ifo Industry Colloquium 2021

Program

The Path to Climate-Neutral Industry – How Can the Transformation Succeed?

Germany has set itself ambitious climate targets to combat global warming. The aim is to completely avoid greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Achieving this goal requires extensive decarbonization of industry. Energy-intensive industries in particular are therefore facing far-reaching changes. What conditions are needed for a successful transformation of industrial production in Germany? How can carbon leakage be prevented and how can climate protection and competitiveness be combined?

Sustainable Supply Chain Design in Food Retailing

The demand for sustainability particularly affects the food industry. Food retail has a central function in this context. Due to their proximity to customers and strong position in the value chain, food retailers can make socio-ecological demands on manufacturing companies and influence consumers’ purchasing behavior. At the same time, sustainable procurement processes often bring competitive advantages. In the trade forum, we discuss which instruments and processes should be applied across the entire supply chain to achieve more responsibility in business.

Challenges for Existing Building Owners and Construction Companies

The building sector plays an important role in achieving climate targets. The extensive housing stock has the greatest need for adaptation. State subsidies for renovation were significantly expanded during the last legislative period. But given the goal of climate neutrality, isn't the focus still too much on efficiency improvements and too little on switching to renewable energies? Is area-based space heating consumption in existing housing actually declining? And what about the reuse of construction waste in practice?

On the Role of Services in ESG Reporting

In its broadest sense, the concept of environmental social governance (ESG) is aimed at sustainable, responsible corporate action: companies should integrate social and environmental concerns into their business activities on a voluntary basis. The extent to which they live up to this claim in reality is recorded with the help of “ESG reporting.” How exactly does this ESG reporting process work and what role do services play in it?