How sustainable can an energy‑intensive company truly be?
This question shaped our visit to Holcim in Dotternhausen with a group of students. The answers emerged not from glossy slides, but from open dialogue and from impressive insights into technologies that are already available today.
One student captured it perfectly: “It was particularly valuable to see how far an energy‑intensive industry has already come in finding ways to operate more sustainably.”
Carbon capture, recyclable concrete, renaturation measures, stormwater retention concepts: Sustainability became tangible. It is a technical, ecological, and societal negotiation process.
Together with Julian Link, we spent a full morning discussing how Holcim approaches sustainability and which measures are already implemented. The students had studied the company’s sustainability report in advance and prepared their questions. It was like an audit, but better described as a dialogue at eye level: critical, curious, respectful.
One aspect stood out: the technology for CO₂ capture exists. What is missing is the infrastructure: a pipeline that transports CO₂ to where it can be reused or safely stored. A clear example of how technological feasibility and societal decision‑making often move at different speeds.
For me, the visit brought back familiar memories: safety communication on site, process logic, and the reaction equation CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂. Much of it echoed my years as a manufacturing leader in the chemical industry.
What remains
Sustainable transformation succeeds only when we genuinely seek to understand each other’s perspectives: the analytical depth of academia and the operational reality of industry.
And in the dialogue between young people and experienced professionals, a shared understanding emerges of what is possible and what will be necessary.
And now I’m curious: Which perspectives of young people have shaped your view on sustainability?
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I am Bernd Scharbert, advising leaders on integrative leadership and lecturing Business Ethics and Sustainability at the Faculty of Business Science and Management at Albstadt‑Sigmaringen University.
#Prepare4Landing: Guiding Principles for intercultural leadership are my core passion.
Safety first: Equipped with helmets, safety glasses, and high‑visibility clothing, we explored the plant on our guided tour.
