The fourth Young Sustainability Law Conference (JNR 2025) took place 19–21 June in Hamburg, drawing early-career scholars from across the globe to explore the evolving relationship between sustainability and law. For the first time, a Max Planck Institute was directly involved in hosting the event, with the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law co-organizing alongside Bucerius Law School and the University of Hamburg. Previous conferences had been held in Munich, Halle, and Vienna, predominantly in German, whereas this year’s event embraced a more international orientation.
Around 30 speakers and panellists contributed to the discussions, complemented by approximately 80 participants, mostly legal researchers. The conference featured seven thematic sessions, examining subjects such as global supply chains, corporate governance, criminal law responses to environmental harm, and the legal frameworks surrounding natural disaster insurance. Presentations and debates highlighted how questions of sustainability cut across traditional legal boundaries and how comparative, interdisciplinary, and intradisciplinary approaches can offer new insights.
Among the most notable moments were three keynote lectures. One explored how consumer protection law could advance sustainability by linking private rights with public regulatory tools. Another addressed the complexities of employing comparative perspectives, drawing on experiences such as drafting environmental legislation tailored to specific national contexts. A third keynote examined how integrating findings from the natural sciences into legal structures could inform international approaches to animal welfare and broader sustainability challenges.
A high-level panel on the role of private actors in sustainable development brought together judges, academics, corporate representatives, and legal practitioners. The discussion illustrated differing perspectives on the effectiveness of current market-driven initiatives and the need for robust enforcement to ensure that regulatory ambitions are realized in practice.
Throughout the conference, it became clear that sustainability remains less an established branch of law than a multidimensional theme interwoven through various legal disciplines. Effective responses to pressing environmental and social challenges will likely require continued efforts to bridge gaps between specialized areas of legal expertise and to draw on insights from other fields.
The organizers are preparing an edited volume of conference contributions to be published by Nomos, which is expected to appear early next year. Future editions of the conference are anticipated to be hosted by new teams, potentially in other countries, continuing its tradition as a flexible platform fostering fresh perspectives on sustainability in law.
Max Planck Law is pleased to have cooperated in the promotion of this MPI-Network event.