Approaches to corporate sustainability among German companies

In this article we present the results of an online survey on the state of corporate sustainability in German companies. The survey focused on the meaning and relevance of sustainability to German companies, the motivations behind their commitment to sustainability and the use of different management tools to implement sustainability in corporate practice. Although the majority of the companies declared that sustainability plays an important role, our analysis reveals considerable differences between these companies' approaches to corporate sustainability. A cluster analysis enables us to distinguish between three significantly distinct types of approach to corporate sustainability among the respondents: sustainability leaders, environmentalists and traditionalists. These three types are characterized and discussed against previous research. The results suggest that there are substantial differences with regard to the motivation for and the implementation of corporate sustainability that are covered behind the corporate rhetoric of a high commitment to sustainability.