The IHK Sustainability Conference 2026: Corporate Culture Takes Center Stage
The IHK Sustainability Conference 2026 addressed the key question “Between values and reality: What does responsible corporate culture mean today?”, and gathered committed stakeholders from diverse branches in Schleswig-Holstein on 24 April 2026. Dr. Anke Butscher had the opportunity to gain valuable insights at the event and to connect with other professionals in Northern Germany.
Guided by the principle of placing people at the heart of sustainable development, the conference addressed everyone actively shaping processes of change: small and medium-sized companies, senior management, team leaders, sustainability managers, project leads, HR developers and committed employees.
Sustainability is not only established through regulatory mechanisms, reporting or management processes. Rather, it was emphasized that sustainability thrives when individuals take ownership, embrace shared values, and drive meaningful change in their daily lives.
This is exactly what the conference addressed: how to build a sustainable corporate culture and sharing real-world examples of successful approaches.
Thomas Buhck, the managing partner of the Buhck Group and president of the IHK in Lübeck (Chamber of Industry and Commerce), opened the event by demonstrating a company’s path to carbon neutrality and how employees can be actively engaged in this process. Additionally, Prof. Dr. Natascha Kupka of the HAW Kiel (Kiel University of Applied Sciences) highlighted how transformation processes can be understood and created. The focus was placed on shared values, transparent communication and a constructive culture of conflict, which build the foundation for a sustainable corporate culture. The presentation emphasized: Even small changes can have a big impact – whether through mutual trust or a valued leadership culture. Both factors, significantly boost employees’ satisfaction and engagement.
Another key input was presented by Anje Kluth from the Sustaineration GmbH. In her presentation entitled “Resilience, Risk, Return – the New Role of Sustainability”, she explored how sustainability can make companies more resilient, forward-looking and economically successful. This included a discussion of current requirements arising from the financial markets, legislation, customer expectations and climate risks. Key instruments such as materiality analysis, CSRD/VSME standards and the German Sustainability Code were also discussed.
The pitch session “Good Examples from Practice” provided exciting practical input. Corporations and initiatives presented their sustainability projects, which enabled insights into successful approaches, provided quick inspiration and encouraged dialogue among the stakeholders.
Following an intensive midday networking session, the programme continued with a presentation entitled “The future lies in working together: Green Teams as drivers of transformation” by Lisa Buddemeier from the Green Team Network. The Green Team Network connects and supports employees who seek to contribute to sustainability in corporations, administrations, clinics, and organisations from the inside-out – through knowledge, exchange of ideas, visibility, and networking. In the aftermath, a discussion panel placed sustainability as an innovative driver at the centre of discussion with engaging actors such as Julia Carstens, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Natascha Kupka, and Simon Feldmann from the Schwartauer Werke GmbH & Co. KG.
Concluding the event, Markus Kristen and Anne Hausmann from the terra institut shifted the focus to the Inner Development Goals. Their input, “Sustainability began from within: How corporate culture becomes effective through Inner Development Goals”, demonstrated how sustainable transformation requires more than just management processes. The Inner Development Goals provide valuable guidance for specifically strengthening the personal and interpersonal skills that are essential for sustainable change processes within organisations.
The conference concluded with a networking session and a check-in for the GO.GRØØN and the N-ePower launch event on the topic of energy transition taking place on-site.
The participants enjoyed a day full of inspiration, discussion, and practical insights – with practical ideas, compelling examples and valuable contacts with innovative companies from Schleswig-Holstein.
And if you need support, corsus advises companies and organisations on how to embed sustainability strategically, implement it effectively and design practical transformation processes.
Don’t hesitate to contact us – we’re happy to help!
