Uncategorized Archives - Business With Impact

A guide to raising investment for sustainable startups

A guide to raising investment for sustainable startups – guest article by Robot Mascot Every company that is growing must overcome the hurdle of securing investment. However, for those in the sustainability space, this challenge comes with its own unique set of opportunities and pitfalls. The growing demand for sustainable products and practices has opened […]

Embracing a New Mindset: The Key to Sustainable Profitability for Manufacturing SMEs

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. For manufacturing SMEs, the challenge is not just to adopt sustainable practices but to integrate them in a way that drives profitability and long-term success. This requires a transformation of the mindset that almost everybody carries around as a product of […]

The Power of Curiosity and Continuous Learning

In our fast-paced world, staying curious and committed to learning is more important than ever. If you are not moving forward, you are actually moving backwards! Curiosity fuels our desire to explore, innovate, and grow. It pushes us to ask questions, seek new perspectives, and embrace the unknown. By continuously reading new books and listening […]

A branding window is open now!

Are you ready to utilize an amazing opportunity? Please note it is not for everyone – it is for those who are seriously committed to sustainability in their business. These companies have a massive opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in the next few years. This is one of the clear conclusions from the British […]

Climate change is a human rights issue

In a landmark decision last week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of a group of citizens that the right to a stable climate is a fundamental human necessity. The government of Switzerland thus lost the case and it shows that you have to deliver a decent effort in the battle against […]

Attracting Top Talent to Drive Sustainability Success

Sustainability is no longer just a “nice to have” or a buzzword. As we advance into 2024, integrating meaningful sustainability practices into your business strategy is crucial for success. This includes understanding that sustainability needs to be a key factor in attracting and retaining top talent for your company. Align Your Mission and Values As […]

It is all about the people!

The people you surround yourself with determines how far you want to get and how far you will get! Like it or not the people around you are your daily sounding board and we tend to calibrate our ambitions, what we believe is achievable and what actions we take based on them. So, choose your […]

89% want more action to tackle climate change

Ask 130.000 representative people from 125 counties about their support for actions to tackle the climate crisis and “only” 89% will tell you they want more action! That is what four scientists did and published as a peer-reviewed article in Nature. Quite interestingly the study also finds that people are ready to contribute personal income […]

Experts verdict: Sustainability is a value creator

Sustainability makes it easier to attract talent, create a strong brand, attract investors, improve operational excellence, improve organizational performance, build great partnerships and increase sales! These are some of the conclusions I can draw upon having done 7 of the 8 interviews for the upcoming season of my podcast “Green Business With Impact”. I have […]

This is NOT the peak of civilization…

The world I going to hell – plenty of people to tell you that. I take great comfort in knowing that this is NOT the peak of our civilization. And with this realization comes a different ease to investigating new ideas and suggesting change. As long as you don’t just cut back on the existing […]

Business for Good – the Success Formula Going Forward

There are huge opportunities for creating a competitive advantage for businesses that act on climate change now. The article highlights the importance of creating positive environmental impacts and rethinking business models, emphasizing that sustainability should be integrated into the core of business operations, not treated as a mere project. From a business perspective, climate change […]

What kind of leader are you?

It is a challenging time and one of the key things that is pushing the business world is the whole sustainability/ESG-agenda. I see that CEO’s can be segmented into four categories based on their response to the increasing sustainability-related crisis. Each has its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threads. What kind of leader are you? In […]

COP28 is not that important

Government leaders won’t safeguard the future of your children. That responsibility falls on you. In essence, that’s the takeaway from COP28. The event concluded with the usual modest advancements that fall short of addressing the magnitude of the crisis we’ve created. However, businesses hold the power to ignite transformative change, turning every innovative step into […]

Don’t think of a pink elephant!

For all intents and purposes, don’t think of a pink elephant! And yet, that’s what you have in mind now. Now what do you think happens when you constantly hear that climate is a big problem that is becoming expensive and requires having to do without several things? Yes, you guessed it – it is […]

It is not a timing issue

“The market isn’t ready for my green product” is what I hear many business leaders say. “There is a timing issue here,” they say. My response is that if this is your experience, then you are focused on the wrong things and have not connected sustainability to your business in the right way. If the […]

If only I could…

“If I can’t get this business sustainable, I don’t want it!” “It is a must for me to find a solution for this essential but problematic material in my company!” These are statements from current and former clients, and they tell the story of a painpoint I know many business owners/CEOs find themselves in. The […]

Sustainability in Manufacturing: A How-To Guide for Business Leaders

Expectations are on the rise for manufacturing companies to do more on sustainability. I often meet business owners and decision-makers who struggle to find out where to focus and how to get started in a smart way. Can it be good for the business apart from the branding opportunity? There are so many areas we […]

Food for thought….

