Annemarie Meisling

🤨🇩🇪Did you know that 79% of German decision-makers agree that Danish companies can offer products and solutions that support #sustainable #production across the #agri #food value chain? 🌎🌱🌍 May 27, 2-3 PM, you can join a webinar covering the German market, enabling Danish #agriculture and food companies to tailor their marketing strategies to German export. You will gain: ✅The newest developments for #export to Germany ✅German consumer trends ✅German image perceptions of Denmark as a food nation You will meet; ➡️Martin Kristian Brauer from Landbrug & Fødevarer ➡️Tanja Asmussen from The Trade Council of Denmark in Germany … and my self 😉 from Food Nation Denmark 🤗 Register for the webinar today: https://shorturl.at/ZQLzB Gain more insights from the German market in the report: https://shorturl.at/69uBx

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What levers actually change food systems? We know more about the relationships between fungi and bacteria underground impacting food systems than we know about the relationships among human actors that can drive change in food systems. As part of a panel (with Susanne Padel & Kirstine Hartvig Mahler) on bringing together science and practice I shared what I think is missing in research on organic food & farming. This was part of the Organic Food Quality & Health conference in Copenhagen, covering about everything outside of specifically agricultural research: https://lnkd.in/d9usXr9b The key themes were great: ➡Impact of organic farming and processing for nutrient density ➡Organic Districts ➡Consumption, markets and value chains ➡Public procurement of organic food ➡Organic as part of transition to healthy diets ➡Organic policies ➡True Cost Accounting Speaking on behalf of IFOAM - Organics International, and sharing my own views, I shared what’s missing. Most importantly, research into the primary levers of food systems change—levers that actually makes things happen!: 💡 What critical elements make political ecosystems more positive towards organic policy? (What collaborations, alliances, approaches, stakeholder platforms…….) There is no research today that can explain why some nations develop broad organic policy frameworks, and others have none. 💡 What critical elements make market ecosystems work for organic success? There is no significant research today that can explain why organic market development has been so strong in countries like Denmark, and not in others. That’s a problem. 💡What critical elements make the farming ecosystem more positive towards organic farming? What motivates farmers to transition to organics? 💡 Finally, we have to go back 20 years to find much research on organic organizations. Yet organic associations are key catalysts in the above three ecosystems and levers of change. So why not study them? We need to document and spread best practices in all of these areas! We also need more research in: 💡 Nutrient density specific to organic. 💡 Organic entrepreneurship as a driver for organic food & farming, particularly among women & youth in the global south. 💡 Models for integration of outcomes metrics into organic certification as basis for company ESG reporting, including approaches combining practice-guarantees like organic as science-based proxies for outcomes. 💡 Models for true cost accounting elements to create more level playing fields in the market e.g. fees on pesticides & synthetic nitrogen, lower VAT. 💡 Research on effective strategies for market access for smallholder farmers, particularly in the global south (Participatory Guarantee Systems, grower group models, cooperatives). 💡 We also need greater coordination and capacity building in organic research globally and greater interaction with organic sector actors about research needs in efforts like TP Organics. Photo: Coop Danmark

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The circular economy can: ✔️Ensure efficient raw material use ✔️Stop climate change & biodiversity loss ✔️Reduce pollution It's also a major business opportunity👍 However, good examples of the circular economy business models and robust case studies are needed. Read more ⬇️

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♻HOW DO YOU INTEGRATE CIRCULARITY IN PRODUCT INNOVATION? ♻ That’s the question we’ll try to answer in collaboration with Danfoss on October 10 at 09.00-11.30 CET in Industriens Hus – and I’m super excited! Circularity in product innovation is a critical approach that not only reduces waste but also maximizes resource efficiency, driving economic value while protecting the environment. So, there are plenty of reasons to get it right. By rethinking how products are designed, used, and recycled, circularity offers a transformative path toward a more sustainable future. At the meeting you will be introduced to Danfoss’ new framework for product innovation and discuss with peers how to best integrate circular economy principles into product development processes. Sounds interesting? Drop me an e-mail (follow the link below) to request an invitation. Seats are limited, and we will prioritize sustainability professionals, ideally circularity experts, from large Danish companies. Thanks to Lina Psarra and Frances Iris L. for putting this topic on our radars. Read more on our event page: https://lnkd.in/dBWP76EN #circularity #productinnovation #SBTi #netzero

