As part of the EMPOWER collaborative project, a new digital analysis tool for works councils was developed and released. The application was created as part of the pilot project “Development of New Work and CSR Analysis Tools,” which develops practical IT tools for analyzing New Work maturity levels and assessing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in companies. Prof. Dr. Katharina Dahm was responsible for the project at Mainz University of Applied Sciences. The tool was programmed at Worms University of Applied Sciences under the direction of Prof. Dr. Stephan Kurpjuweit.
The new web-based app offers works councils a structured overview of 25 specific climate protection measures that can be implemented in companies—including in the areas of mobility, cafeterias, idea management, and sustainable behavior among the workforce. The tool also highlights the options available to works councils in each of these areas.
The tool helps works councils to
• systematically identify environmental measures within the company
• actively exercise their rights to participation and co-determination
• and actively contribute to the sustainable transformation of companies.
In practice, the topic of digital pollution addressed in the app has generated particular interest so far: Many users were likely unaware of the extent to which digital processes—such as emails, search queries, or data storage—contribute to CO₂ emissions and how easily this pollution can be reduced.
The tool was first unveiled at the Hannover Messe in the spring of 2025 at the “Research and Innovation” joint booth of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The EMPOWER project was selected alongside other innovative research projects to showcase Rhineland-Palatinate as a hub for innovation at the event. As one of a total of three analysis tools developed within the project under the overall direction of Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump (HWGLudwigshafen/IBE), the newly released solution is aimed at companies and interest groups. The goal is to use practical digital tools to support the implementation of New Work, sustainable human resources management, and ecological transformation.
About EMPOWER
EMPOWER is a collaborative project involving five universities of applied sciences in Rhineland-Palatinate. The goal of EMPOWER is to promote the research-based transfer of ideas, knowledge, and technology to business and society in the Rhine-Main-Neckar region. To this end, each of the five universities participating in the transfer alliance contributes its expertise on a specific megatrend topic: Mainz University of Applied Sciences | Connectivity, Catholic University of Applied Sciences Mainz | Health, Worms University of Applied Sciences | Cybersecurity, Bingen University of Applied Sciences | Sustainability, Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society | New Work. EMPOWER is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the “Innovative University” funding program.
