Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
Sustainability is a recurring topic for our Journal. The October issue focuses on the intersection of sustainability, corporate governance, data management in the chemical industry and M&A activities in the global battery industry. These articles collectively emphasise the pivotal role of sustainability, innovation and financial management in determining the trajectory of industries that are pivotal to the global effort to combat climate change.
The first contribution of this issue is an interview with Prof. Dr. Martin Artz. He is the director of the Accounting Center at the University of Münster. Prof. Artz highlights the growing integration of sustainability in corporate governance, driven by regulation and customer demand since the Paris Climate Agreement. Key challenges include defining strategy, improving education, and developing effective measurement and governance systems. Financial management plays a crucial role, though firms often struggle with integrating non-financial metrics. Successful companies like Vaude and dm-drogerie show sustainability‘s long-term benefits, especially in response to ESG demands. We thank Prof. Artz for taking the time and sharing his view on the influence of sustainability on corporate governance.
The article by Dr. Martin Kirchner, Dr. Frank Martin Petrat, Marvin Graf and Dr. Oliver Busch, entitled „SUScube – An innovative approach to sustainability data management from practice“, presents a novel data management system that may be of interest to those seeking new solutions in this field. Evonik Oxeno has developed a Power BI-based dashboard, called „SUScube“, with the aim of addressing inefficiencies in managing sustainability data. The aim was to meet customer expectations for reliable and credible sustainability information while enhancing internal data usability. This system, based on a certified Life Cycle Assessment model of their production sites in Marl and Antwerp, serves as a „single point of truth“ for sustainability data, offering an efficient, user-friendly interface. Furthermore, additional enhancements will be made to this system with new features to improve functionality.
Additionally, Tim Greitemeier, Carina Albrecht, Reba Brockington, Sebastian Eggers, Lars Hansner, Niklas Kamp (Director at EY-Parthenon), Dr. Hauke Simon (Partner at EY- Parthenon) and Prof. Dr. Simon Lux contributed with their article: “International M&A transaction volumes along the battery value chain: Strategic investment implications.” This study examines international value streams in the global battery industry, focusing on mergers and acquisitions to track innovation strategies across key markets. Analyzing 913 deals from 2018 to 2022, the research highlights North America as the largest contributor to deal value, especially in 2021. The study also demonstrates that product manufacturers and enablers primarily drive these value streams, underscoring their pivotal role in the industry.
Please enjoy reading the third issue of this year, we are grateful for the support of all authors and reviewers for this insightful issue. If you have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us at contact@businesschemistry.org for more updates and insights on management issues in the chemical industry, follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/jobc/ and subscribe to our newsletter.
Andrea Kanzler, (Executive Editor)