For the City of Mannheim, it was important that the students’ final thesis contributes to the promotion of sustainability, for example by referring to at least one of the 17 sustainability development goals of the United Nations. The thesis should also promote sustainability in the City of Mannheim. This year, the theses of Miriam Wörner and Nik Sachteleben, students at the University of Mannheim, were selected.
Miriam Wörner wrote her thesis in the bachelor’s program in Culture and Economy: Media and Communication Studies about the sustainability of sustainability communication (“Wie nachhaltig ist Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation? Eine empirische Studie zur Wirkung ausgewählter Nachhaltigkeitskommunikationsstrategien auf die Unternehmensreputation”). In her work, she analyzed how different approaches to sustainability communication affect the reputation of companies. Wörner analyzed the effect of credibility, emotionalization or personalization strategies within sustainability communication. In her work, the 23-year-old student referred to the sustainability development goal no. 8 (decent work and economic growth), no. 12 (responsible consumption and production) and no. 13 (climate action), since topics related to these goals were communication content she analyzed.
The title of Nik Sachteleben’s master's thesis is “Enabling circular economy to unfold its potential – Development of a holistic impact measurement model for circular economy”. Sachteleben’s work is about a measurement model for circular economy taking into account all relevant aspects (sustainability, society, and economy) and not only one aspect. With his thesis, the 26-year-old student completed the master’s program “Mannheim Master in Management”.
Sustainability Award of the City of Mannheim
The award, endowed with EUR 500, was awarded by the Department of Economic and Structural Support (Wirtschafts- und Strukturförderung) of the City of Mannheim. Students of all higher education institutions in Mannheim were eligible to apply. A jury, consisting of representatives of the higher education institutions and the City of Mannheim, selected the winners from all theses submitted.