Sustainable Business: Corporate Sustainable Responsibility

Businesses are realizing the need for sustainability policies. I'd like to think they establish these out of personal convictions or out of the goodness of their hearts, but the fact remains that business is based on supply and demand. Maybe some of the pioneers had a ideological reason for establishing the first businesses with social and/or environmental policies, but the truth is that there now is financial gain to be found in this.

Consumers are clearly becoming preferential to products that have been produced in a sustainable manner. While the financial aspects such as pricing are still very important, we can see that there are very few companies are now lacking corporate social responsibility policies.

In Sweden I remember quite a few public scandals caused by companies that were behaving in an immoral way. In this example it was focused more on the social rather than the environmental aspects, but there are certainly examples of every sort in most countries. A big scandal in Sweden was related to the international clothes chain, H&M. Evidence of sweat shops and child workers was presented in the media. This occurred not at H&M but at their supplier, but the public did not care and put the full resposibility in the arms of the clothes chain. H&M have since put in great efforts to repair their image and have improved greatly. They are now the proud owners of a CSR policy called "Conscious".

While the business sector almost by definition is creasing our natural resources (how else can they create a supply to consumer demand?), there is a positive trend to try to rectify or even reverse this. However, we must be careful not to fa ll in the trap of labelling and marketing. We must have mechanisms in place to regulate this type of CSR branding to make sure it is more than just words.

Case Study: Iron Extraction in Kiruna - Relocating a City

Kiruna, a city in northern Sweden was founded around the iron industry. The city has been literally founded on the mining industry and it has been its major source of income.

However, more recently a new iron ore has been found just under the city. As extensive mining has a already taken place, the state is concerned about risk of collapse. What have they decided is the best solution to the problem? Let's move the city!

Years of debate have slowed down this project. The local inhabitants are used to being dependenton this  industry and consider this an important project. However, they are unhappy with the prospect of moving their city to the location reserved for them. There is widespread recognition of an "historical trauma", but the plans will go ahead.

It is not yet clear who will pick up the tab for this lavish project, which will have to be a collaboration between all local partners. There are the obvious costs of the move, but there is also talk of paying indemnities to the local inhabitants.

What is surprising is the lack of discussion of the ecological consequences of this. Sustainability is considered only with regard to the well being of the local inhabitants, but there is alarmingly little debate about the pollution this will cause in the area. Just because there has always been extensive iron mining in this area, doesn't mean that further extension doesn't have further ecological impact.

It's interesting to see that a country such as Sweden, which prides itself on "being green" and climate awareness, forgets this as soon as there is money to be made. Another thing to consider is that this awareness is clustering in metropolitan areas and that a small city in the north, such as Kiruna, is more concerned with their financial sustainability than anything else. We're not even talking about extreme poverty in this case, as the large majority has food, a roof over their head and a generally comfortable lifestyle. Does poverty make unsustainable? Is money more important than our natural and social environments?

We can make all the money in the world, but if we continue to destroy our planet, none of us will have anywhere to live.

Sustainable Business: Consumer Awareness and Demand

Many argue that it is costly to be socially or environmentally sustainable, particularly for businesses, but consumers are becoming more and more aware. As we are witnessing the results of global climate change more intensively in our daily lives, we are starting to become more aware and more active in this area. It is a shame, but we really do believe it when we see it. Despite scientific evidence, we react much more strongly to real life experience.

Scientists have researched this for many years and climate science has been referring to our period as the "anthropocene" for a reason; this is a time of such abnormal climatic change that it must be due to human intervention. Though this research has multiplied over time, there are still many non-believers out there. Various conferences between nations have started to discuss this issue, which in turn have provided more financial support for science in this area. Where is this coming from?