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"Biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and natural resource shortages will be among the top five global risks in the coming decade. Circularity is a major enabler for combating the decline of species and ecosystems." As the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF starts today, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra published a list of leading European companies that are at the forefront of applying circular economy principles. Explore it here: https://lnkd.in/e_yRQysp Four key sectors are responsible for the majority of current biodiversity loss linked to the change in the use of land for harvesting and extraction practices: food and agriculture; buildings and construction; fibres and textiles; and forestry. Sitra has also published a comprehensive handbook for businesses aiming to integrate circular business models into their operations to effectively address biodiversity loss. Here is the link: https://lnkd.in/eQvHKR3D I'm convinced that many startups embracing circularity as a business opportunity will be successful - and we need to support them with time, talent, treasure and ties. #biodiversity #circularity #startups #innovation

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Biodiversity preservation is such a complex issue that COP16 finished before finishing the agenda items (a further meeting will likely be needed later in the year) - but not before a breakthrough agreement in the new Cali Fund, which was agreed to hold contributions from pharmaceutical, agricultural and other companies benefitting from digital genetic information. The proposed charges (1% of profit or 0.1% of revenue) are just the beginning. As environmental deterioration accelerates, we should expect more substantial and binding changes to global regulations. The message is clear: prepare for previously unthinkable changes and start planning now! https://lnkd.in/erWujh7c

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Every year, CH-Polymers Oy has summer workers in Raisio and Kaipiainen. As a rule, the summer workers are over 18 years old, because people under 18 are not allowed to do exactly the same work and under the same working conditions. 🙂 This summer in Raisio, 17 year old young man with a lot of enthusiasm worked as a summer worker.  This was not only in the way he worked, but also in the way he greeted and communicated. Offering summer work to under- 18 years of age is particularly important because it serves as a first contact with the world of work and builds young people's self-confidence and responsibility in a safe environment. 🙌 💼 The work experience gained at a young age gives concrete lessons on how to turn theory into practice. Summer jobs help young people identify their strengths and interests, which will help them make better career choices in the future.🎯💡 It is a great opportunity for companies to bring new energy and new perspectives into the workplace. Employing young people helps them to become independent and to understand the importance of responsible work.👏✅

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A cavernous bunker, deep under the permafrost, holds the past and the future of our agriculture – and thus, the past and the future of our food. And there is great news about this place:   The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is why Geoff Hawtin and Cary Fowler received this year’s World Food Prize – for being “instrumental” in the vault’s establishment, according to the World Food Prize Foundation's press release announcing the winners. Why is it important to store backups from more than a million seed samples for food plants like wheat, potatoes, chickpeas or baobab? Two reasons stand out to me:   1️⃣ It’s a safety net in case a preferred variety of a food plant is failing. Organizing storage for many different seeds might even stop the trend of a shrinking diversity in crop seeds. And in terms of solutions, seeds are essential: Keeping a large variety of, say, different kinds of wheat at hand means that failing crops might be replaced. On top of that, the seed vault provides opportunities to shift towards seeds from very dry or very wet regions. That might help in places where climate change takes out harvest after harvest.   2️⃣ The seed vault might inspire an expansion of the types of plants grown as food. Currently, only three crops – wheat, maize and rice – make up more than 40 percent of the calories people eat. Any problems with growing these plants will affect our food supply. So more crop biodiversity would increase food security - and public health. For instance, this could mean bringing back traditional African crops like cowpeas, cassava and millets, as Carey Fowley advocates according to a New York Times article. “Traditional” food comes with a long time for the plants to adapt to a region and create meaningful connections within a food system. These plants often enrich not only the bodies of those who eat them, but also the area’s soil in which they grow.   I’ve been experimenting with saving seeds from native flowers (not food plants) and reseeding them – the idea here is to get seeds from plants that are perfectly adapted to my yard. In other words: Plants that won’t create much work for me. 😎 So far, the results were mixed. I have successfully brought goldenrods and butterfly weeds to different parts of the yard and got all excited. This season, squirrels dug around the containers so much they destroyed all the little sprouts. Have you ever tried seed saving and reseeding?

