Elin Larsson

Sustainability Director, Management Team, Filippa K

Why did you choose to educate and train your colleagues? How does this fit into your sustainability strategy?

Knowledge creates engagement, but we also knew that sustainability could be an overwhelming subject. Where to begin, understanding the complex language around it, and tackling the many areas of concern can be almost frightening, so this kind of training was the logical solution. Raising awareness is crucial to create change, no matter which part of the eco system you address, and this course covers the full spectrum, creating awareness about all aspects of sustainability. I believe this quote from Sean Paul Sartre describes the effects of that very well, “Once we know and are aware, we are responsible for our action and our inaction. We can do something about it or ignore it. Either way, we are still responsible.”

How many colleagues from your company participated, and how did they respond overall to the education and training?

Forty colleagues from varying parts of our company have enrolled in SFA’s online course (The Sustainability Fundamentals) over the past two years, but we had several more participate in SFA’s live education before that.

What have the benefits of the training been?

Our team became very aware and inspired, and this was when we really started thinking outside the box in our everyday work and began seeing things from a new perspective. That is what this course does. It enables your teams to create new ideas and business opportunities. It is an empowering when you have several people thinking in new ways together, and great ideas grow in more creative, open environments.

What advice do you have for other companies planning to engage, educate or train their staff on sustainability topics?

Leadership means being bold enough to try out new things and stepping into the forefront— to show that there’s a way a new way of doing modern business successfully and sustainably. If you want to run your successful company in the future, you need to adopt to new conditions, so it’s crucial to take the lead and educate your staff, enabling them to develop and create a long term sustainable growth for your company.

What advice do you have for other companies now planning to get the most of the SFA sustainability fundamentals course and SFA’s services overall?

Enroll many colleagues at the same time. Create groups that can take the course together, because you’ll get more out of the training when doing it together. And make sure to allocate or set aside specific time for the training, otherwise it is easy to get lost in everyday work and miss out on the benefits.