A very Nordic attitude towards sustainability
Greetings from Oslo.
This week, I have been traveling in the Nordics, returning to one of my favourite parts of the world to meet clients and friends in Sweden and Norway.
Whilst the UK and the rest of Europe enjoy the last of the summer sun on their holiday travels, clients up here are returning to work after taking the month of July (and a little more) as their annual scheduled leave.
I come from America and have spent my entire career in London. With such an “Anglo-Saxon” background, it still amazes me how fortunate – and sensible – many of our European neighbours are to take a ‘no excuses’ attitude to holidays. We aren’t short of holidays in the UK, but we tend to choose a week or two here and there that doesn’t clash with colleagues and/or school. Europe, especially the Nordics, prefer to ‘set and forget’ an out-of-office for a period each year in near-unison.
You might think that there would be some negative consequences to the entire financial and professional services industry logging off for 4 weeks. But, the countries continue to function incredibly well. Judging purely by outcomes, it’s well known that the Nordic countries enjoy some of the highest attainment in economic success, wellness, happiness, fertility, etc etc.
As other countries trial new working practices (eg 4 day work week, etc), I wonder if the “take July off” approach to holidays will start to become more popular outside of this region. (I also wonder if the startups in the region can afford to do the same thing, or if it’s only those employed at larger firms.) While we can’t go quite as far as that at Origin (yet), we do offer all of our employees 8 weeks to “work from anywhere” which is incredibly popular.
Sunshine and sustainability
Another element of Nordic culture that I both admire and have become more aware of in the past few days is this part of the world’s attitude toward sustainability.
Having traveled quite a bit here over the last decade, it’s always been a hot topic, but this trip reminded me what a significant theme it is for citizens and businesses alike. It’s literally plastered on every water fountain in the airport, in every hotel lobby, in taxi cabs… everywhere.
You hear it mentioned in conversation, too, and I’ve learned from many people how the Swedes, for example, are more likely to holiday at home in Sweden or take a train around Europe, rather than fly to a far-flung destination.
A deep sense of purpose
The attitude of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden toward sustainability transcends holiday habits. These nations are leaders in sustainability due to a combo of progressive leadership, innovative policymaking, and entrenched cultural values.
On my travels this week, I picked up a number of interesting data points that show the impact that this way of thinking is having. For example, 62% of all new cars sold in Sweden over the last year were either plug-in hybrids (21%) or full electric (41%). Further, around 60% of Sweden's national energy supply comes from renewables, and the government recently moved its target from "100% renewable” to "100% fossil-free" electricity, which it hopes will deliver net zero emissions by 2045. Today, Norway is even more impressive, with a reported 98% of its electricity generated by renewable sources, primarily hydropower.
As a result, the Nordics have some of the world’s lowest carbon footprints per capita, high levels of green-urban planning (with priority given to biking, walking, and public transport in major cities), super high recycling rates, and an education system that prioritises environmental education, fostering a culture of sustainability amongst the population from a young age.
It’s awesome – and, as said, on this trip, it’s been cool to hear first-hand the importance that it placed on themes. Sadly, these themes at home in the UK, and in other parts of Europe and the US, seem to be only becoming more politically charged and divisive.
Hope from UK tech
Putting the bad news aside, there was a super exciting story this week for sustainability in the UK as a wind-powered containership set out on its maiden voyage.
Pyxis Ocean, chartered by US shipping giant Cargill, was powered by British-made sails, dubbed ‘WindWings,’ which measure 37 metres in height. It was amazing to see that the technology had been developed by UK firm, BAR Technologies, a firm that was spun out of Sir Ben Ainslie's 2017 America's Cup sailing team.
As cargo ships are such a huge source of global emissions, this seems like an obvious (and great-looking!) way to reduce emissions (and, I’d imagine, cost) by harnessing nature and tech that is centuries old. It’s an optimistic illustration of how sometimes the solution to what seems like an intractable problem can be found if smart minds think outside of the box.
When we talk about sustainability, a lot needs to be done, practically and politically, in the UK if we are to keep pace with our Nordic cousins. But we do have a chance if we think innovatively. By harnessing the creativity and power of UK technology, there’s no reason why we can’t make great waves of our own over the coming years and decades. Pyxis Ocean is a fine example.
