The Haga initiative wants to inspire the business community to increase the pace of climate change - significantly. 2022-12-17 The Haga initiative has started cooperation with Nordic Sustainability Expo 2023 and their knowledge to achieve a profitable business life without climate impact, is a valuable addition among the 2023 exhibitors and speakers. We had a chat with general secretary Nina Ekelund. What is the Haga initiative's mission? - The Haga initiative is a business network that brings together companies that are committed to reducing their climate impact, with the vision of achieving a profitable business life without climate impact. The strategy is to set targets in line with the 1.5 degree target and every decade halve its climate impact. We want to show that the business world is part of the solution in the climate transition and that it is possible to cope with the transition if the companies are involved at the same time that politics contributes with ambitious, long-term and predictable rules of the game, explains Nina. The Haga initiative includes Axfood, Coca-Cola, Europacific Partners, Folksam, Stockholm Exergi, JM, Lantmännen, Löfbergs, McDonald's Sweden, HKScan Sweden, Preem, Stena Recycling, Sveaskog and Swedbank. How do you work to achieve the goals? - Our member companies demonstrate that active climate responsibility provides clear financial benefits. Therefore, the Haga initiative wants to inspire other companies to tighten their emission targets and to report their climate work openly and transparently through annual climate accounts. The way forward for the Haga initiative is to engage companies from various industries in the business world and demonstrate the connection between ambitious climate strategies and increased profitability. The companies in the Haga initiative annually produce a joint climate statement in which the companies' goals, climate impact and measures to achieve the goals are reported. In addition to the climate financial statements, the companies continuously share inspiration and positive examples of how the companies have changed and examples of new circular business models. - We continuously examine how the companies in Sweden contribute with reduced emissions, for example by examining how many of the large companies on the stock exchange halve their climate impact or what level of ambition the 20 largest emitters in Sweden have. In order to meet the climate goals and for business to be able to contribute to the climate transition, we develop proposals for policy instruments, we have 31 proposals for policy in the report Omtag för klimatpolitiken, says Nina. Why have you chosen to start cooperation with Nordic Sustainability Expo? - We must solve acute planetary crises such as the climate crisis, and for that to happen the pace must increase. In order to meet the 1.5 degree target, the ambitions must be at least 5-fold. We have to exchange ideas with each other, collaborate in the value chain, see how the business benefits can be scaled up and be inspired by the latest technology, which is why we participate in the Haga initiative at NSE, says Nina Ekelund, general secretary of the Haga initiative.