Turning Sustainable Development into Practice – How Finnish Companies are incorporating sustainable development into their business
AmCham Finland, in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN, the Consulate General of Finland in New York and the Ministry of the Environment of Finland organized an event “Sustainable development – a business advantage” on Monday, September 28th 2015. The event celebrated the launch of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and underlined the key role of the private sector in the implementation of the new Agenda. In the event a group of Finnish companies from different industrial sectors discussed about the best practices in promoting sustainable development. In addition, the Finnish National Commission for Sustainable Development presented its unique tool – the Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development (Commitment2050) – that helps in turning abstract goals and targets into tangible actions.
Minister for foreign trade and development of Finland, Ms. Lenita Toivakka gave an opening speech where she pointed out the critical role of business in promoting sustainable development. Toivakka, having an entrepreneurial background, reflected on the role of governments in encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices. Governments would need to e.g. set the right policies and economic incentives, phase out unsustainable subsidies, and promote the right sustainable technologies. Governments would also need to create an enabling environment which encourages the reorientation of privately owned resources and investments in the direction of sustainability.
World and business need various mechanisms, global and national, to implement the Agenda 2030. Executive Director Lise Kingo presented United Nations Global Compact initiative, which is one is the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative with over 8,000 corporate participants in over 150 countries. Annika Lindblom, Director for International Sustainable Development in the Ministry of the Environment and the Secretary General of the National Commission for Sustainable Development, presented the Society’s Commitment to Sustainable development (Commitment 2050). It is a new tool to concretize sustainable development and engage a large variety of actors in the implementation and promotion of sustainable development. The Agenda 2030 represents huge challenges but at the same time provides great opportunities, also for Finnish companies. The Government finds the private sector not only a source of investment, but an agent of change.
In Finland, business organizations have been well represented in sustainable development partnerships and many companies have found the Commitment 2050 as a useful instrument. According to companies, it makes sustainable development concrete, creates marketing benefits and new clients, motivates their staff and opens up new networks. ”Commitment 2050 is above all a useful tool. It focuses our sustainability program and gives it clear targets as well as a way to measure and report our progress in reaching those targets. In short, it makes sustainability a part of our day-to-day business and decision-making. We believe corporate sustainability is not only the right thing to do, it's also good business", says Tommi Tervanen CEO for Kotipizza, a Finnish pizzeria chain with almost 270 restaurants around the country.
In the event Finnish companies presented their experiences on how to integrate sustainability into their core business and turn it into a business advantage. Enterprises also shared views on the Agenda 2030. Kati Ihamäki, VP, sustainable development for Finnair, summarized: "Best results in the promotion of sustainable development are achieved with the cooperation between companies, public sector and third sector. Finnish companies have traditionally carried well their environmental responsibilities, but as the new Agenda 2030 shows us, the issues of social responsibility are becoming more and more important."
Companies discussed about the implementation of the sustainable development agenda and pointed out some goals. “In Fortum, we see a clear transition towards solar economy where CO2 free renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar supported with balancing power such as hydro, will be the mainstream of growth. Another dominant trend is the increasing share of decentralized energy production," says Ulla Rehell, Vice President, Sustainability for Fortum Corporation. Nina Happonen, Vice President Sales Americas at Metsä Board, raised the significance of the forests and wood as renewable raw material and as an answer for environmental challenges that world is facing. Metsä Group offers unique knowhow in usage of wood, for example in manufacturing sustainable packaging materials. Henrik Erämetsä, Head of US Federal Affairs, from Neste Corporation, presented Neste's renewable fuel production. Neste is the leading producer of renewable diesel in the world and world's largest producer of renewable fuels from waste and residues.
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