The Climate Conference in Durban 2011 was a turning point as it received more publicity and debated a few controversial topics. The most controversial discussion was probably that of climate refugees. Many of the smaller pacific islands such as Kiribati will be flooded if global warming continues at the rate it is currently going and continuously increasing the global ocean levels. They requested refugee status, seeking refuge in neighboring Australia and New Zealand. This is a very controversial issue as it would require not only recognizing human induced climate change and the resulting rise in sea levels, but also that this poses a real threat to civilisations. It will involve creating and recognizing a new category of refugee; a climate refugee. This is turn will have new political consequences.

While I'd like to believe people are interested in science and up to date on the latest politics, I believe the biggest influence in climate awareness has been that of the daily life. For one, this conference brought attention to the fact that normal people will be impacted by this. People could lose not only quality of life, but even their homes and even countries. No matter that we are talking about relatively small countries in both area and population, the gravity of this situation has shocked people to awareness.

Not only does climate change threaten this specific area, we are seeing the effects of this more and more across the globe. While there is no certain proof yet of the connection to tectonic events such as earth quakes and tsunamis, there is already a suspicion that this is related. It is relatively certain however, that the climatic catastrophes of hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes and typhoons are becoming more and more frequent as well as more powerful. Droughts and floods are also becoming more frequent and more severe. This is an eye opener for us all and forcing us to rethink our habits and lifestyles. It is costing us too much to continue in the same manner

Consumers are starting to think more about sustainability issues and business is reflecting this. It is more common for businesses to have a sustainability policy of some sort as sustainability is becoming more profitable, resulting in a better market for conscious consumers. This is not infallible as many aspects are still lacking or insufficient, but it is a general positive trend that is making sustainable production more profitable and more common.

Places to See Before You Die: Reindeer Racing in Kautokeino, Norway

While reindeer seems like a very Christmassy theme to most, this is an event that takes place in Easter in Kautokeino. Kautokeino is a little Sami town in the North of Norway which holds Reindeer Racing Championships every Easter. I lived in these regions, so I might take a few things for granted. I am by no means an expert in Sami culture, but growing up in Northern Norway, you are clearly more exposed and knowledgeable about this culture than someone who has never visited the arctic.

 The Sami are a nomadic people living in the arctic in the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland. They are indigenous to Scandinavia and speak a Uralic language. Their main livelihood is reindeer-herding, something that is legally protected and reserved only for them in many regions in the Nordics. They have very distinct and beautiful, brightly colored traditional dress and live in a

temporary tent-like dwelling called a Lavvo. It is truly a unique cultural experience, which will for a brief moment include you in the life of a remarkable people.

You might be fooled by the concept of Easter, but in this area of our globe, there is plenty of frost and snow still at this time, so bring your winter jacket, scarves and gloves. The race takes place in the center of the town, collecting a nice little gathering of people. You can also visit a Lavvo and taste traditional Sami food. It might surprise you, but much of this food is often very simple and reindeer-based.

The race is in a small open plain in the center. The participants are behind the reindeer, either on skis or on a sled, holding reins to "control" the reindeer. Most of these won't make it to the finish line. Most of the time the reindeer does as it wants and people either fall on their butts before making it very far, or the reindeer runs of in a different direction. For the reindeer that chose to follow their own path, people on snowmobiles follow and track down participants. However, rumor has it many people get lost every year, some never to be seen again...

Carbon Footprint of Nations

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Food for Thought - Pareto's Law

The bottom line of Pareto's law is that 80% of the world's resources go to 20% of the world's population. While his theories started in economics, this can be applied to all phasets of life. 20% of the world consume 80% of the world's energy, 20% of a country's population is using 80% of its resources, etc. I believe you could scale it down even to an individual level - 20% of your time is consuming 80% of whichever input you wish to measure. Maybe we should be not only more efficient with our resources, but also more efficient with our time. Cut out all the unnecessary extras and distractions, it could save us time resources and money.

Measure your carbon footprint, become conscious. As they say in recovery programs; realization is the first step on the road to recovery.

Dicy Dishes: Horsemeat Lasagne

The horsemeat found in some premade lasagne was probably the biggest food scandal of the year. Many were shocked and it has made it clearer than ever that we don't really know what is in the food we buy, particularly prepared food.

