"Engaging employees in your sustainability strategy – that is not deep tech, that is communication," says CEO at Chooose, Andreas Slettvoll. Photo by Gina Grieg Riisnæs
Frontrunners on sustainability
For The Future of Technology and Sustainability conference, our panel of frontrunners discussed their immediate action towards sustainability and their best advice for business leaders.
Here, Andreas Slettvoll, founder and chief executive officer at Chooose (left) shared the enthusiasm of Mette Fossum, who is director global communications, government and corporate social responsibility at REMA 1000 (middle) and Gry Rohde Nordhus, nordic vice president communications and government affairs at Siemens (right).
This train is moving really fast
Andreas argues that sustainability is a megatrend driven by the emergence of a new generation. Today, more than 40 percent of the world's population is below 25 years of age according to The World Bank. Aligning our businesses to this change in expectations simply starts with communication.
"Taking initial action does not have to be super complicated or technology- based. You can engage employees in your sustainability strategy without reinventing the wheel every time. Engaging employees – that is not deep tech, that is communication."
Instead, we are eating the world for breakfast
Every year, Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) marks the time where humanity's resource consumption exceeds what can be reproduced in a year. 30 years ago, this was in balance. While this year, western consumption took us across the finish line at record time - August 1st.
Mette Fossum at REMA 1000 highlights that sustainable consumption comes from making it really simple: "The customer is the most important thing to focus on. Make it simple for them to make sustainable choices across your daily operations. It should be a focus throughout your whole value chain, not just in the CSR department." Her final encouragement is simple. "Start now. Just do it."
Actionable take-aways
Opportunities arise when you share your knowledge about technology. Gry Rohde Nordhus tells the story of how Siemens developed the world's first electric car ferry here in Norway, reducing fuel cost by 60 percent. The technical dialogue they had with stakeholders led to regulatory improvements, and now, all ferries of the future will be electric.
When asked for her top three pieces of advice, Gry recommends that leaders
- Set a target and make sure that every employee understands your vision
- Make sustainability part of your core business
- Always engage with people to share your knowledge
Ready to take advantage of current megatrends?
Join the first movers of your industry for an early-bird advantage at https://reg.obforum.no/. Tickets are now available for our brand new conference, Digital Leadership: April 4th, 2019.
Text: Emil Anker Wiik