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Leadership and Mental Health in the Workplace: A Necessary Evolution In recent years, a significant shift has been observed in how we approach and discuss mental health issues within professional settings. Leaders are increasingly called upon to manage aspects of human life that were once confined to the private or therapeutic sphere, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and personal crises like divorce or loss. The World Health Organization identifies mental health challenges, including stress and anxiety, as major global health concerns projected to impact societal wellbeing through 2030. This trend is echoed locally by the National Health Profile, which shows a decline in mental wellness across various demographic groups. Younger workers entering the workforce are particularly vocal and aware of their mental health needs, setting new expectations for leadership and workplace culture. This generational shift underscores a broader transformation where mental health issues are no longer seen as taboos but as integral aspects of our professional lives. Leaders face a critical challenge: to adapt and foster workplace environments that not only comply with legal standards but also offer genuine support and flexibility. This involves recognizing the role of work in providing structure and meaning, especially during turbulent times. As mental health concerns become more prevalent in the workplace, leaders must actively participate in creating supportive and adaptable environments. This is not only vital for maintaining workforce productivity but also for enhancing the overall wellbeing of employees and leaders alike. The message is clear: modern leadership must evolve to accommodate the real and often painful human experiences that employees bring to work, enabling them to find both support and meaning in their professional lives. Thank you Johanne Grant, PhD from Novo Nordisk Foundation and Cecilie Demkjær Schultz Pedersen from LEAD - enter next level for making this clear in this important opinion piece in Børsen. #leadership #mentalhealth

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Want to find out how well your portfolio or business aligns with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement? Then help develop the CDP-WWF Temperature Scoring Methodology by participating in the public consultation. Open now ’til June 22nd. This summer, WWF and CDP plan to launch an updated version of the methodology. To ensure it's robust and useful, we're inviting NGOs, academia, data providers, regulators, financial institutions and other businesses and stakeholders, globally and from all sectors to participate in a public consultation to inform key updates to the methodology. Launched in 2020, The CDP-WWF Temperature Scoring Methodology is the basis of an open-source tool that business and financial institutions can freely use to measure Paris Agreement alignment and set climate targets, for example, under the Science Based Targets initiative. The method is also implemented by data providers such as Bloomberg, Clarity AI, and ICE for their implied temperature rise solutions. Find out more and join the consultation here: https://lnkd.in/gNRi7X3u #climate #ParisAgreement #finance #business #ESG #ESGInvesting #ITR #netzero #naturepositive

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Yes, negative electricity prices have been real throughout the summer, at least here in Finland. How about your region? Check Spotlight on how this interplays with other future developments: https://lnkd.in/dFx3f8aH #future #foresight #strategicforesight #energy #electricityprices #renewables

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Business challenges and sustainability opportunities Listening to great seminar organised by the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce: How to deal with challenges and opportunities that ESG may lead to. Catharina Belfrage Sahlstrand, Claes Berglund and Malin Speace answer questions from the moderator Marianne Ramel on EU Sustainability regulations. The winners are those companies that seasing the opportunities and mitigate risks. The American approach have been very successful to support green investments. The EU regulative model has been critisised by industry to be detailed. However difficult to implement tax deductions as in the EU as in US since member states decides on taxes. And the single market will not work if countries in the EU will compete against each other with massive tax deductions. After Brexit there are small differences between the UK and Swedish companies implementing ESG risks as investors. 80 procent is the same in approach from the EU and the UK. EU is doing a whole package legislation and the UK is more focusing on one legislation at the time. The time line is extremely relevant for business implementation. Most of emissions are for many huge corporations 99 percent from clients, men thus a huge challenge. You need therefor to work closely with the clients. Advice to companies in green transaction: Understand your value chain and the Impacts on your business in detail. Don’t go to fast and talk to stakeholders since the adoptation to the Paris agreement goes to slow. Companies has to pave way forward, show leadership for the greater good of the society. We need to be more competive in the EU and the UK and at the same time not deregegulate and be less ambitous. The most inportant is that consumers and voters understand that we have to pat more for climate change. Has to be more profitable to make the right thing for companies. Poluter pays principle-based regulation. Christina Liljeström Marianne Ramel 玛雅 Rebecca Ehn

