Arbeit – Nachhaltigkeit – Menschenrechte

Economic sustainability reports contain discursive traces of cultural and historical developments and current transformations. In particular, statements on work and related aspects such as health, education and diversity show that companies in the globalised 21st century are under constant pressure to justify themselves, which is reflected not least in the discourse on human rights due diligence. Using a cultural studies discourse analysis, the author traces the human rights framing of work-related issues in the sustainability reports of large German companies between 2010 and 2020.
Peter Steger works as a sustainability manager in the private sector.