2020 has been a year where sustainability issues have been high on the global agenda. When the Sustainability Day at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Business School was held for the fifth time, Sandra Sundbäck from Paper Province and the County Governor of Värmland, Georg Andrén, among others, spoke of the challenges that we are facing.
Martin Grimberg Löfgren, head of ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Business School, held the opening speech.
- The aim of our annual sustainability day is to focus on the sustainable development goals and how we can work to implement them. ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Business School offers courses in, among other things, social sustainability and business ethics at different levels – undergraduate level, Master’s level and doctoral level. The courses are closely linked to the research conducted at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Business School and take a multidisciplinary approach.
Mikael Johnson, senior lecturer and programme co-ordinator in business administration, spoke about the course Sustainable Business and Leadership, which focuses on the idea that economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability cannot be separated, and about the role of management and the governance of organisations in making operations more sustainable.
- An important part of our courses and programmes is how business administration can contribute to sustainable development. We address the importance of urgency and that changes in core values, leadership and business ethics create an understanding that economic decisions have social and environmental consequences.
A keynote speaker was the County Governor of Värmland, Georg Andrén, who has previously worked as the Swedish ambassador in Guatemala, among other places.
- The current pandemic challenges our planet and our ability to manage our society. It is important that we reflect on the global challenges that we are facing. The younger generation has raised their voice to the older generation and in this we can identify many new business models showing that there is a more sustainable way to go.
- The dynamics of society have changed considerably since I graduated from university and this dynamic is extremely important in addressing sustainability. In 2017, the economist and public speaker Kjell A. Nordström referred to Värmland as a ‘wasteland’ – I thank him for that since it has urged us to prove him wrong.
Sandra Sundbäck is CEO of Paper Province. With a broad background in communication and sustainability in various industries, she views collaboration as the main success factor in the transition to a sustainable future.
- Sustainability is the foundation of what we do at Paper Province and the global goals on the agenda for sustainable development are very important for us and the forest industry. Paper Province has decided to focus on four of the global goals in particular – gender equality; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; and responsible consumption and production.
- In order to achieve the aim of Agenda 2030 within the set time frame, it is important to integrate the selected goals in our day-to-day activities. For us, it is about creating a clear connection to the goals in our strategies, plans, targets, projects, communication and in the collaboration with our member companies. Together we are strong and when we join forces we have a greater chance of achieving the set goals.