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take a minute are you part of building a better tomorrow? we are by undertaking a massive industrial green revolution in northern Sweden large industries are paving the way for a zero-carbon lifestyle creating carbon-free transportation using hydrogen as an enabler for decarbonization finding new processes for steelmaking utilizing green resources to develop sustainable businesses and exploring space-based innovation through this, we want to inspire innovation spark a transformation across the globe this isn't just an industrial shift but a major societal change and it all revolves around people at the core we are mining, refining, and producing the building blocks of a fossil-free society and the core needs people people need a place to live space to play and a thriving community people need a society from ports to biking routes from contractors to schools from conference facilities to bakeries the road ahead means scaling every piece between the core and the people and to do it fast all at once but do we have the power, the people, the purse to really make it happen? to be honest we can't make it happen ourselves but we know this if we shift perspective new things will emerge hidden in this journey of building sustainable societies are countless opportunities for innovators, entrepreneurs and people so, we ask you again are you part of building a better tomorrow? we are 🎬 by Invest in Norrbotten on the magnitude of the green transition happening right now in northern Sweden. Don't miss it.

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The UiO - Sustainable Health Unit (SUSTAINIT) at the Det medisinske fakultet UiO, has been invited to guest-edit a topic collection for The BMJ Public Health on Rational Sustainability Perspectives in Public Health. 💡 This Topic Collection aims to transcend a buzzword approach by fostering rational strategies to accomplish the SDGs within the field of public health. The economist Alex Edmans (2024) has proposed the concept of "Rational Sustainability" as an alternative to the somewhat politicized and technocratic practice of adhering to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria in business. "Rational," in his terminology, denotes an approach that acknowledges diminishing returns and trade-offs. It is rooted in evidence and analysis and aims to prevent irrational sustainability bubbles. Similarly, we define "rational" broadly, encompassing both data- and theory-based justifications, recognizing the diverse rationalities that encompass scientific as well as community-driven perspectives. We invite contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics: 🔹 Monitoring and Evaluation, including effect assessment of sustainable public health interventions. 🔹 Legal and Political Frameworks of sustainability interventions in public health. 🔹 Paradoxes and Trade-offs between sustainability concerns in public health. 🔹 Philosophical Foundations and underlying principles of sustainability in public health interventions. 🔹 Community Perspectives on sustainability in public health. Submissions Open | Submission Deadline: 18th April 2025 More information at the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/dyDmb_Ku

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Jonas Kjellberg knows how to fire you up about building a sustainable future. Damn. (And his no bullsh*t take has a scary parallel with work.) At NORNORM and Worldfavor’s breakfast event this week, the discussions were about circular economies, how it works in practice, and how to fuel sustainable actions. And Jonas’ keynote was like a shot between the eyes. → Shifting to circular economies will be more disruptive than AI and personal computing → It’s a fundamental rethinking of business and how we value it → Businesses in the future should be taxed on net value creation – not net income His last point got me thinking about Seth Godin’s take on incentives. Today’s linear “take-make-dispose” business model hasn’t changed because the entire system still sees planetary resources as “free”. No one pays a cost to release carbon. Or dump chemicals into waterways. Or create huge amounts of waste. Seth says: if you priced a good or service based on the true cost – like flying a private jet – it would be 100s of times more expensive. Because the cost of flying a private jet: → Is not just pilot + plane + gas → It’s pilot + plane + gas + carbon emissions released + the cost of extreme weather events, higher healthcare costs, etc. We’ve normalised pushing the “real costs” onto society – and ok’d an economic system that lets the wealthy or companies matter more than the rest of us. And there’s a scary parallel here with the world of work. We’ve got the same “extraction” model with employment. Extract value from an employee, asking them to sacrifice their physical/mental health, free time, quality of life. But all the company pays is a salary. It’s the employee itself and society as a whole that pays the true cost of extracting value out of the workforce (healthcare costs from burnout, absence from work because of mental health, etc.) So what if we took Jonas’ advice – and shifted to a model of employment that incentivises value-creation instead? → Create value for employees: give more than you get, put employees first, make organisational changes to adopt healthier ways of working → They will create value for customers → Which creates value for the company Thanks Josefin Ilic, Johan Lindström, Taina Flink, Alisa Mick and SOPKÖKET - för den goda s(m)akens skull for a great morning!

