From capital market conferences to the BDI climate congress and the BAUM conference – iron's ESG team attended numerous events in 2025. We wanted to understand how different target groups view sustainability and ESG, and what concerns and hopes motivate them. This journey through the year has shown us that perspectives on ESG could hardly be more diverse. And yet everyone is united by one goal: making our economy fit for the future.
Capital market conferences: ESG disappears from the agenda
The Munich Capital Market Conference (mkk) and the Hamburg Investor Days (HIT) have been fixed dates in our calendar for years. This is because we are constantly working to bring investor relations and ESG closer together. However, the reality at this year's conferences painted a sobering picture: where 18 months ago almost every CEO or CFO presented at least a few slides on the topic of sustainability, this year there was a yawning void.
Only a few companies –mostly those whose business model already makes a clear sustainability promise through renewable energies – continued to have the topic on their agenda. Instead, slides dominated that were intended to show investors how the management board intends to keep the company on track despite difficult economic conditions.
This highlights a problem that is now frequently observed: ESG has degenerated into a compliance obligation and is no longer seen as part of the solution. Yet sustainability – understood as an opportunity for innovation in products or even the entire business model – can make an enormous contribution to the resilience of companies, especially in today's turbulent times.
BDI Climate Congress: Industry between existential fear and transformation
The Climate Congress of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) in October offered an impressive insight into the concerns and needs of German industry. The central message to politicians was to recognize the urgency of the situation and finally create clear framework conditions. The market demands reliable structures and targeted financing, but not overregulated and fragmented requirements.
BDI President Peter Leibinger summed it up succinctly: German industry is on the brink of an existential crisis. His demand: leadership from Berlin and Brussels, openness to technology instead of ideological trench warfare. "Those who produce themselves innovate best," Leibinger emphasized, criticizing the fragmented EU requirements for sustainability regulation.
Particularly noteworthy was the discussion about future technologies such as nuclear fusion and wind energy, where Europe (still) has a strategic advantage – but one that it risks losing if targeted investments are not made soon. With its 10-year plan, China is showing how technology promotion can work. Europe must also give up its position as a global pioneer in renewable energies and green technology. The China is setting a pace that Europe cannot keep up with. The transformation has long since become a race – and nothing less than Europe's future competitiveness is at stake.
BAUM conference: Optimism despite headwinds
Einen erfrischend anderen Ton schlug die BAUM-Tagung in Dortmund an, bei der wir im November zu Gast waren. Das Motto „Welche Wirtschaft wollen wir?“ wurde vor beeindruckender Kulisse im Signal-Iduna-Park diskutiert. Trotz der weiterhin unsicheren regulatorischen Lage und des politischen Gegenwinds war die Stimmung von Optimismus geprägt. Der Tenor: Was gerade jetzt zählt, sind positive Zukunftsbilder, die dabei helfen können, Nachhaltigkeit als Chance zur Transformation zu begreifen.
We took away three key insights: First, ESG needs more debate. In the panel discussion "Let's talk tacheles" (Let's talk straight), that's exactly what happened: debate. Because sustainability needs constructive discussion rather than ideological trench warfare, especially in everyday business life. Second, sustainability has a translation problem. ESG experts and companies often talk past each other. ESG needs to better engage with the real economy and focus on tangible issues: the circular economy, resource scarcity, concrete efficiency gains. Third, ESG consultants need to help companies with their transformation—not just put a report in the window.
DRSC Forum: Between attention to detail and impracticality
Ebenfalls im November durften wir an zwei spannenden Tagen am Hamburger Forum der Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung 2025 des DRSC teilnehmen. Mit Vertreter:innen aus Wirtschaft, Politik, Finanzinstituten und NGOs diskutierten wir über die neuesten Entwicklungen zum Thema CO2reporting, CSRD, and VSME.
There was considerable controversy surrounding the scope and thresholds for reporting. However, there was agreement on one key point: if the EU does not want to lose even more credibility, it must "finally settle down." The ongoing uncertainty with which the EU is leaving companies in the member states alone is leading to frustration and resignation among many of those affected.
Tanja Castor, Head of Sustainability Disclosures bei der BASF SE, brachte in der Panel-Diskussion zu den Anpassungen an CSRD und ESRS einen weiteren wichtigen Punkt zur Sprache: Es wird Zeit, dass Unternehmen – unabhängig von den Entwicklungen in Brüssel – das Thema Nachhaltigkeit aus der Bürokratie-Ecke herausholen, in die die EU es in den letzten Jahren gedrängt hat. Nachhaltigkeit muss wieder in die Unternehmensstrategie zurück, wobei der Fokus klar auf dem strategischen Nutzen liegen muss.
The clear approval of the participants in the hall showed that Ms. Castor had struck a chord with many ESG managers. This mood continued at the evening event. There is a palpable desire to really make a difference again, rather than complaining about the additional burden of excessive reporting.
Conclusion: Innovation through greater freedom
What remains from this journey through the ESG year 2025? A key insight that Professor Jochen R. Pampel from the University of Potsdam formulated at the BAUM conference: "The technology that took us into space was not planned by regulation, but arose from freedom for innovation. In the same way, we should also allow companies today a certain amount of freedom to develop innovation for sustainability."
Dieser Gedanke bringt auf den Punkt, was wir bei unserer Veranstaltungsreise gelernt haben: ESG funktioniert nicht als One-Size-Fits-All-Lösung. Die Perspektiven sind zu unterschiedlich, die Herausforderungen zu vielfältig. Was es braucht, ist weniger Detailverliebtheit in der Regulierung und mehr Raum für unternehmerische Lösungen. Denn Innovation kann ein begeisterndes Element für Menschen sein, Neues zu schaffen – gerade auch für eine nachhaltigere Zukunft.
