Sustainability in Corporate Law Conference

On 24 January 2025, academics and legal practitioners came together at Bucerius Law School to discuss the topic of “Sustainability in Corporate Law.”

The conference was jointly organised by Bucerius Law School and Leuphana University of Lüneburg. The first part of the conference was held in English and focused on the European Supply Chain Directive (CSDDD). The second part of the conference was held in German with live translation into English and focused on the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains (LkSG) and its implementation.

The conference was opened with a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Lisa Guntermann (Bucerius Law School) and further introductory remarks by Prof. Dr. Alexander Schall (Leuphana University of Lüneburg).

In the first presentation, Prof. Dario Latella (Università degli Studi di Messina) gave an overview of climate change and corporate sustainability in the context of the CSDDD. Prof. Christopher Bruner (University of Georgia School of Law) then explained the topic of corporate sustainability from a U.S. perspective, particularly in light of the current political situation and the inauguration of Donald Trump. Subsequently, private and corporate law aspects of the CSDDD were discussed. Prof. Loes Lennarts (University of Groningen) explained the civil liability under Art. 29 CSDDD, followed by presentations by Prof. Karsten Engsig Sørensen (Aarhus University) on CSDDD in corporate groups and by Prof. Mieke Olaert (University of Maastricht) on directors’ duties under the CSDDD. The first part of the conference was concluded with presentations by Dr. Klára Hurychová (Univerzita Karlova, Prague) on the topic of combating climate change through Art. 22 CSDDD and by Dr. Iris Barsan (Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC)) on the topic of the adverse effects of “corporate sustainability due diligence.”

The second part of the conference focused on the German LkSG. The presentations were held by legal practitioners. The first presentation by PD Dr. Franziska Humbert (Oxfam) focused on legal and practical issues of stakeholder participation in the supply chain based on the LkSG and the CSDDD. In the second presentation Dr. Ingo Theusinger (Noerr) discussed necessary amendments to the LkSG to implement the CSDDD. Concluding, Michael Forst and Raphael Schubert (both Nestlé Germany) described their experiences with the practical implementation of the LkSG in day-to-day business.

There were lively discussions during the conference. In particular, the exchange between lawyers from different jurisdictions and the examination of the topic from both an academic and a practical perspective proved to be extremely fruitful.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Schall summarised the conference in a ‘farewell note’. He called for further cooperation in order to achieve better regulation by the legislator, particularly in the form of clear rules on a sound basis.