Landgut Stober is audited according to the criteria of ECOnGOOD (ECG) / Economy for the Common Good (GWÖ) – and thus assumes a high degree of responsibility for a socially just, ecologically sustainable and economically viable society. Landgut Stober achieved an above-average result in its first audit in 2016 – and was able to improve significantly in the second audit. With a current score of 768 points, it is one of the companies with the highest ECOnGOOD scores ever. Further information and evidence can be found here.

Michael Stober took over the estate in 2000 – with the vision of creating a place that focuses on responsibility, change and humanity. He was inspired by the spirit of the Borsig family, who set standards here in the 19th century with their social, sustainable and innovative entrepreneurship.

ECOnGOOD is an alternative economic model that measures entrepreneurial success not by profit maximisation, but by contribution to the common good. It is based on values such as human dignity, ecological sustainability, solidarity, social justice and democratic participation. The ECG balance sheet makes this contribution measurable – and acts as a lever for change in business, politics and society.

Following its successful launch in 2022, the ECOnGOOD Summit is returning – more international, more connected and more relevant than ever. On 29 and 30 November 2025, the Landgut Stober will once again become the hub for all those who want to play an active role in shaping the economy of tomorrow. Under the motto ‘Proving That There's Another Way - For an economy and society in balance', the Summit brings together actors from the ECOnGOOD movement, academia, business and civil society – for exchange, inspiration and joint impact. The Summit is designed to be bilingual and offers simultaneous translation into English for key programme items.

Programme highlights

✔ Insights from international thought leaders and practitioners
✔ High-profile panel discussion on ‘Money. Power - Common Good?’
✔ Open discussion formats, workshops and participatory theme rooms
✔ Festive evening with dinner and international networking
✔ Awards for outstanding commitment to the ECG
✔ International participation – DACH region, Europe and beyond

With strong signals sent to Berlin and concrete proposals for solutions for the socio-ecological transformation of the economy, the first GWÖ Summit took place here on the estate on 26 and 27 November 2022. With almost 200 entrepreneurs, scientists and activists, ranging from two-person companies to medium-sized businesses with 2,000 employees, and with turnover ranging from €100,000 to €100 million, this year's ‘Economy for the Common Good Summit’ was the largest Germany-wide gathering of the grassroots movement, which is now active in 35 countries. In addition to an inspiring programme of talks by, among others, author Vivian Dittmar, business administration professor Dr Patrick Velte, telecommunications entrepreneur Alma Spribille and ‘business activists’ Jule and Lukas Bosch, the focus of the event was on providing a platform for precisely such successful companies and organisations. Over 30 best cases of sustainable business with high relevance for the transformation of our society were presented and honoured. The highlight of the three-day event was a festive evening event with recognition awards. The search engine Ecosia won the award in the Internet/Social Media category, while Munich's public swimming pools and the Baden-Württemberg

Forestry Commission shared the award in the public companies category. The municipalities of Willebadessen, Steinheim and Brakel were honoured in the municipalities category, Elobau in the companies category and the Samaritan Foundation in the NGOs category. The Economy for the Common Good sees itself as a non-partisan civil society organisation. For this reason, representatives of all major parties were invited to give a laudatory speech and present their personal views on the topics of the Economy for the Common Good. The following individuals were invited to participate: Bernd Lange, MEP for the SPD, Chairman of the EU Trade Committee; Sebastian Walter, Member of the Brandenburg State Parliament and parliamentary group leader and spokesperson for economic policy for The Left Party; Werner Schweizer, Mayor of Schleswig Holstein from the CDU; Prof. Dr. Lars Castellucci, Member of the Bundestag and spokesperson for migration/integration for the SPD; and Katharina Beck, spokesperson for financial policy for the Greens in the Bundestag. Beck: ‘It was a wonderful summit at the atmospheric Stober estate. The economy of the future is oriented towards the common good.’

The global ECOnGOOD movement began in Vienna in 2010 and is based on the ideas of Austrian publicist Christian Felber. ECOnGOOD sees itself as a pioneer for social change towards responsible, cooperative coexistence within the framework of ethical economic activity. Success is not primarily measured by financial indicators, but by the common good product for an economy, the ECOnGOOD balance sheet for companies and the ECOnGOOD audit for investments. The movement currently has 11,000 supporters worldwide, around 5,000 members in over 170 regional groups, 35 ECG associations, over 1,000 certified companies and other organisations, almost 60 municipalities and cities, and 200 Universities around the world are spreading, implementing and further developing the vision of ECOnGOOD.

A chair for the Economy for the Common Good was established at the University of Valencia in 2017, the Cooperative for the Common Good launched a common good account in Austria in 2019, and in autumn 2020, the first three cities in the district of Höxter (Germany) were assessed for their common good balance. The International ECG Association, based in Hamburg, has been in existence since the end of 2018. In 2015, the EU Economic and Social Committee adopted a self-initiated opinion on the ECG with an 86 per cent majority and recommended its implementation in the EU.

Questions about the Economy for the Common Good Germany | Press and public relations: Sibylle Reuter press-germany@ecogood.org

At the 2019 conference of companies reporting on their public welfare balance sheets in Berlin-Brandenburg, the idea was launched to create a network aimed at strengthening lively, solidarity-based cooperation between all companies reporting on their public welfare balance sheets in Berlin-Brandenburg. In May 2020 – at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis – the idea became more important than ever, and the network Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Unternehmen Berlin-Brandenburg e. V. (Common Good Economy Companies Berlin-Brandenburg) was founded and was able to begin its work with the help of funding from the Berlin Senate Administration.