e live in a market economy where what gets measured gets done, and where anything with an extra cost tends to be avoided. In these times of rapid change, societies, companies and people need to adapt to a low-carbon lifestyle if we are to succeed in jointly reaching the Paris agreement and secure global warming under 1,5 C. Who will be in the driving seat making this transition?
What we want to see is an innovative business community driving this change.
From a Swedish perspective, there are several innovative business projects tackling the challenge of avoiding GHG emissions. HYBRIT, a cooperation between SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall, and H2 Green Steel are two business initiatives aiming at carbon-free steel production. Volvo Group, another large industry player with Swedish roots, has already ordered fossil-free steel from SSAB for their future machines and vehicles. And in northern Sweden, the company Northvolt is building the largest battery plant in Europe, all powered by renewable energy. These next generation batteries are developed in close cooperation with customers such as BMW and Epiroc. And batteries are from the start designed for recycling and reuse, turning a value chain into a value cycle!
In this ongoing transition, we are seeing more frequent co-operations between multiple stakeholders, often coming from several different countries, cultures and industry sectors. In establishing close and fruitful co-operations, diplomacy and dialogue is key.
Here, industry leaders have lots to learn from diplomats. Because, in order to take a company on the journey to becoming a low-carbon business, communication with all stakeholders is key. Current customers need to understand what you offer, and the market at large needs to know your new position. Employee engagement will create pride and ignite further development, and dialogue with owners and financial markets can secure funding and stability going forward.
In communicating this transition, we see three key qualities for industry leaders: Honesty, integrity and the ability to listen. These qualities are also essential for building trust in a changing market.
Honesty – tell it as it is, do not pretend that the first step is the final one, let us know what your outstanding problems are.
Integrity – focus on what really matters, act now to get emissions down, and communicate that action, not only your future 2030 goals.
And listen – to all your stakeholders, to learn and adapt.
By keeping to these three key qualities, companies would avoid so-called greenwashing – making something appear greener/better than it is, and in doing so misleading the customer. They would also avoid green hushing – not daring to say anything about progress until all is done. Speed is of essence – and stakeholders want to follow the progress over time.
At We Don't Have Time we have started giving climate crisis presentations to corporate decision makers in order to give them the awareness and insight to act on these pressing issues. The interest to participate in these webinars has been far greater than we expected, and this we find very reassuring.
We are also enabling online climate dialogues with companies to make more voices heard and to spread improvements and solutions on a global scale. Stakeholders can give climate love to good initiatives, climate warning to bad ones and share ideas on how to speed up the transition. Others can agree to – and share – these climate reviews, and companies are encouraged to respond. Many of them, even multinational corporate giants, choose to do so.
The users of this online dialogue are already champions regarding lifestyle with low climate impact – forerunners in new market behavior.
Today is World Environment Day, a day for encouraging worldwide action to protect our environment. But this is not enough. Not even close. From now on, we need every day to be World Environment Day. If we want to have the slightest chance of solving the climate crisis in time, we need real action now. In all parts of society. And business needs to lead the transition, by avoiding climate risks and seizing climate opportunities.
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How Industry Leaders Can Combat Climate Change
Photo by AdobeStock.
June 5, 2021
We need every day to be World Environment Day.
W
e live in a market economy where what gets measured gets done, and where anything with an extra cost tends to be avoided. In these times of rapid change, societies, companies and people need to adapt to a low-carbon lifestyle if we are to succeed in jointly reaching the Paris agreement and secure global warming under 1,5 C. Who will be in the driving seat making this transition?
What we want to see is an innovative business community driving this change.
From a Swedish perspective, there are several innovative business projects tackling the challenge of avoiding GHG emissions. HYBRIT, a cooperation between SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall, and H2 Green Steel are two business initiatives aiming at carbon-free steel production. Volvo Group, another large industry player with Swedish roots, has already ordered fossil-free steel from SSAB for their future machines and vehicles. And in northern Sweden, the company Northvolt is building the largest battery plant in Europe, all powered by renewable energy. These next generation batteries are developed in close cooperation with customers such as BMW and Epiroc. And batteries are from the start designed for recycling and reuse, turning a value chain into a value cycle!
In this ongoing transition, we are seeing more frequent co-operations between multiple stakeholders, often coming from several different countries, cultures and industry sectors. In establishing close and fruitful co-operations, diplomacy and dialogue is key.
Here, industry leaders have lots to learn from diplomats. Because, in order to take a company on the journey to becoming a low-carbon business, communication with all stakeholders is key. Current customers need to understand what you offer, and the market at large needs to know your new position. Employee engagement will create pride and ignite further development, and dialogue with owners and financial markets can secure funding and stability going forward.
In communicating this transition, we see three key qualities for industry leaders: Honesty, integrity and the ability to listen. These qualities are also essential for building trust in a changing market.
Honesty – tell it as it is, do not pretend that the first step is the final one, let us know what your outstanding problems are.
Integrity – focus on what really matters, act now to get emissions down, and communicate that action, not only your future 2030 goals.
And listen – to all your stakeholders, to learn and adapt.
By keeping to these three key qualities, companies would avoid so-called greenwashing – making something appear greener/better than it is, and in doing so misleading the customer. They would also avoid green hushing – not daring to say anything about progress until all is done. Speed is of essence – and stakeholders want to follow the progress over time.
At We Don't Have Time we have started giving climate crisis presentations to corporate decision makers in order to give them the awareness and insight to act on these pressing issues. The interest to participate in these webinars has been far greater than we expected, and this we find very reassuring.
We are also enabling online climate dialogues with companies to make more voices heard and to spread improvements and solutions on a global scale. Stakeholders can give climate love to good initiatives, climate warning to bad ones and share ideas on how to speed up the transition. Others can agree to – and share – these climate reviews, and companies are encouraged to respond. Many of them, even multinational corporate giants, choose to do so.
The users of this online dialogue are already champions regarding lifestyle with low climate impact – forerunners in new market behavior.
Today is World Environment Day, a day for encouraging worldwide action to protect our environment. But this is not enough. Not even close. From now on, we need every day to be World Environment Day. If we want to have the slightest chance of solving the climate crisis in time, we need real action now. In all parts of society. And business needs to lead the transition, by avoiding climate risks and seizing climate opportunities.