💶 EU subsidizes fossil fuels with slightly more than €50bn annually (and it has been roughly the same at least since 2015). [Publication Office of the European Union]. According to the International Monetary Fund the same figure is $7 trillion on a global level. 🌡️ Fossil fuel is the root cause of climate change, resulting […]

The risk side of change is not changing!

Change can be daunting, and it is natural to feel hesitant when faced with the prospect of leaving behind familiar routines and patterns. However, there is a crucial aspect of change we often tend to overlook when discussing sustainability: the risk side of not changing. When debating the risks and opportunities in transitioning your business […]

1,5 seconds that changed life

We humans think we are calling the shots here on Earth and that we are superior to all other life. We are not – we are just part of the system along with all the other living things and creatures. If we adjust our self-image from “on top” to “part of” fixing the range of […]

Purpose-driven business rules

Many businesses donate a part of their profit to good causes. Also, it is common advice amongst business and wealth coaches to build a profitable business so you become rich, and then donate to a charity of your choice. But why the detour? I don’t get it…. The smarter way is to build a business […]

What can AI do to advance sustainability?

There is much talk about AI and especially ChatGPT these days. I have been thinking a bit about how these technologies can be put to work to advance and speed up our work on sustainability and can see several ways. But I figured I might as well just ask it and here is the answer: […]

5 reasons to bury the “we don’t have time for the climate now”- argument

As a business leader, I understand that change can be intimidating, and it can be easy to make excuses for why now may not be the right time to act on climate change. However, the truth is that now is the time for urgent action. For your business, yourself, your kids, and the world. If […]

You Are Sitting on a Goldmine

The marketplace today expects more and more from you. Better and greener products at a compatible price. It can seem like a daunting challenge. I’m here to tell you today that you are already sitting on a gold mine, and the challenge might appear bigger than it actually is. As a manufacturing company in northern […]

Launch: Free training program for impact entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs hold the key to creating many of the solutions that are needed to re-establish a world where people thrive as part of a stable, pleasant, and rich ecosystem. Entrepreneurship is a powerful tool, but like any tool, it needs direction and can be used for good or bad. I want to contribute to making […]

Make Sustainability Profitable

When done right, sustainability is a great driver for profit creation. On average, a manufacturing company in Denmark spends a bit more than half of all costs on raw materials and components. By comparison, less than a quarter is tied in salaries. I have not checked the statistics for other European countries, but given the […]

5 steps to a more profitable business

The competition is fierce in the marketplace, and everybody is looking for ways to get ahead. Use sustainability to get the edge and increase your sales, save money and get happier clients and employees. Imagine how much easier life will be with these three things in place. If you view sustainability as a technical discipline […]

The only sensible response to COP 27 as a human

ACT! Commit to just one meaningful change in your private and professional life and get started before the end of the month! Do it right and it will make your life better and your business more prosperous. We have far more to gain from the green transition than we stand to lose and still we […]

Sustainability Gives You Clients, Partners and Talent

When you seriously engage in sustainability, clients, partners, and talent come easy to you. This is a conclusion that I’ve seen unfold again and again for more than a decade, and the impact of such serious engagement in sustainability just keeps growing. But don’t just take my word for it. With my team, I’ve done […]

Resource efficiency is KING

We all know it. In the time of crisis, cash is king. Well, for a manufacturing company, there is a direct link between how resource efficient and how effective your use of resources is and money in the bank. Thus, what we really mean is: Resource efficiency is king. If you don’t have a resource […]

3 silly ideas business leaders tell themselves

We all have things we tell ourselves that are no good to us. They are often not even true and hinder our business success and personal achievements. But they are ingrained and need to be challenged for us to question them. Here are three that many business leaders suffer from and why they don’t hold […]

Why the time is now to speed up the green transition in your company

I hear many business leaders holding back or thinking about holding back on their sustainability effort. You are missing a huge potential to cut costs and distance yourself from your competition that is occupied with looking at their energy bill. “Newer waste a good crisis” as Churchill supposedly said. When it comes to the current […]

Engage wholeheartedly in sustainability and clients, partners and talent come easy

This is a conclusion I have come to after thousands of hours of working with sustainability and circular economy as a value driver. With my team, I did some desktop research to explore if researchers have reached similar conclusions and the answer is a clear YES! A range of studies of smaller and medium size […]

You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Communicate on Sustainability

Choosing not to communicate about sustainability is high risk. In this post I’ll tell you why. And I’ll tell you what you need to have in place to go out and more safely communicate about sustainability. I’ve come across so many business leaders that are fearful and are holding back on communicating about heir effort […]

Resource efficiency is KING

It is often said that Cash is King in a time of crisis. Even though we are in a high-inflation crisis this is to some extent sound advice for many companies (both from a risk and opportunity perspective). For a manufacturing company, there is a direct link between an efficient- and effective use of resources […]

Business Leader – It’s on You!

