An evening of focus on SME's and sustainability

At another event with our long-time partner Företagarna, Beyond Intent joined a discussion on how to start your journey in sustainability as a SME (small or medium enterprise).

Knowing where to start, how to conduct a materiality analysis and plan what to do next to propel your company towards successful sustainability work can be difficult. Thanks to the community at Företagarna we have been able to support SMEs in Sweden for a while now and we were happy to do so once again by following up our November seminar with a workshop yesterday! We had a great time as always and were happy to share and exchange insights with businesses who want to kick-start their corporate sustainability journey.

Although it may seem like a daunting challenge, knowing that you are not alone and coming together with others to learn is an excellent way to stay inspired and on track!

Beyond Intent gästar Geopodden, igen

Den 13 mars publicerades ett nytt avsnitt av Geopodden där Beyond Intent medverkade. Den här gången handlade avsnittet om ekonomiska perspektiv på den geopolitiska utvecklingen i världen.

Globaliseringen ledde till dramatiska förändringar i världsekonomin. Mellan 1990 och 2020 växte världshandelns värde ca 10 gånger, och ökande handel ritade om den politiska och ekonomiska kartan. Men det hackar i trenden mot större globalisering. Pandemin, flaskhalsar i handeln, kriget i Ukraina och kraftiga utbudschocker på energi och livsmedel har snabbat på förändringen i andra riktningar. Tillsammans med Andreas von der Heide och Elin Doverborg på Consilio International pratar vi om regionaliseringen av världsekonomin, om Kinas och Rysslands roll, om omvandlingstrycket i energisektorn, om tillväxtproblematiken i Västvärlden och i Afrika och Latinamerika, samt några ord om vad som kan vänta i framtiden.

Läs gärna mer om vårt samarbete med Consilio här!

Beyond Intent gästar Geopodden

Vi lever i en brytningstid på många sätt vilket gör det särskilt angeläget att zooma ut och reflektera. Genom att lägga olika raster på frågorna kommer vi en bit på vägen för att förstå hur det som händer idag påverkar olika aktörer framöver och hur saker hänger ihop.

Nyligen fick vi möjlighet att diskutera geopolitik och hållbarhet med Andreas von der Heide och Elin Doverborg på Consilio i deras fenomenala Geopodden. Vi samarbetar ofta i det här gränslandet, om exempelvis klimatomställningens påverkan på behov av råvaror som väcker geopolitiska-, säkerhetspolitiska- och hållbarhetsfrågeställningar. Tillsammans försöker vi tydliggöra vilka risker och möjligheter olika alternativ medför på sätt som förhoppningsvis kan bidra till att fatta långsiktigt kloka beslut.

Läs gärna mer om vårt samarbete med Consilio här!

New year - new standards for sustainability reporting

The new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will place greater requirements on companies in terms of sustainability reporting, transparency, and traceability. The objective is to increase comparability between different companies and for more companies to be included under the mandatory requirements of sustainability reporting.

To be compliant with the CSRD, a mandatory sustainability reporting standard, the European Sustainability Reporting Standard (ESRS) should be followed. The ESRS is currently under development and describes what must be reported, which methods must be used for data collection and how to publish the report.

The new requirements will gradually affect a greater number of companies. Being prepared to meet them will be key to face the competition on an increasingly competitive market. We recommend turning this into an opportunity, not only to ensure compliance but also to make sustainability part of the company’s value creation, business and operations.

Choosing to see the new requirements as a business opportunity and integrate sustainability into your business is to establish that your company is ready for the future. Do you want to take your business to the next level and be able to demonstrate to investors, customers, and co-workers that your company is sustainable? Do you need help to ensure that you are ready to meet the new requirements set out in the CSRD? Or do you simply want to learn more about what the increased requirements will mean for your company?

We have many years of experience of successfully supporting Swedish companies in accelerating their work in sustainability and strategy and we are ready to help you move beyond intent.

Read about how we work or contact us if you want to know more about how we can help you achieve your sustainability ambitions.

How to get started - seminar with Företagarna

On the 16th November, Beyond Intent attended a seminar hosted by our long-time partner Företagarna. We shared our thoughts on getting started with integrating sustainability into a business with several Swedish companies in the audience. We had a wonderful time and were happy to exchange insights and experiences with businesses who want to accelerate their work on corporate sustainability.

Some of the points that we highlighted were:

• Remember to acknowledge what you are already doing right!

Many Swedish businesses already perform above average in terms of sustainability. They are just not aware of it because they call those activities something else!

