Sandvik participates in development of new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Olof Faxander, Sandvik’s President and CEO, discussed the role played by the business community in sustainable development with ministers and other business leaders at the second annual status meeting of the Sida network Swedish Leadership for Sustainable Development (SLSD).
The second annual status meeting for the Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) network Swedish Leadership for Sustainable Development (SLSD) was held on 28 May 2015.
SLSD is a network formed in 2013 comprising some 20 leading companies with Swedish connections, including Sandvik, Boliden, Elekta, Ericsson, H&M, IKEA, Indiska, Löfbergs, Tele2, Ratos, SKF, SPP, Systembolaget and Volvo, as well as the organizations Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and Stockholm Resilience Center (SRC), who together with Sida are working for sustainable global development and to reduce poverty in the world.
The second annual status meeting started with a discussion among some 15 CEOs and business leaders from the network’s members as well as the Minister for International Development Cooperation Isabella Lövin and the Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg concerning the role of the business community in sustainable development and the significance of Swedish leadership to inclusive and sustainable business models.
The meeting continued by addressing the network’s activities since its inception in May 2013, the results achieved, lessons learned and its goals and milestones moving forward.
“We are a global company with operations in just over 130 countries that impact, and are impacted by, the outside world. Sustainable business models and integration of sustainability are essential for profitable and responsible business operations and are decisive if we are to effectively maximize our contribution to sustainable development,” commented Olof Faxander. “The network has provided us with the opportunity to conduct global advocacy activities and to participate in joint learning and the exchange of knowledge.”
A tangible result of the network’s activities is a joint commitment ahead of the preparation of the new global Sustainable Development Goals, which will be adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2015.
“Through our work in this project, we have been able to exert an influence on such organizations as the United Nations, which is unusual and a fantastic opportunity for us. We can reach out with our message to new and existing stakeholders at the same time as we can take joint action with other Swedish companies that share our values,” continued Olof Faxander.
The meeting concluded with round-table discussions between a handful of CEOs from the network and the Swedish business daily Dagens industri concerning the role of the business community in sustainable development. In parallel, an interactive discussion took place among SLSD network representatives in front of an audience about the part played by the business community in the development agenda.