The purpose of entrepreneurial activities

This question was discussed in depth by the invited guests of ifm Mannheim and the ifm friends association during the forum on September 23. After Prof. Dr. Dominika Wruk had briefly outlined the current state of research and provided a competent and interesting introduction to the topic, the guests had their say under the moderation of Prof. Dr. Michael Woywode and Dr. Jan-Klaus Tänzler. Even during the introductory round, different perspectives and alternative courses of action became apparent, depending on the size and industry of the companies. As established family businesses that are also responsible for several thousand employees, Alexander Schwörer from the Peri Group in Weißenhorn, and Michael Fuchs, partner and supervisory board member at Pepperl&Fuchs in Mannheim, presented their efforts to achieve sustainable production in balance with their responsibility for their employees and the long-term existence of their companies.

Founder Melina Bucher from Mannheim took a completely different approach. She placed her start-up squarely under the banner of respectful treatment of animals and people and pulled out all the stops to achieve this. Her network of international research and production facilities is dedicated to the manufacture of vegan, plastic-free handbags and the technical challenges associated with this. Another important concern for her is responsibility for future generations.

In the end, it was clear to all participants in the discussion that sustainability in production, processes, and consumption will play a decisive role in the future. And all of them were involved in this issue at different levels in their companies: Pepperl+Fuchs sees itself primarily as a problem solver, as its main business purpose is sensor technology, which helps many areas to operate more sustainably. Peri, on the other hand, as a specialist in scaffolding and formwork, is more of a second-line player in energy-intensive industries and is trying to establish sustainable solutions here. Melanie Bucher, on the other hand, has to compete directly with the highly production-intensive and heavily chemical-based leather industry and has placed her purpose directly in sustainable production.

These three very different starting points led to an exciting discussion that also covered current political developments, particularly in the US.

The more than 30 guests used the subsequent get-together to talk to the panel participants and discuss further exciting questions.