Sustainability management

The focus of this research theme is on value-oriented corporate management, which pays particular attention to sustainably produced food. The production and management processes of companies in the agricultural and food industry are examined and methodical management approaches are tested and (further) developed. The research work focuses on sustainability accounting and assessment, organic control and certification as well as corporate sustainability reporting (for publications see here).

Examples of projects, workshops, doctoral theses and practical/teaching publications in the field of sustainability management:

Sustainability assessment and accounting

Testing and further development of methods for carbon accounting & rewarding (250 farms in Europe) and emissions trading (EU Horizon project OrganicClimateNET)

True Cost Accounting - sub-project on innovative mixed crop cultivation in agriculture (LOEWE focus), together with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Project "Correctly calculating in Agriculture" (2016-2019): Research and development project on accounting for social, ecological and regional economic services in agriculture, funded by various foundations, in cooperation with Regionalwert AG

Workshop "Analyzing, evaluating and communicating sustainability - diversity of methods in the agricultural and food industry", together with FiBL Switzerland, Biofach, Nuremberg, 2018

Project "Environmental Management Accounting for South-East Asia" (2004-2008): Investigation of organizational and institutional aspects that shape the application and dissemination of emerging forms of environmental accounting; multiple case study on the implementation of environmental accounting methods (environmental cost accounting, internalization of external costs, etc.) in four Southeast Asian countries with 12 individual case studies (including food processing, rice milling, shrimp farming, coffee)

Supervision of doctoral projects on sustainability assessment methods in small and medium-sized enterprises in the food industry in Germany & Denmark (Rebekka Küchler), on the dissemination of material flow cost methods in Vietnam from a multi-level perspective (Thuy Thanh Tran) and on the application of SMART at company and country level in Luxembourg (Evelyne Stoll)

Organic control & certification, environmental and social audits

Organic inspection seminar as basic training to prepare for the job of organic inspector at JLU Giessen

Textbook contribution on building institutional trust and trust risks in the organic sector (food scandals etc.), together with Prof. Godemann, utb

Studies on eco-audits and the use of environmental indicators in reporting (EMAS)

Textbook contribution on international trade in organic products and issues of organic control and traceability (together with Prof. Zander and Prof. em. Hamm), utb

Supervision of the doctoral project on the analysis of trust and eco-control from an interorganizational perspective (incl. case study organic certification of the honey value chain) (Maren Busch)

Sustainability reporting

Review chapters on sustainability reporting (historical development, guidelines, standards, legal regulations, national and international developments) published in various textbooks since 2006 (Cambridge University Press, Routledge, UTB, Greenleaf)

Studies on environmental statements according to EMAS (e.g. for B.A.U.M. e.V. member companies, and in the agricultural and food sector in Germany, Italy and Spain)

Studies on social reporting (working conditions, Decent Work/ILO) by food companies in the organic sector and at international level by UN Global Compact member companies

Project "CSR IMPACT" (European Commission's 7th Framework Program, 2009-11) and sub-project on CSR reporting (meta-analysis of studies on sustainability reporting)

Discussion paper "Sustainability in corporate reporting - reasons, problems, solutions" for an expert dialog of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU), Berlin

Project on online sustainability reporting: Comparison between Germany and Italy, funded by the German Academic Exchange Programme DAAD (2008-09)

Longitudinal study (2004-2011) on online sustainability reporting by German companies

Study on control problems and approaches in international group reporting using the example of subsidiaries of food multinational companies in Sri Lanka (2013)

Supervision of doctoral thesis on the analysis of photographs (Ecological Accounts) in sustainability reports of food companies, using methods of Visual Management Studies (Dr. Janalisa Hahne)

Accounting and reporting for the common good

Service Learning Seminar on the Economy for the Common Good at the JLU Giessen, balancing of two catering companies in Central Hesse (2023-24)

Project seminar "Common good accounting and reporting by companies from the region", accounting of seven companies in Hesse/Lower Saxony along the food value chain (2019-2021)

Practitioner book / textbook "Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie in Hessen. A service learning seminar for responsible and sustainable business", Kassel University Press (forthcoming)

Online teaching project "DoSomething! term - sowing the common good", implementation of common good-oriented projects during the pandemic with regional agricultural and food businesses, associations and educational institutions, together with the GWÖ Group Kassel and Lahn-Eder (2021), blog

Specialist program 2020 "TEACHING - The Alliance for University Teaching" with a focus on "Teaching and learning sustainability and social transformation" of the Toepfer Foundation, network member for the further development of the ECG teaching project (2020)