In dialogue with Veolia: the potential of digitalization for sustainable management
In the debate about Industry 4.0 and a possible link between digitalization and sustainable business, various opinions have been circulating for some time about possible future trends. Absolute transparency through blockchain technologies, real-time audits at suppliers or the independent takeover and further development of business processes through artificial intelligence – such utopias exist, but hardly anyone dares to make precise forecasts and very few people seem to have a clear view. Reason enough to take a look at the possibilities of digitalization for sustainable business, which do not lie in the distant future, but in many cases are already a reality.
Curbing lobbying
The exchange between politicians and stakeholders is an essential cornerstone for all those involved in shaping regulatory projects and a prerequisite for reaching a social compromise. In Germany, the public register of associations has determined the lobbying rules to which lobbyists must adhere since its introduction in 1972. As these are already outdated, Transparency Germany and the VCI are calling for the guidelines to be adapted to modern times.
The business case for CSR
It is one of the basics in the CSR consulting scene: convincing potential clients that the introduction of CSR management, i.e. the management of corporate responsibility, pays off in the long term. The arguments put forward are positive effects on reputation, better conditions on the capital market or greater attractiveness as an employer. Although the business case (“CSR is worthwhile”) is certainly applied in companies, its prerequisite for dealing with CSR is an expression of a business management mindset that perverts the concept of responsibility and subjects it to market-liberal dogmas.
