The “Sustainable Digitalisation 2.0” Conference: What SMEs Can Do to Lead Positive Change @CSRdigital1@ZukunftDigital In times like these – with an ongoing pandemic, the pressing challenge of climate change, and new standards stemming from the EU Green Deal – small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have to top-up their efforts in order to stay competitive. Our joint CSR.digital and Competence Centre eStandards online conference “Sustainable Digitalisation 2.0” put the focus on what it takes for SMEs to not only react to changing circumstances but also proactively lead positive change. How can the two mega trends – sustainability and digitalisation – be interlinked smartly and responsibly? What opportunities do companies have in using digital tools and processes to reach their sustainability goals? What hinders and challenges companies from endorsing digitalisation as a sustainability enabler? While clear-cut answers to such questions are challenging, the conference offered a platform for constructive discussion and stimulating peer exchange. Insights from the North-Rhine Westphalian (NRW) perspective were shared by Prof. Andreas Pinkwart (NRW Minister of Economy), who also spoke about the need to jointly reflect on digitalisation and decarbonisation in interlinked ways. Almut Nagel from the European Commission elaborated more on the EU Green Deal requirements and the implication they have for SMEs. Front running SMEs in the field of digital and sustainable development presented their approaches and showcased their positive results in using digitalisation as an enabler for sustainability. Inspiring ideas were taken up in a total of six breakout sessions during which in-depth discussions took place around topics such as trust in the digital economy, climate protection through digital technologies, circular value creation and new work concepts. A summary paper of the insights and discussions that took place at the conference will be published soon – please check the CSCP news section! The digital conference “Sustainable digitalisation 2.0: Covid-19 and the European Green Deal as Accelerators and Paradigm Shifts” was co-organised by our projects the Competence Centre eStandards and CSR.digital. For more information on CSR.digital, please contact Patrick Bottermann. For further questions regarding the Competence Centre eStandards, please contact Patrik Eisenhauer.