SACC Sustainability Committee Update
Since the beginning of the year, sustainability has been in focus for SACC and after almost ten months into the year, the work carried out by the committee has begun to take shape and gain momentum. The interest among the Swedish companies has been great and today we have about ten companies that are involved and contribute to the committee’s work.
The vision of taking a leadership role in advancing sustainability actions in Australia has grown stronger and increased knowledge of how both Australia and Sweden work with these important issues have been highlighted with the help of several guest speakers resulting in fruitful discussions.
In recent months, the committee has also conducted several online events, including an online event together with the Embassy of Sweden Canberra.
On September 7, the Embassy of Sweden and the committee arranged an online event about roadmaps for fossil free competitiveness with Svante Axelsson, National Coordinator of Fossil Free Sweden in conversation with David Leitch Principal ITK Services Australia & Author at RenewEconomy and industry representatives from the Swedish Construction and Civil Engineering sector and the Swedish Recycling sector.
Another successful event was the SACC Virtual Executive Forum on September 14, with the keynote speaker Rob Gell AM, Environmental Geographer, Founder and Director of ReThink Sustainability. Rob gave an outlook on global sustainability trends and what will drive change in the term ‘business as usual’ and what trends will impact Australia. The session also included interactive discussions with the participants giving them the opportunity to ask questions.
For the next committee event, on 19 October at 5 pm AEDT, we will focus on Sustainable Transport. As one of the largest contributors of CO2 emissions within the transportation sector in Australia, the electrification of commercial vehicle fleets, including trucks and buses, provides an excellent opportunity for Australia to reduce its environmental impact. Due to its rapid uptake of electric bus and truck technology, Sweden provides an excellent reference point from which the Australian transportation sector can learn, in order to move towards a greener and more sustainable future.
- What are the key trends in Sweden?
- What are the emerging trends and opportunities in Australia?
- What are the barriers to the adoption of electric trucks and buses?
- What technologies are available today and in the future?
The following panellists will share their insights, also making reference to where electric truck and bus technology has been successfully implemented in Sweden and Australia.
- Stefan Widlund, City Mobility Director, Volvo Buses, Gothenburg Sweden
- Sean Stove, Transport Segment Lead, ABB Australia
- Paul Illmer, Vice President Emerging Technology Business Development, Volvo Australia
If you are interested in joining this free online event REGISTER HERE.
With the solid foundation created by the committee, we will continue our work within the sustainability arena and through external communication, we will share knowledge, best practices and sustainability strategies with organisations and the Australian audience.
If you would like to find out more about the SACC Sustainability Committee please contact Committee Chair Carin Varverud Härdin or SACC General Manager Camilla Jennings.
