Climate & Sustainability Summit: Back to Square Zero - Redefining Sustainability in Economics

BCG’s Climate & Sustainability Summit Back to Square Zero for Sustainability? From Evidence to Earnings: Breaking the Wall of Economic Short-Termism brings the business lens to the challenges of sustainability, scientific urgency and climate action.

Addressing questions of environment, political uncertainty, European resilience, industrial decarbonisation and more, expert panels will seek to connect scientific insight to systemic change, looking at both groundbreaking scientific discoveries and boardroom targets.

Together, CEOs, policy makers and scientists will examine how sustainable leadership can foster a competitive advantage for European businesses. 

Programme

Part 1: POLITICS MAY HAVE CHANGED, THE SCIENCE HASN'T

15:00-15:05 Welcome Remarks
Michael Brigl, Head of Central Europe, BCG; Dr. Johanna Puetz, Climate & Sustainability Lead Central Europe, BCG

15:05-15:20 Keynote: The State of the Planet – A Scientist’s Call to Action 
Speaker: Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

15:20-15:45 Panel: There’s No Good News in Climate Science 
Moderator: Michael Bröcker, Editor-in-chief, Table.Briefings 
Speakers: Brian Schmidt, Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Sigrun Aasland, Minister of Research and Higher Education in Norway

15:45-16:00 Impulse: Policy Perspective
Moderator: Michael Bröcker, Editor-in-chief, Table.Briefings 
Speaker: Frank Wetzel, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy 

16:00-16:10 Impulse: COP30 Perspective 
Speaker: Kai Monheim, CEO, CEMUNE | Center for Multilateral Negotiations 

Part 2: HOW CLIMATE ACTION CAN BE A BUSINESS CASE 

16:10-16:25 BCG Keynote: How Climate Action Can Be a Business Case 
Speakers: Patrick Herhold, Managing Director & Senior Partner Munich, BCG; Jens Burchardt, Managing Director & Partner, Co-founder Center for Climate and Sustainability, BCG 

Part 3: MARGIN WITH MISSION—WHAT COMPANIES CAN ACCELERATE 

16:25-16:55 Deep Dive #1: Where Green Growth is Real – How to Successfully Scale Greentech Businesses 
Moderator: Patrick Herhold, Managing Director & Senior Partner Munich 
Speakers: Frank Meyer, Member of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch GmbH; Saskia Bruysten, Partner & Co-founder, Carbon Equity; Lilian Schwich, Co-CEO I Co-Founder, cylib GmBH; Lucio Milanese, Co-Founder and CCO, Proxima Fusion

16:55-17:25 Deep Dive #2: Decarbonizing Without Harming Growth – Success Stories for Reducing Emissions in Hard-to-Abate Sectors 
Moderator: Johanna Puetz, Climate & Sustainability Lead Central Europe, BCG 
Speakers: Michael Karrer, SVP for Sustainability & EHS, ZF Group; Guido Kerkhoff, CEO, Klöckner & Co SE; Katharina Tomoff, SVP Global | Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), DHL Supply Chain; Ulf Zillig, Vice President Group Research, Sustainability & RD Functions, Mercedes-Benz Group AG 

17:25-17:55 Deep Dive #3: Saving Cash and Carbon – Making the Energy Transition Faster and More Economic 
Moderator: Jens Burchardt, Managing Director & Partner, Co-founder Center for Climate and Sustainability, BCG 
Speakers: Veronika Grimm, Member of the German Council of Economic Experts, Supervisory Board Member at Siemens Energy AG; Stefan Kapferer, CEO, 50Hertz Transmission; Georg Stamatelopoulos, CEO, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG 

17:55 Wrap-up: BCG Key-Messages
Michael Brigl, Head of Central Europe, BCG; Dr. Johanna Puetz, Climate & Sustainability Lead Central Europe, BCG