Twin Transformation Summit 2025 - Leveraging synergies, accelerating change

On December 4, 2025, the Twin Transformation Summit took place as a three-hour online event, bringing together representatives from academia, the business world, and the consulting industry, as well as students, to examine the interplay between Digitalization and sustainability from various perspectives. Organized by the Chair of Business Administration, with a focus on Sustainability Management, in the Department of Business Studies and Economics at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau and integrated into the activities of the Open Digitalization Alliance Palatinate II, the summit built upon the content of the previous year’s Sustainability Impact Summit while also setting new directions with a clear focus on the so-called Twin Transformation. The event also served as a professional conference for the Sustainability Platform of the Science and Innovation Alliance Kaiserslautern e.V. (SIAK).

The event was opened by Prof. Dr.Katharina Spraul(RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau), who outlined the thematic framework in her opening remarks. She made it clear that digital transformation by no means automatically leads to greater sustainability, but rather requires conscious design to harmonize ecological, social, and economic goals. Especially against the backdrop of rising energy consumption driven by Digitalization and AI, she noted, it is necessary to systematically link digital innovations with sustainability goals and to adopt an interdisciplinary approach.

Dr.Jens Lehnen (valantic GmbH), together with Holger Feist ( The Nunatak Group GmbH), then opened the substantive portion of the event with a dialogue-based presentation. From a consulting perspective, they highlighted where companies currently stand in the Twin Transformation and what challenges arise in its practical implementation. Key topics included data management, the question of organizational maturity, and the realization that sustainability is often still viewed primarily from a reporting and regulatory perspective. At the same time, they emphasized that digital technologies—such as data-driven analytics or AI-powered decision support—offer enormous potential for making sustainability not only measurable but also strategically actionable. Particularly striking was the observation that comparison with competitors often triggers new dynamics, leading to sustainability being increasingly perceived as a strategic competitive factor.

These considerations were explored in greater depth in the subsequent academic presentation by Dr.Eddy Groen (IREB & Fraunhofer IESE). Drawing on recent study findings from the field of software and systems development, he demonstrated that sustainability has so far been inadequately integrated into digital development processes. While there is a growing awareness of the issue, clear responsibilities, standardized procedures, and the necessary expertise are often lacking. Particularly striking was the point that sustainability must be considered early on in the design of digital systems, as later adjustments have only limited impact. In this way, the presentation built an important bridge between technical design and corporate responsibility.

In the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Dr.Katharina Spraul, these perspectives came together. Alongside Dr.Jens Lehnen, Holger Feist, and Eddy Groen, Josef Apfel ( FUCHS LUBRICANTS GERMANY GmbH) shared insights from industrial practice, while Prof. Dr. Tanja Rabl (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau) provided the research-based perspective. Discussions centered on the ESG dimensions, exploring how Digitalization can contribute to increasing energy efficiency, transparency, and the quality of decision-making, as well as the risks that arise when technological developments are not accompanied by cultural change. The role of employees was a particularly focal point of the discussion: Sustainable transformation, according to the findings from the research of Prof. Dr. Tanja Rabl, can only succeed if people are actively involved, empowered, and intrinsically motivated. At the same time, participants critically reflected on the current regulatory uncertainty—for example, in the context of the Omnibus debate at the EU level. Several speakers emphasized that while reducing reporting requirements could ease the burden, sustainability must not be reduced to mere regulatory minimum requirements.

After a short break, the breakout sessions provided an opportunity for in-depth discussion. In the session “Twin Transformation—A Bridge Between Disciplines,” Carolin Langhauser (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau) and Dr.Eddy Groen demonstrated how challenging—yet at the same time rewarding—interdisciplinary collaboration can be. The focus was on how different disciplinary logics—such as those from Business Studies and Economics, computer science, or engineering—can be integrated to develop sustainable digital solutions. The discussion made it clear that Twin Transformation requires not only technological but also communicative translation work.

At the same time, Angelina Horbach(RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau) provided concrete insights into the productive use of AI systems such as ChatGPT in the workshop “Prompt Engineering in Practical Application.” Using practical examples, she demonstrated how targeted prompts can achieve efficiency gains, support creative processes, and systematically address sustainability issues. The session also included a critical reflection on the fact that AI should be understood as an assistive system and cannot replace human judgment and responsibility.

The event concluded with a joint summary that recapped the key takeaways. The Twin Transformation Summit 2025 made it clear that Digitalization and sustainability are not separate paths of transformation but can reinforce one another—provided they are consciously shaped together. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of data, interdisciplinary exchange, organizational culture, and the active involvement of employees. With its open, dialogue-oriented format and the close integration of practice and academia, the summit thus sent a strong signal for the further development of the Twin Transformation and provided numerous ideas for future research, teaching, and business practice.