph Teusch, who is Corporate Responsibility Manager at “AfB social & green IT”. Christoph talks about his motivation to engage in the topic of sustainability, the company’s principle of linking social and ecological issues and how all of this ties into prolonging the life-span of IT devices and creating business partnerships. He stresses the importance and difficulties for meaningful impact measurement as well as the chances and obstacles for moving towards a more circular economy. One of the big opportunities he sees are corporations and partnerships, because he believes that this is the key for an inclusive and circular future.

Supply chains can get complex very fast. That is why more transparency and traceability are needed to manage them well and to reduce the supply chain's carbon footprint. In this episode, Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons and Gunther Walden, founder and CEO of CircularTree, discuss why digital services are essential for good supply chain management and how the lack of information regarding supply chains makes the measurement of a product's carbon footprint inaccurate. Moreover, Gunther Walden stresses the importance of collaboration and incentive systems to get as many companies as possible on board. Because, as Gunther Walden perfectly said: "You do not need to wait until you have the perfect solution. The best thing is to start early and to start small."

How does sustainability work in the insurance sector and what about the importance of stakeholders in this context? Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons and her guest Belén Barona, Sustainability Manager at Allianz, discuss these and more questions. Belen offers an insight into her expertise and talks about how she helps integrate the ESG goals into the business processes at Allianz. Belén talks about materiality analysis at Allianz as well as their risk assessment. She explains how the company makes sure to involve and engage stakeholders and why meeting their goals is so important. She says climate change is the biggest challenge for the insurance sector but sees the current hype around ESG as a sign that we are moving into the right direction. Laura and Belén also discuss in how far the wishes and demands of employees have shifted towards topics like diversity, mental health, and occupational safety.

Nowadays, corporate decarbonization strategies are a must for big companies. But the strategies differ widely, e.g., with regard to scope, time frame, or transparency of reporting. In this episode, Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons talks with Isabella Aleweld, who wrote her bachelor thesis on the corporate decarbonization strategies of the DAX30 at the Chair of Sustainable Business, University of Mannheim. Isabella explains that the strategies of many companies may not be Paris-aligned and how the quality of indicators and targets differs widely. Furthermore, Isabella explains what companies with good decarbonization strategies have in common.

Corporate activism is becoming more and more important these days. Especially in social media, companies are expected to speak out and take a stand on important social issues. Authenticity and credibility are essential here. In today's episode, Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons talks to Volker von Witzleben, Ben & Jerry's Social Mission Activist Germany. Volker emphasizes that credible activism only works if it is aligned with the company's values. He also explains which focus topics Ben & Jerry's has and why change is more important to Ben & Jerry's in the long run than a short PR campaign.

The limited resources on planet earth and the climate crisis challenge us to rethink our economic system. How can we use our resources in the best manner? Why do we need a transformation from a linear to a circular economy? How does the retail industry find solutions to these challenges? And what hurdles still need to be overcome to make the circular economy the dominant system? Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons and co-host Talke Schaffrannek discuss these questions with Anna Frankenberg, CSR Manager at Prezero.

We experience a growing momentum for sustainability reporting. Nevertheless, one of the biggest challenges continues to be defining materiality. What is the definition of materiality for GRI? How are the GRI Standards created? Why do you need to understand your impact on society and the environment for financial materiality? And how and with whom is the Global Reporting Initiative collaborating? Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons discusses these questions with Sabine Content, director of Corporate and Stakeholder Engagement at Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Sustainability strategies and net-zero goals have become an integral part of the business world. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement, especially regarding transparency. What does the path to net-zero 2040 look like? How many emissions will still be emitted until then? How does it contribute to the Paris Agreement? Prof. Laura Marie Edinger-Schons discusses these questions with Hannah Helmke, CEO, and founder of right. based on science, a climate change impact Start-Up. Hannah Helmke explains how their software contributes to actual Paris-compatible climate goals and strategies for companies and how it improves the transparency of sustainability and decarbonization strategies in general.