There have been many documentaries and reportages on the ingredients in our food and how we are increasingly being fooled to buy things that are not as they seem. Horsemeat instead of beef, adding oil or water  - sometimes simply air - to push down the costs as far as possible and to lure the buyer to buy something for double its worth.

The horsemeat scandal turned out to be partially accidental as the trickery was done in an early stage by a supplier, meaning no one knew further down the line. Or at least so they claim. Assuming this is true, it is all the more frightening. We are importing food from unknown sources and there are so many suppliers and producers along the way that we no longer know what is in the end product.

I read an interesting article "Risky Meals" on how we import more food and become less self sufficient. Meanwhile, the countries experiencing insuffiency restrict their exports as they try to continue to nourish their people. There is a clear problem of distribution of resources, particularly food products. These are being redistributed through all kinds of imports and exports, but without any substantial monitoring and supervision. While there are more and more laws and policies regulating these exchanges, this remains an issue difficult to oversee.

The article is calling for a mapping where food comes from and where it goes. This could bring insight in the strong and weak points in our production versus consumption habits. Hopefully it can also cut out many unnecessary transports and provide incentive to improve local production. One thing is certain, if we continue down this same road, the export and import networks will only extend and become more complex and less transparent.

Polar Bear humor

Conscious Christmas: Gifts and Presents

Christmas is a time of coming together and thinking of others, but often the presents we choose are the results of unsustainable practices. Without going into detail, there are clear economical costs in the production of more or less all consumable goods, but even the eventual disposal of these comes with consequences. We see more and more that materials used in the production are harmful not only to our natural environments, but even to us humans. However, social issues are still insufficiently considered when we shop. How do we know that that sweater we bought was not made by children in a sweat shop? Or if that child's toy was produced under fair conditions and without toxic materials?

There are various labels and brands now that certify specific ecological or social conditions. These are very important, not just as an indicator to us as the consumer, but also as an awareness campaign amongst consumers, producers and sellers worldwide. These brands are spreading and creating a very positive influence on the various parties in production as well as the consumers.  However, that said, there are limits to these.

Firstly, there are many different brands, but most of these tend to focus on either ecological/biological issues OR social issues. While I am of the firm belief that they are interconnected and not separable, few combine the two categories. Therefore you must choose if you care about the future of our natural planet or of the people in it. This can be a difficult choice to make. On the bright side, you have plenty of choice in this category and you can find a more mainstream gift if that is what you are looking for.

Another issue is that in order to create an official label, you will have to set official standards. Official standards must in turn have specific definitions and delimitations. There are plenty of scientific or non-scientific literature out there discussing the pros and cons of this so I will not go further into the details of that, but suffice to say that things are complex and imperfect even if you chose all your purchases carefully after branding.

If you want to take your gift giving to another more level, you can chose to make your own gifts. This is often both more ecological, socially just (you know that you treated yourself well, after all) and even economically sustainable (for you). You can find plenty of ways to recycle your material and create a sustainable piece of art to offer to a loved on.

However, if you are like me and you are not artistically gifted, you will find it very difficult to be artsy crafty in a time known for time pressure. You can either stick with the conscious branding or you have some alternatives for those who are of a more altruistic nature. You can make a donation to a good cause in their name. There are also possibilities to adopt an endangered animal (for example through WWF) or be a Child sponsor (offered by Save the Children). Or why not buy UNICEF products? I am mentioning the organizations most known in my region in Europe, but there are plenty of others to choose from. Unfortunately, you are most likely going to have to chose between social or environmental issues also in this case.

There are however organizations that see the links between the social and the environmental issues and that are aware that the poor are the most exposed to environmental problems and disasters (I am not by any means saying the interactions between social and environmental issues are limited to this). An example that I know is COTAP.org where you can buy carbon credits. A unique gift under the Christmas tree.

What are your thoughts on the examples mentioned above?
Do you have other (better?) ideas?