The Professional Logic of Sustainability Managers: Finding Underlying Dynamics

The role of the Sustainability Manager (SM) is expanding. Whether SMs are turning into a new profession is under debate. Pointing to the need for a distinct professional logic to qualify as a profession, we identify what is contained within a professional logic of SMs. Through analyzing ambiguities present in the role of the SMs, we show that there is no specific distinct professional logic of SMs, but rather a meta-construct building on market, bureaucratic, and sustainability logics. In addition, we point to the complex configurations of and relationships between these underlying logics. The complexities also explain why the SMs differ from traditional professions and why it is problematic to talk about a ‘SM profession’. Rather, SMs are ‘organizational professionals’. The article builds on 21 interviews with SMs working for Swedish companies.

Mythos Aluminium

Aluminium hat es mit seinem Image mal schwerer, mal leichter. Im Vergleich zu den 1990er Jahren, steht das Leichtmetall derzeit definitiv wieder besser dar. Was ist dran am Mythos Aluminium? Die Redaktion des packREPORT hat nachgefragt bei Claudia Bierth, European Sustainability Manager, Ball Beverage Packaging EMEA.

Education for sustainable development

Education for sustainable development in an intense subject and dissemination of good practices are of tremendous need for actors of academia and for those of vocational education, too. Managers and employees must extend their current skills related to sustainability and become leaders in the field. The article presents the last years’ experience on the development of a skills development schema on leadership in sustainability and teaching and educating sustainability. These two training skills and the related training materials have been developed through two international projects and partnerships at the European level: (1) LeadSUS - Leadership in sustainability – Sustainability Manager, (2013-1-RO1-LEO05 – 28771) developed from 2013 to 2016 and having impact on a target group consisting of companies’ employees (most of them managers); (2) TeachSUS - Teaching and educating for Sustainability, (2018-1-R001-KA204-049253) that will be develop from 2018 to 2020 and that will target vocational education and training (VET) actors. After a brief presentation of developed skill cards related to educational programs in sustainable development filed, a critical analysis of the implementation potential will underline the strengths and weakness of the actual educational system of higher education to assimilate and implement the proposals (tested and validated with a significant group of trainees).