Press Release
20 August 2019
Reykjavik, Iceland- The Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future, an alliance of the leaders of the Nordic region's leading businesses, met today with the Prime Ministers of the five Nordic countries to discuss a collaborative approach to addressing sustainability challenges.
The CEOs presented their vision for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goalsthrough greater public-private sector collaboration and the transition to purpose-driven business practices. The alliance will initially focus on climate action and diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The meetings formed part of the Nordic Council of Ministers'session held in Reykjavik, Iceland, this week.
Integrating the SDGs into business strategies
The CEOs are committed to integrating the SDGs into their business activities and decision-making, incorporating sustainability into their own policies and across their value chains.
Recognizing that the 2030 deadline for achieving the SDGs is fast approaching, the companies are in particular looking at strengthening their efforts within the areas of climate change and diversity and inclusion. This will include:
- Identifying scalable solutions across their value chains1 to accelerate reduction of emissions and collaborating on joint emission reduction efforts with other companies in the alliance.
- Strengthening reporting on diversity and inclusion, using the insights gained to share best practices across the region, and joining forces on actions to improve.
Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future was created in 2018 to inspire joint leadership and action towards delivery of the SDGs in the Nordic region. The industry leaders in the group represent companies that have collective annual revenues of more than EUR110 billion, directly employing more than 290,000 people around the world, with operations in 119 countries, serving hundreds of millions of citizens every day.
Companies represented in the group include Equinor, GSMA, Hydro, Íslandsbanki, Marel, Nokia, Posten Norge, SAS, Storebrand Group, Swedbank, Telenor Group, Telia Company, Vestas and Yara International.
Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri, who supports the initiative, said: "The Nordic nations are respected around the world for two things: business innovation and strong social systems. We can combine those two qualities through public-private partnerships, and, in doing so, meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. By working closely together, business and governments can harness the advances of the fourth industrial revolution to fight climate change and make workplaces more diverse. No less than the futures of our children and grandchildren are at stake - let's collaborate now and start solving those challenges."
To find out more, please visit: https://www.nordic-ceos.com/
ENDS
About Nokia
We create the technology to connect the world. We develop and deliver the industry's only end-to-end portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing that is available globally. Our customers include communications service providers whose combined networks support 6.1 billion subscriptions, as well as enterprises in the private and public sector that use our network portfolio to increase productivity and enrich lives.
Through our research teams, including the world-renowned Nokia Bell Labs, we are leading the world to adopt end-to-end 5G networks that are faster, more secure and capable of revolutionizing lives, economies and societies. Nokia adheres to the highest ethical business standards as we create technology with social purpose, quality and integrity.www.nokia.com
About the Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future
The Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future Initiative is a CEO-led initiative, launched in October 2018, aiming to drive progress on the SDGs through collaboration. Nordic companies are built on shared values of inclusion, equality and long-termism; these characteristics can help advance the collective efforts outlined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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1 Value chain refers to the full lifecycle of a product or process, including material sourcing, production, consumption and disposal/recycling processes.
