Since 2020, the global COVID-19 crisis has been exposing numerous shortcomings in society and the global economy. In Germany, for example, archaic work structures prevail in parts of the food industry; other industry sectors blame COVID-19 for their long standing crises, thereby deliberately diverting attention from existing structural deficits and missed opportunities. Now is the time to examine and expose (mis)developments in order to understand the current global situation. A collective desire for attuned development goals and social (value) orientation has become evident. Quality of life is challenging monetary wealth as the sole indicator of prosperity and individual satisfaction. Today, people accept change, if it secures health, promotes new working environments, and achieves climate goals. Consequently, the “old” growth paradigm, based on maximizing individual benefit, is ready to be replaced by a new paradigm that maximizes societal benefit. Solidary action paves the way towards sustainability.

Not to learn form a crisis is not to understand the crisis! Corona offers us an opportunity to rethink and reset. Can we utilize the pandemic experiences to increase dynamics in realizing the 17 UN-Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or ensure that we achieve them at all? We, a group of 26 experts from society, science, and politics discussed this issue in a three-day workshop in October 2021. We consider the following six jointly developed demands essential steps to leave behind a world worth living in.