The team had already prevailed against numerous student project groups from other universities in an earlier multi-stage process. In the final pitch, the students from the Media Management and Cultural Management Master’s degree programmes won the jury over with their idea, entitled »Your Cli-Mate«. The core feature is a data cockpit for companies that collects their internal emissions data. The data is analysed and prepared for various stakeholders, for example employees or customers, in an individual dashboard. This gamified approach is meant to motivate all stakeholders to act more sustainably.

Deloitte Consulting served as a specific case study for the team. In addition to a central dashboard that collects all company data and shows the responsible management team where opportunities exist for cutting emissions and costs, there are also individual dashboards for the individual employees in this scenario. These dashboards visualise the individual carbon footprint that is generated, for example, through business trips or the use of electrical devices. In addition, the tool is used to formulate »climate challenges« that are designed to motivate employees to make their daily lives more climate-friendly.

The starting point for the team was the »Research Colloquium: Brand Management« course offered by the Marketing and Media professorship at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. »Sustainability and how we as economists can contribute to it, as well as the consistent connection of theory and practice, are concepts that are close to our hearts. That’s why we encouraged the students to participate in the Digital Future Challenge 2021«, explains Prof. Dr. Jutta Emes, holder of the professorship. Together with her colleagues Timo Janson and Jonas Steffl, she supervised the team throughout the entire process.

The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection patronises the competition and now sponsors »Your Cli-Mate«. The members of the team will receive insights into the work of the Ministry at a future appointment and may personally present their project to the responsible persons. They will also have access to coaching programmes and a facilitation workshop and will have the opportunity to participate in the »ada« conference. All five final projects will be presented in a publication in October.

About the Digital Future Challenge:

The Digital Future Challenge is a joint project of the Deloitte Foundation and Initiative D21 with the goal of shedding light on the responsibilities of companies in and through the digital transformation (Corporate Digital Responsibility). It calls upon students nationwide to develop principles and key points concerning responsible corporate action in the digital world, based on specific examples from corporate practice. For this purpose, interdisciplinary and diverse project teams compete for the best, most creative and most sustainable ideas. Professorial chairs and companies from across the country are supporting the project. A top-calibre jury composed of members from the fields of politics, economics and civil society will award prizes for the best approaches.

Further information on the Digital Future Challenge is available at https://app.ekipa.de/challenge/digital-future-21.

The entire final event as well as the team’s pitch are both available for viewing on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tHZTiyA_PzQ?t=4927