Commitment is the key to successful sustainability work
XANO’s ambition is to become a leading player in respect of sustainability. But where is the Group now, and what does the road ahead look like when it comes to achieving the ambitious goals relating to environment, people and the economy?
“There is an underlying awareness and a growing level of commitment, both at management level and in XANO’s subsidiaries. As a result, we find ourselves in a favourable position where we can make use of this drive and come together around a common working method with ambitious goals. Within the next few years, we will be making major strides on our way to creating a real impression and becoming a leading player in the field of sustainability,” says Marilyn Lindh, Chief Sustainability Officer at XANO.
Not just in theory
Sustainable business has long been an area of focus for the Group. This means that sustainability aspects have held a prominent position in the strategic work that has been carried out. In this way, good conditions have been created for the companies to act.
“The subsidiaries have drawn up individual sustainability plans based on their own, specific circumstances. As part of this process, they have analysed where they have most impact, which has led to both increased awareness and understanding as well as greater knowledge. And sustainability is no longer just an idea. Some companies have developed their own solutions, for example in order to reduce material and energy consumption,” continues Marilyn.
Find focus and link to the business
The next step is to find focus in the sustainability work and link it to the business.
“Our aim now is to narrow our focus and identify what is most important. We need to know where we currently have the greatest impact, both positive and negative. In order to succeed with this, we need to test and analyse various scenarios. Once we have found our focus, we have to link it to the business and identify the opportunities that exist in this integration. This is the main challenge, yet at the same time the obvious way of preserving our drive,” considers Marilyn.
Commitment is built from within
The key to conducting successful sustainability work is to build commitment from within the individual organisation.
“In an entrepreneur-driven environment like ours, it is only natural to want to ensure profitability in the sustainable transition. The commercial aspect is therefore an important building block for drive and commitment. We have to make the smartest choices that generate business and profitability, at the same time as having a positive impact on the planet and on people,” says Marilyn.
Basic security is a precondition in the ongoing work. Knowledge about why the work needs to be carried out, and in what way, has to be firmly established within the organisation.
“Insecurity is often the reason for people not committing and doing more. We therefore need a broad understanding of where we are starting from and what we need to do. We get this by determining where we are at the moment and what the ongoing sustainability work entails, both for our companies and for each individual employee. Knowledge eliminates insecurity, and this in turn gives us the confidence to dare to do things,” says Marilyn.
Important partnerships
Several examples of partnerships can be seen within the subsidiaries, where sustainable solutions are developed in close cooperation with customers. One of these is CIM’s “The white liner project”.
“Investments and cash flow are challenges in the relationship between customer and supplier. We therefore need to work together, just as in the example with CIM, in order to achieve the most sustainable solutions. The partnership offers the opportunity to make a mutual, long-term commitment. We carry out development and testing until we have worked out how best to handle the task. This benefits everyone – us, the customer and the planet,” considers Marilyn.
A long-term perspective
The sustainability work is conducted with a long-term perspective, where the environment, people and the economy are dependent on each other and work together.
“The environment, people and the economy are connected and affect each other in many different ways. In the long term, the planet comes first – without the planet, there are no resources for neither people nor businesses. At the same time, we also need to be profitable, because without money we cannot exert influence where required. When we find our focus and integrate it fully in our business, it has positive effects. I am confident about the future,” concludes Marilyn.