Company representatives and researchers came together virtually for the third D°GREES Symposium

22. Oktober 2024

Foto: CLICCS, D°GREES

On October 14th and 15th, the third D°GREES Symposium took place. This year marked an exciting first – a fully virtual format that saved tons of CO2! As an integral part of our research on 20 companies from five different countries, the Symposium aims to foster collaboration and meaningful conversations between novel academic research and practitioner-based efforts. This year, company representatives from Brazil, Germany, Japan, and the USA joined us for engaging conversations around our main topic, "Business in Transition".
The Symposium began with a warm welcome from Prof. Dr. Timo Busch, and was followed by an engaging presentation by Prof. Dr. Anita Engels. She introduced a new framework developed by the D°GREES team for assessing how deeply companies have embedded decarbonization into their core business activities, stressing the need for more comprehensive efforts. Participants were able to interact with this framework during the session and reflect on the necessary steps toward a more comprehensive transformation.
Brigitte Frank presented how companies with different types of climate targets perform regarding profitability and market valuation. Afterward, Dr. Matthew Johnson introduced insights from the data gathered during our four years of research, highlighting the strategic importance of tackling low-hanging fruits in corporate decarbonization. Both presentations were also offered on the second day to accommodate participants across different time zones.
On the second day, we were honored to have Prof. Dr. Gregory Trencher from Kyoto University deliver the keynote speech on "A framework for assessing carbon offset quality". He addressed the challenges companies face in evaluating carbon offset claims and emphasized the importance of credibility. His quality control framework and suggestions for improvement, such as working with carbon credit rating organizations and shifting strategies from compensation to contribution, led to a lively discussion about reliable offset strategies in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Symposium offered an opportunity for company representatives and researchers to engage and discuss the latest frameworks and research findings on decarbonization. Participants appreciated the insights shared and expressed interest in continuing to collaborate, exploring ways to advance the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The D°GREES team extends heartfelt thanks to all participants of the 2024 D°GREES Virtual Symposium, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future!