DIGISUSTAIN 2024 brought leaders from all over the world together in Frankfurt

The second edition of DIGISUSTAIN took place on April 29th and 30th, 2024, at KAP Europa in Frankfurt am Main, successfully cementing its status as the sustainability and digitalization conference of the year. This event brought together industry experts and innovators from around the globe.

In 2015, 187 nations adopted the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), outlining a roadmap for a sustainable future by 2030. However, after nine years, only 15% of these goals have been achieved. With century floods in Rhineland-Palatinate, devastating wildfires in Hawaii, Chile, and Greece, and drought waves in Ethiopia and Rome, the calls for increased climate protection have become louder. At DIGISUSTAIN 2024, there was a clear consensus among experts: linking sustainability and digitalization is crucial for a future-proof world.

DIGISUSTAIN 2024 provided an ideal platform to unite the interests of the private and public sectors, leveraging the full potential of a new digital era. In this age of transformation, technology not only has the power to reduce environmental impacts but also to create new business models and markets focused on sustainability. At DIGISUSTAIN, diverse opinions, visions, and participants came together, making it an ideal venue for dialogue and networking.

Organized by the INGLOSUS Foundation and supported by Melitta Group, Triton Partners, LEA Hessen, Engagement Global, Deutsche Bank, Bearing Point, NorthC Datacenters, and many others, the event was a resounding success. The INGLOSUS sustainability foundation, established in 2021 by Dr. Nader Maleki, holds an official mandate from UN-Habitat to support the Frankfurt Rhein-Main region in achieving the 17 SDGs.

KAP Europa became a hub for innovative companies, industry experts, and sustainability pioneers. Nearly 400 renowned speakers and more than 1,000 participants immersed themselves in a world of knowledge exchange, inspiration, and collaboration over the two days.

The event featured high-profile speakers, including:

• Julia Klöckner, Former Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture
• Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus, Hessian Minister for Digital Strategy and Development, Wiesbaden
• Dr. Michael Moser, Member of the Management Board, Fresenius
• Lutz Trescher, Chief Sustainability Officer, SAP

With a theme of “17 Goals, 17 Questions, 17 Conferences,” DIGISUSTAIN 2024 focused on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Over two days, 17 specific subjects were addressed across 17 stages, connecting sustainability with digitalization. Digital solutions like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain are now fundamental in using resources more efficiently, making supply chains more transparent, and accelerating the transition to renewable energy. Prominent topics included:

• The Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Conference, Germany’s first business event for bioeconomy and CDR technologies.
• The “Artificial Intelligence – The RAIvolution for Good” Conference, discussing the use of AI for sustainable development.
• The LEA Hessen Hydrogen Conference, discussing the integration and strategy for building a hydrogen economy in Hesse and Germany.
• The Triton Partners Mittelstand Conference, highlighting the competitiveness of German SMEs in the face of internationalization and digital transformation.
• The Melitta Global Coffee Conference, illustrating the role of partnerships between the real and financial sectors through the coffee industry.
• The Social-Ecological Transformation Conference by Engagement Global, analyzing the potential of global interconnections.
• The “Activating the 17 SDGs in the City” Conference, curated by UN-Habitat, focusing on sustainable smart city management with the goal of transforming Frankfurt into an SDG City.

A significant part of DIGISUSTAIN 2024 was the side events that connected sustainability and digitalization through creative projects and fostered exchange. Highlights included a basketball game for people with disabilities symbolizing inclusion and diversity, a food truck using recycled oil as an example of a circular economy, and a robot dance show representing the interaction between humans and machines. These events complemented the main presentations and made complex topics tangible. Darius Maleki, Vice Chairman of INGLOSUS, stated, “Together, we presented at DIGISUSTAIN 2024 the diverse stories, thoughts, and plans of exceptional talents as well as those who bear significant economic and ecological responsibility.”

Overall, DIGISUSTAIN 2024 was a resounding success, marking a significant step forward in the journey towards integrating sustainability and digitalization for a future-proof world.