Sustainability Strategy Summit 2019: Event Summary

While sustainability remains a hot topic in business in Norway and abroad, it is often reduced to a communication effort or the marketing of a new product line. Although many companies are making valiant efforts in integrating sustainability into their strategy, accusations of greenwashing abound, and satisfying explanations of how companies can become sustainable while remaining profitable remain elusive.

The first-annual S-HUB Sustainability Strategy Summit sought to address these questions, and at present the latest research on the nexus of purpose, strategy and sustainability, several leading company examples, and be involved in interactive problem solving together with the other participants.

Below you will find a summary of the event hosted on  March 13 at Litteraturhuset.

More than 60 S-HUB members, friends and participants joined the first-annual Sustainability Strategy Summit.

Purpose as strategy – How do leading companies embrace purpose for a sustainable future?

“To realise purpose and sustainability you have to accommodate and integrate a broad spectrum of potentially conflicting agendas and take a holistic helicopter view.”

Micael Johnstone, Assistant Director, EY Beacon Institute 

"Don't expect purpose and sustainability to always be win-wins. To do the right thing, you may sometimes have to sacrifice profit and growth in the short-term!"

Adam Lowenstein, Trends Analyst, EY Beacon Institute

Presentation

Sustainability as practice. On sustainability champions and how they make change happen in their own organizations
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Erlend Aas Gulbrandsen, PhD candidate, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. 

“In our current situation, we must move from the pursuit of knowledge through hard science to unapologetically tinkering and experimenting in order to generate know-how in the field of sustainability.”

Erlend Aas Gulbrandsen, PhD candidate, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Presentation

What challenges do companies face when integrating sustainability in their strategies?

Kaj Török, Chief Sustainability Officer, Max Burgers

“Why do we have ‘a beef’ with our own beef, even though it’s our ‘cash cow’? Because it accounts for around 75% of our total emissions footprint.”

Kaj Török, Chief Reputation Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, MAX Burgers 

Presentation

“We experience a considerable perception gap regarding our sustainability performance. The corporate world recognizes our initiatives and leadership, but Norwegian consumers generally do not." 

​Ina Vikøren, Sustainability Manager Norway and Iceland, H&M.

Group discussions on applying new approaches to sustainability strategy to concrete case examples

Learnings from some of the event's participants. 

“Today underlined how broad sustainability is and encouraged me to just define some goals and make a start. We will look at the most relevant youth-focused SDGs, for us food and diversity.” -Jens Dalsegg, Head of Marketing, Vålerenga Fotball

“I’m inspired by how MAX Burger take into account the full scope of their carbon emissions. By assessing the whole supply chain they reveal the key sources of their footprint, which gives them business-critical insights.” -Alexander Bjørklund, Project Manager, Summa Equity

“I was most inspired by the dialogue on connecting sustainability and having a purpose, and what that entails. I will take a discussion topic back to my colleagues: We are a value-driven organization, but are we sustainable?” -Gunn Inger Røkke Ruud, TeamLeader Corporate Partnerships/ Donor Funding, Norwegian Church Aid

“Kavli is passionate about addressing sustainability and food waste. I’m currently working to integrate these elements into our business model and innovation processes.” -Karl Johan Ingvaldsen, Advisor, Kavli Norge