GRONEN 2026 in Barcelona: Rethinking Sustainability for a Disruptive World

Five members of the Chair of Sustainability Management travelled to Barcelona this month to participate in the GRONEN Research Conference 2026. Hosted by ESADE Business School and held under the theme “Rethinking Sustainability for a Disruptive World,” the conference once again provided a stimulating forum for cutting-edge research at the intersection of management and sustainability.

Our Contributions

The Chair was represented with two full-paper presentations. Theresa Rötzel presented her paper “Untangling the Yarn: Interlinked Barriers to Corporate Deep Decarbonization,” which examines the complex, mutually reinforcing obstacles that hinder firms from implementing decarbonization pathways. Jan Nahrstedt contributed a paper titled “Higher Resolution but No Clearer Picture: Early Effects of CSRD-Compliant Sustainability Reporting on Stock Price Synchronicity,” investigating how the introduction of mandatory sustainability disclosures affects the information environment of capital markets.

In addition, two early research ideas were presented and discussed. Brigitte Bernard-Rau shared her work “From Impact to Regeneration: Reframing Impact Investing Through Regenerative Finance Logics,” exploring how regenerative finance frameworks can offer a more holistic conceptualization of impact in investment practice. Lara Schröder presented “SDG Scores as Credible Signals for Financial Materiality to Investors? The Relationship Between Sustainability Ratings and Cost of Equity,” examining whether SDG-based ratings carry informational value for investors in the form of reduced cost of equity.

Highlights and Takeaways

Beyond the paper sessions, the conference offered rich opportunities for scholarly exchange. Lively discussions, constructive feedback from peers, and a diverse programme of Professional Development Seminars made GRONEN 2026 a particularly rewarding experience for our team. As always, the conference served as an important venue to connect with the international sustainability management research community.

We extend our sincere thanks to Valentina De Marchi and Tobias Hahn for their outstanding organization of GRONEN 2026 at ESADE. The conference ran seamlessly and the Barcelona setting provided a wonderful backdrop for academic exchange.

We are already looking forward to the next GRONEN conference in two years — and to reconvening with our colleagues in Pisa in 2028.

Image: Timo Busch