• Learn from others!

You are surrounded by peers in your network that may be in a similar position or have been recently. Learn from other businesses and use the numerous resources that are available to move forward.

• Remember the long-term perspective!

Sustainability is all about value, impact and profit over time. Remember that running a sustainable business is not a sprint but a marathon so plan accordingly and consider it as an investment.

And most of all…

• Sustainability is your business!

As a small or medium business you are an important actor in society with both the power and responsibility to contribute to a sustainable future in your own way.

If you want to learn more about what you can do as a small business, read more about our collaboration with Företagarna and their Hållbarhetsportalen. And try out our ASSET Quick Scan here.

Beyond Intent and Läkarmissionen - a partnership for future generations

It is easy to understand that joint efforts are required to achieve sustainable global development and a fair climate transition; business, politics, and civil society need to come together.

Despite that, obstacles are often created, and prejudices get in the way of mutually enriching collaborations. We at Beyond Intent have spent the last 15 years creating forums, translating language barriers, and building bridges to overcome these difficulties. We have learned a lot and continue to listen and broaden our networks.

One example is our collaboration with Läkarmissionen (LM International), where we work together to ensure that particularly vulnerable children in developing countries have access to a good education. By making the digital learning platform Binogi available, the children increase their opportunities to develop their potential and the communities where they live.

Beyond Intent, Solvatten and Läkarmissionen at Hässelby Slott, Stockholm (28 October 2022).

Binogi is a digital learning platform based on interactive quizzes and videos with roughly 1.3 million users around the world. Learn more about Binogi here.

Business and sustainability - know what you've got to understand what you need

There are some things we keep coming back to in our work with corporate sustainability, one such thing is that many companies are already doing great things in terms of sustainability.

We recently completed an assignment where this became clear. A medium-sized company in the construction sector turned to us for support in getting started with its sustainability work. When we started talking to owners, employees, and customers, we discovered that a lot of sustainable practices are already in place. Admittedly, these have not been referred to as “sustainability”, but there were clear ambitions and efforts for employees, climate, and business ethics. It was clear to us why it looked that way. The company was built on long-term thinking, quarterly results stood back for an ambition to be profitable for the next generation. Therefore, sustainability and business benefit were closely linked. Need we add that the company is also vastly profitable?

Integrating sustainability into your business model might seem daunting and sometimes an outside perspective is needed to learn how to move forward. Read more about our work within in this area here.

Or simply contact us to learn more!

Risk Management and Sustainability at the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries Conference

While the EU and its member countries are increasing demands on sustainability reporting for companies in the region, we sometimes forget that this also affects the rest of the world that interact with Europe.

Beyond Intent was recently invited as a speaker to a conference for the most prominent business leaders in Zimbabwe to address the issue. We presented our CBI index, developed with our partners at Consilio International, that displays country risk levels and spoke about how industry can navigate through risk management in an international expansion or global operations. As always, we learn extensively from interacting with international peers, business in Zimbabwe can teach us a lot about risk management. And although it was a digital meeting, it was a delight to be back in Zimbabwe.

Explore the new and updated sustainability guide for Företagarna!

Beyond Intent has collaborated with the largest business organisation in Sweden, the Swedish Federation of Business Owners, Företagarna, since 2015. We have produced joint reports on small- and medium sized companies and sustainability where we have analysed the companies’ approach, attitudes, and ambitions regarding sustainability. The data and insights from the companies’ have been valuable in our work with individual companies as well as to develop our tools.

Beyond Intent has developed practical support for small, and medium-sized companies that is available on the Företagarna website. It includes practical tools, guides, suggested reading and more. The material is useful for companies that are starting their journey towards sustainability as well as companies with more experience.

We recently updated the material and suggest that you check it out here!

Beyond Intent is growing!

Beyond Intent is in an expansive phase with many inspiring new partners and clients. And a new colleague!

Kajsa Hallberg is a formidable engine with excellent judgement and a wonderful sense of humour. Her background is in international relations and development, and she is specialised in climate change. Kajsa has previously studied and worked in England and Uganda. She has recently joined Beyond Intent with one goal in mind – making the world just a bit more sustainable! 

We are excited to have you on board!

Binogi in the Kenyan Education Cloud

Binogi is available to all Kenyan Secondary School students through the Kenya Education Cloud (KEC). KEC is the official portal for approved interactive digital content published by the Kenya Institute for Curriculum Development, a Government agency under the Ministry for Education.

Visit kec.ac.ke to learn more