After an eventful spring and summer spent grappling with the hot topic of sustainability, Group member DEBATIN is kicking off a colourful sustainability autumn with a four-part webcast series on the subject. Based on the theme “Grow with us!”, the new series tackles the big challenges connected with sustainable development and multigenerational demands in SMEs. The series is aimed at DEBATIN’s stakeholders – customers, suppliers, business partners, employees and those who are interested in working for DEBATIN. But it will also be of interest to other SMEs, young people in start-ups, students and anyone else with an interest in the subject.

The opening webcast, held on 22 October 2021, covered the following topics:

  • What is sustainability, and why should we care?
  • Sustainability at DEBATIN
  • Preview of the key topics in the next webcasts

We’re not a major corporation, but we’re a shining example to many of them when it comes to making progress with sustainability” – DEBATIN’s CEO Thomas Rose sums up the idea behind the webcast. One specific example of the progress DEBATIN has made was winning the German Packaging Award (“Sustainability” category) for its Greenline® film. This was submitted by the DERIBA Group, of which DEBATIN is a member. Another example was winning a place amongst the top 500 most valuable companies in Germany, thanks to the DEBATIN sustainability report, drawn up in connection with the German Sustainability Code. This report was analysed by the German business magazine “Focus Money”, who ranked companies not on the basis of annual financial statements, but on the level of commitment shown to the German Sustainability Code.

However, DEBATIN didn’t produce the webcast series in order to bask in these successes. On the contrary – it was to explain the company’s journey. “Our aim is to make sustainability and multigenerational demands a fixed part of our value chain. That doesn’t happen overnight. But we’re making progress,” explains Thomas Rose. Living proof that the DEBATIN staff are themselves passionate about the issues are the two employees responsible for initiating the webcast series: Alina Reger, responsible for sustainable development in DEBATIN’s supply chain management, and Nicole Klingler, area sales manager and one of DEBATIN’s sustainable development officers.

“We’re responsible for what we do, as well as for what we don’t do!” say both DEBATIN colleagues. “Nobody is exempt from the duty to protect the climate and promote sustainability. We need to take responsibility for future generations and for our planet. It will only work if everyone plays their part – every tiny step helps!”

This conviction provides incredible momentum. Coupling this with the excitement of working for a company that sees the Green Deal not as a threat but as an opportunity to take positive action, the two women developed a webcast series aimed at executives in SMEs, procurement managers, CEOs, sustainability management employees and waste disposal specialists. But it’s also informative and helpful for entrepreneurs, start-ups, students and anyone else who is simply interested in the subject. The webcasts are highly interactive and offer opportunities for wide-ranging discussions.

The webcast series was launched on 22 October 2021 at 11am.

For more information or to register, visit the DEBATIN website at this link.