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SDG Day 2025: Examining Sustainability Communication

January 29, 2025
Categories: Communication Management Study Programs

The Communication Management study programs presented their critical examination of greenwashing in corporate communications at the SDG Day 2025.

Posterpräsentationen am SDG Day 2025 im BA Kommunikationswirtschaft
© Holly Kellner
SDG Award 2025 für Bachelor-Arbeit im Studienbereich Communication Management
© Holly Kellner
Sustainability communication, ethics in organizational communication and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are an integral part of the Communication Management curricula. At the SDG Day of FHWien der WKW on January 23, 2025, students and alumni gave insights into their examination of this important topic.

Poster presentations analyze sustainability communication

Students from the Bachelor’s program in Corporate Communication presented their research on sustainability communication and greenwashing at SDG Day. As part of the Organizational Communication & Ethics lecture, led by Verena Fellner-Denk and Simone Zwickl, all three cohorts of the degree program produced posters on this topic. This involved critically analysing company-related sustainability communication and advertising campaigns and identifying forms of colour washing.

The range of companies and campaigns analysed was remarkable: for example, Target was examined for rainbow washing, the cooperation between Adidas and the NGO Parley for the Oceans was analysed and the sustainability communication of companies such as Hofer and brands such as H&M Conscious or Nivea was critically scrutinised. The FIFA Football Association and the World Cup in Qatar were also scrutinised for blue washing. Even with companies that position themselves as sustainable, such as Innocent, the students identified a lack of transparency.

SDG Award for final theses

At the SDG Day, the best sustainability-related theses were recognized. Two graduates of the Communication Management study programs received the SDG Award:

  • Sophie Kaufmann, graduate of the Bachelor’s program in Corporate Communication for her Bachelor’s thesis “From greenwashing to corporate social responsibility: the transformation to socially responsible companies”  >> Read abstract (in German)
  • Lisa Vide-Lindorfer, graduate of the Master’s program in Communication Management for her Master’s thesis “Pinkwashing in social media: A quantitative study of the influence of LGBTQIA* marketing on the brand perception of Gen Y and Z”  >> Read abstract (in German)

The increasing requirements for transparent sustainability communication, including the EU’s Green Claims Directive and mandatory ESG reporting for Austrian companies, emphasise the relevance of this topic. With their critical analysis, the students demonstrated that they are well-prepared to tackle future challenges in this field.