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Deepening our #Nordic #sustainability credentials, Deliberate PR is now working for Sweden's Lignin Industries AB, a #startup offering a viable means of ending humanity’s reliance on fossil fuel-based plastics. #Sweden's latest #greentech game changer has developed a patented method of transforming lignin, the second most abundant organic material on Earth (an organic polymer, most commonly found in trees, and typically discarded and burned in paper and pulp mills), into truly renewable, circular bioplastics. To mark Lignin Industries emergence from stealth mode after half a decade of R&D, Deliberate PR arranged for leading UK news title The Independent to be the first international media to visit the startup’s factory near #Stockholm. In the resulting article, contextualising quotes are provided by CEO Fredrik Malmfors and co-founder, Christopher Carrick (who serves as CTO). https://lnkd.in/dx-5UFxw Christopher's father, Dick Carrick, the long-term owner of Domsjö Fabriker AB (acquired by Aditya Birla Group) is chair of Lignin Industries. He is joined on the board by leading Swedish industrialist, Giovanni Fili, founder and CEO of deeptech scaleup, Exeger, creator of the Powerfoyle solar cell, which is capable of delivering near-endless charge when integrated within consumer electronics. ((SVID, Swedish Industrial Design Foundation; Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK; British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce; The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce - New York; Sting; Business Sweden; Invest Stockholm; Stockholm Business Region; KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Silicon Vikings ) #lignin #paper #wood #recycling #plastic

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🌍 Significant Milestone in Climate Litigation: Supreme Court Grants Review to Aurora’s Case 🌍 It marks a crucial victory for the youth organization Aurora in their groundbreaking lawsuit against the Swedish state for inadequate climate policies that threaten human rights. The Supreme Court’s decision to grant a hearing to this case is a pivotal moment in climate litigation. This development is not just about environmental action but could underscore the robustness of swedens legal system in addressing new legal challenges. The relationship between national courts and the European Court of Human Rights is instrumental in shaping how human rights are integrated into climate actions. And I believe that the recent developments at the European Court of Human Rights are the main reason why the hearing is granted. Drawing from my own experiences participating in a moot court competition (ECoHR)during university, I understand the complexities involved in such cases. This background gives me a deeper appreciation of the significance of this decision and the sophisticated legal arguments that will likely ensue. As we await further proceedings, this case could set a vital precedent for how environmental issues are treated under human rights law not only in Sweden but in Europe and perhaps even globally. #ClimateChange #HumanRights #LegalPrecedent #EnvironmentalLaw #Aurora

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I would like to endorse Peter's concluding sentence in his post below: "Don't get stuck in the forest! The main climate contribution of trees is outside the forest through wood-based products". The European Commission has proposed an ambitious GHG emissions target of 90 per cent by 2040. The newly elected European Parliament will in due course discuss and vote on this - hopefully in support. To achieve this target will involve a combination of emission reductions, achieved by burning less fossil fuel, and an increase in removals, involving storing more carbon. The only up and running, tried and tested, affordable and scalable 'technology' to do this by 2040 is via growing nature based construction materials such as timber that can safely store colossal amounts of carbon in the built environment. See the work of Prof John Schellnhuber https://lnkd.in/eNHNyKYF This is why the work Peter & his colleagues around the world are doing is so important. That work being to create "A new international ISO standard [that] aims to lay out how to calculate the overall greenhouse gas dynamics of wood and wood-based products".  If the significant role that wood products can play in tackling climate breakdown is new to you or you would like more detail - set out in an accessible way for the general reader - then 'Timber! How wood can help save us from climate breakdown' is the book for you. Published next week it is available at https://lnkd.in/e4BCZ6Kb or in North America via https://lnkd.in/e5zptbv5

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🎤 "Investments are needed to realize a Greenlandic mining adventure!" - says minister of mining in Kalaallit Nunaat (#Greenland), Naaja H. Nathanielsen, in an article in Børsen (in Danish only). ❗This goes without saying, and there are nuances to this headline (and that's why you should read the article and others related). Today there are more and more demands to sustainable mining (which is the right way to go). However, we can't have sustainable mining and high ESG standards without being willing to pay more to get it and develop it. Sustainability in mining doesn't come at a discount. And that's the underlying mesage in this article. 📢 In this article Minister Nathanielsen shouts out to the European Commission (and indirectly the European Investment Bank (EIB) and other related EU and investment bodies) with that particular message and two ideas: (1) that the EU introduces minimum prices on minerals and/or (2) that the EU establishes a fund for green transition, where companies can apply for some of the critical stages in sustainable mining. Word! #sustainablemining #greentransition #Greenland #EU https://lnkd.in/dPTPsYvq

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