Top 3 Insights from Nordic Sustainability Expo

We had the opportunity to exhibit at the Nordic Sustainability Expo and it proved to be an insightful event. Our interactions with companies and other stakeholders provided us with valuable takeaways, and we would like to share the top three insights we gained from this gathering.

• Take away #1: Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) challenges businesses
  One recurring topic of discussion was the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will come into effect from the fiscal year 2024 and impact sustainability reporting obligations starting in 2025. The requirements for reporting are set to become more comprehensive, and an additional reporting standard, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), will be introduced. A notable aspect of CSRD is the need for materiality assessments to find out how important specific environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are to the business. Based on our observations, we believe that the SDG Impact Assessment Tool can serve as a valuable starting point for initial mapping and overarching analysis in this work.
• Take away #2: Circular Economy – a hot topic
  Circularity emerged as a prominent theme throughout the presentations on one of the two stages. The discussions highlighted the growing recognition of circularity as a critical driver of sustainable business practices and its potential to create positive environmental and economic impacts.
• Take away #3: Value Chains & Sustainability
  Another key area of focus was value chains. This subject resonated with us, for example given our involvement in projects such as Mistra Carbon Exit. The discussions emphasised the importance of understanding and optimising value chains to enhance sustainability performance. By assessing and addressing SDG impacts across the entire value chain, businesses can identify areas for improvement and implement strategies that promote sustainability throughout their operations.

Participating in the Nordic Sustainability Expo was a valuable experience that provided us with a widened understanding of business needs and priorities. We also got verification on our view that the SDG Impact Assessment Tool can be useful to a wide range of businesses, both to get started with sustainability reporting and when evaluating sustainability in value chains.

By: Nina Silow