3CON Expert Brings Sustainability into the Classroom

How can companies successfully embed sustainability into their strategy — and what challenges arise in practice? These were the key questions addressed in a class held on May 22, 2026, in the International Business Management degree program at FH Kufstein Tirol. For the first time, Nicole Schlößl, MA MA, Head of Sustainability at the Tyrolean long-established company 3CON, joined the seminar Trends in International Finance as a guest speaker from the corporate world. Through her presentation and case studies, she demonstrated how sustainability can be developed, managed, and communicated within companies — and why the topic is becoming increasingly important for both business and society.

The guest lecture was embedded in a seminar that explores current developments at the intersection of finance, regulation, and corporate responsibility. To help students place the practical insights into a solid academic context, key foundational concepts had been developed beforehand. This created a seminar structure that deliberately combined theoretical knowledge, analysis, and practical application.

Building a Foundation for Understanding Sustainability

At the beginning of the seminar, Prof. (FH) Dr. Dominika Galkiewicz introduced key developments related to sustainability and corporate culture. The focus was on the growing importance of regulatory requirements, the evolution of sustainability reporting, and the role of the 2015 Paris Agreement. In addition, students explored the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and other ESG indicators. This foundational knowledge provided the basis for understanding sustainability not only as a social guiding principle, but also as a topic of clear business relevance.

Building on this, the students analyzed sustainability reports from various ATX-listed companies and examined how organizations communicate their ESG activities to external stakeholders. In addition to the reports themselves, websites and social media channels were reviewed to understand how sustainability-related metrics, initiatives, and goals are presented publicly. In this way, students learned how to assess the structure of sustainability reports, identify relevant indicators, and critically question potential greenwashing.

From Theory to Corporate Practice

Against this backdrop, Nicole Schlößl’s visit directly connected with the content previously covered in class. Using examples from 3CON’s corporate practice, she showed how sustainability can be built up and embedded within a company step by step. She discussed strategic decisions as well as the operational implementation of projects, external sustainability ratings, and the importance of supplier audits. At the same time, it became clear that building an effective sustainability function requires not only professional expertise, but also clearly defined responsibilities, internal coordination, and strong support from management. These insights highlighted just how complex — and at the same time future-relevant — the topic is for companies.

Case Studies Make Conflicting Goals Tangible

In the second part of the guest format, the students became actively involved themselves. Under Nicole Schlößl’s guidance, they developed solutions for two case studies from different industries — an insurance company and a ski operations business. In doing so, they took on various perspectives, ranging from the sustainability team and investor relations to investor groups. This made it clear that sustainable decision-making must not only be professionally sound, but must also take into account differing interests, expectations, and conflicting goals. The discussions were lively and demonstrated how challenging it can be to communicate sustainability measures convincingly within a company and to build shared commitment around them.

Innovative Learning Methods — From Guest Lectures to Case Studies

The combination of academic introduction, critical analysis, and practical insights made it clear just how multifaceted the topic of sustainability is for companies today. For the students, it became tangible how closely regulatory requirements, corporate responsibility, and credible communication are interconnected. Nicole Schlößl’s guest contribution was therefore an impressive example of how valuable the exchange between higher education and business practice can be for future-oriented education.

Links:

• International Business Management | ft
• 3CON | Website