Sustainability in focus: New modules for future-oriented study programs!

Sustainability in focus: New modules for future-oriented study programs!

On March 13, 2025, Bucerius Law School released news about a major certificate program sponsored by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. In collaboration with the Intersectoral School of Governance Baden-Württemberg, the Hertie School and CECS, 20 leaders from the state, business and civil society took part in this unique program. The participants came from different academic and professional backgrounds, which reflects the interdisciplinary concept of further training.

The focus of the program included important topics such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, security and migration. Particular attention was paid to the study of climate and sustainability in a legal context, which was addressed as part of the graduation in January 2025 at Bucerius Law School. The final event asked the question of how these relevant topics are interwoven in ecological challenges and in law.

Interdisciplinary approaches to complex challenges

The lectures and workshops were led by academic directors from CECS and speakers from the Bucerius Executive Education network. They dealt intensively with the transformation of the energy industry, green finance and the legal handling of climate lawsuits. Another focus was the challenges associated with ESG (environmental, social, governance) transformation for real estate companies and infrastructure in large cities such as Hamburg.

The selection of modules for the certificate program is just as diverse. Participants have the freedom to choose modules from two elective areas aimed at promoting sustainable development. The modules should link different specialist disciplines and contribute to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An example of this modular structure is that electrical engineering students can bring together both technical and social aspects.

Sustainability in investments and their importance

Parallel to the education discussion, the topic of sustainable investments is also becoming increasingly important. More and more people who pay attention to sustainability in both their diet and their investments are guided by these values. The demand for green investments is growing, while the supply is also being tailored accordingly. These investments take various sustainability criteria into account when selecting stocks and indices and often use ESG criteria to assess the sustainability of companies.

However, there are still no uniform legal requirements for sustainable investments in Germany or the EU. The offering ranges from sustainable funds and government bonds to ETFs and individual stocks that are based on ESG criteria. The best-in-class model, in which the most sustainable companies in an index are selected, is widespread, but the sustainability of this selection often remains questionable. Although sustainable investments, on average, have similar risks and returns to conventional investments, studies show that they can tend to perform better.

In this dynamic landscape of education and investment in sustainability, it is clear that increasingly complex challenges require an interdisciplinary approach. Both participation in the certificate program and the decision to invest sustainably are based on value-oriented thinking, which will become increasingly common in the future.

Developments in law, education and sustainable investment strategies ensure that both business leaders and investors play a central role in addressing the global challenges of the future.

For more information on this topic, read the article by law-school.de, the sustainable development program at the Technical University of Berlin and information about sustainable investments comdirect.de.