This goes out to you, business leaders in the world. It’s on you! Well, it’s also on me and on all the other business leaders. What is on me, you’re thinking? To solve the climate crisis and sustainability crisis that we put ourselves in and to give hope to the people. Ernest and Young have […]

What’s the green transition really all about?

“Can we afford the green transition when our welfare system is under pressure?” I heard someone raise the question in the news yesterday. Similar questions come up regularly in companies. But if you experience that it is a choice between the green transition and delivering whatever you deliver, then you are not going about it […]

Effective go-to-market strategy for your sustainable solution

I often come across marketing material that promotes a green feature of some sort like being certified according to the EU Ecolabel. But if you think it is about the certificate you are missing the point. Focus on the results that come out of it and the value it gives your customers – that is […]

Creating lasting impact through temporary sports events

Normally I write about manufacturing companies, but this newsletter will be different. Here I will bring you insight into how I have used my approach on something as different as the World Championship in Horse Riding. Major events are a great tool for creating lasting positive change! Since the fall of last year, I have […]

Do you recognize questions like these?

Am I the only one not completely sure about how to get the sustainability agenda moving in a way that creates value for our company? What could be the next steps for us? What does everyone else do? If so, the first season of my new podcast “Green business with impact” is something for you. […]

A 7-step practical guide to cheaper resources

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Are you amongst the many business leaders facing difficulties in getting the raw materials you need? Are you facing a sharp rise in the cost of your raw materials? If so, here is my simple 7-step guide to quickly discover if you can source your input in somebody else’s […]

Getting the foundation right

To build a solid house you got to have a proper foundation. We all know that, but still, I see many companies spending time, energy, and money on sustainability without much consideration for the foundation. As you are part of my community, I want to make sure that is not happening to you! As you […]

Poor ROI on sustainability?

Most companies today earn little or no ROI on their sustainability effort! And likewise, a low environmental impact. That is the sad truth and a key reason why business leaders shy away from stepping up their game, even though everybody can see we have to. But it does not have to be like that. Do […]

Sustainability is a problem

More and more leaders are adopting the word sustainability, and they want to act. That is great, but how we define sustainability leads to inadequate levels of action and make it harder to succeed with the initiatives we decide to take. It is time to redefine Sustainability! Words matter! A lot. We attribute meaning to […]

Results = Trust

Results are the language of business! No one initially cares how you get there; only what results came out of your effort. This goes for sustainability as well. There are five principles you need to commit to and master if you want to create a competitive edge with circular economy and create a positive environmental […]

How to find your circular pathway

I have lost count of how many times I have had business leaders ask where do I start when it comes to circular economy in my business. There are five principles you need to commit to and master if you want to create a competitive edge with circular economy and create a positive environmental impact: […]

In 3 min: Understand discipline #2 in the circular economy: Resource recovery

How do I use the circular economy in my business you might ask? In my experience, the five disciplines are good place to start. Have a look at your business through the lens of each of the five disciplines and you will start to see different opportunities and questions that are worth pursuing. To make […]

In 3 min: Understand discipline #3 in the circular economy: Product Life Extension

In 3 min: Understand discipline #4 in the circular economy: Increased Utilization

In 3 min: Understand discipline #5 in the circular economy: Product as a service

Create a perpetual tailwind

There are five principles you need to commit to and master if you want to create a competitive edge with circular economy and create a positive environmental impact: Mindset – Mission – Roadmap – Implement – Communicate. And in that order. If you can’t honestly tick all five boxes, then this is your job for […]

In 3 min: Understand discipline #1 in the circular economy: Steady supply of resources

The mindset for success

Photo by Caju Gomes on Unsplash There are five principles you need to commit to and master if you want to create a competitive edge with circular economy and create a positive environmental impact: Mindset – Mission – Roadmap – Implement – Communicate. And in that order. If you can’t honestly tick all five boxes, […]

Finding it hard to attract talent?

Business is doing really good, but you are at a point where the capacity is maxed out and you either has to postpone delivery or turn new clients down. Recognize this picture? Frustrating on so many levels. You know you could have served more people, made more money, created more jobs but instead, you have […]

Why the sustainable pathway is the best way out of the Corona crisis

We need jobs. We need meaning in our lives and jobs. We need to stabilize the climate. We need growth but not in waste and hazardous substances. We need to regenerate great conditions for our children to unfold their potential and dreams. If we want to; we can get all of that by choosing to […]

Adapt your business to stay in the game

There are three major changes are happening in the world today. Individually significant; however, game-changing when combined. These changes are challenging the regular way of doing business and rendering it obsolete. We must change to stay in the game. Circular Economy is a new business mindset that tackles the challenges incorporating all three major changes. […]