As geopolitical tensions rise and sustainability faces growing scrutiny, some long term investors are doubling down instead of pulling back. In this live episode of Sustainable Edge, Siri Sachs of the Wallenberg ecosystem and Johan H. Andresen of FERD explore how resilience, competitiveness, ethics, and sustainability shape investment decisions in a world where uncertainty has become the new normal.

Siri Sachs and Johan H. Andresen share how family ownership structures can enable long term thinking and why sustainability remains deeply tied to resilience and competitiveness, even in a more fragmented global landscape.

Learn about:

• Long term investing in uncertain times Why some investors continue backing large scale green transitions despite market volatility and political uncertainty
• Sustainability and competitiveness How climate investments are increasingly viewed as essential for future industrial strength and resilience
• Risk taking and transformation: Why family owned businesses can take longer term bets that public markets often avoid
• Purpose beyond profit: How responsibility, social impact, and ethics influence investment decisions and talent attraction
• Engagement versus exclusion: Why active ownership and supplier engagement can sometimes drive more meaningful change than divestment
• AI and ethical leadership: How investors are thinking about the opportunities and risks tied to artificial intelligence and autonomous systems
• Regulation and execution: Why predictable frameworks matter, but overregulation can risk slowing competitiveness and innovation
• The future of Nordic leadership: How collaboration, trust, and long term ownership models could help shape a more sustainable economy

Siri Sachs is a Board Member at Wallenberg Investments and part of the sixth generation of the Wallenberg family. The Wallenberg ecosystem includes foundations, industrial holdings, and global companies such as ABB, AstraZeneca, Ericsson, and SEB. Her work focuses on long term ownership, competitiveness, and ensuring that investments contribute to future resilience and innovation.

Johan H. Andresen is the Owner and Chair of FERD, a family owned investment company focused on long term value creation and social impact. Under his leadership, FERD transformed from a tobacco business into a diversified investment platform with holdings across industry, technology, and sustainability focused ventures. Johan has also chaired the Ethics Council of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, helping shape ethical investment practices for one of the world’s largest funds.

What does it take to lead on climate in a world shaped by distrust, geopolitics, and competing priorities? In this episode, former Colombian President Iván Duque shares how sustainability can be positioned not as a cost, but as a driver of competitiveness, and why leadership matters more than ever in turning ambition into action.

Host Joachim Nahem, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder at Position Green, sits down with Iván Duque, former President of Colombia, to explore what sustainability leadership looks like at the highest level of government.

During his presidency, Duque led one of Latin America’s most ambitious climate agendas, balancing economic growth, peacebuilding, and environmental protection. Under his leadership, Colombia expanded protected areas to cover more than a third of its territory and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51 percent by 2030 .

Today, as global cooperation weakens and political landscapes become more fragmented, the question is no longer just what needs to be done, but how to move forward in a world where trust is declining and priorities are shifting.

Learn about:

• Sustainability as competitiveness Why climate ambition can strengthen economic positioning rather than weaken it
• Leading through uncertainty What it takes to advance climate action in a world of declining trust and geopolitical fragmentation
• The role of middle powers How countries like Colombia can shape global cooperation even without the largest economies leading
• From ambition to implementation What enabled Colombia to pass climate legislation and scale environmental protection at speed
• Markets and capital flows Why unlocking private finance and market mechanisms is critical for global climate progress
• Bridging polarization How reframing sustainability conversations can create alignment across political and ideological divides
• Long term leadership Why sustainability must be embedded into decision making as a core principle of governance and business

Iván Duque is the former President of Colombia and a global advocate for climate action and sustainable development. During his presidency, he led efforts to expand environmental protection, implement a national climate strategy, and position Colombia as a leader in biodiversity conservation. He currently serves as a trustee of the Science Based Targets initiative and holds advisory roles across leading global sustainability organisations, continuing to shape the conversation on climate, policy, and economic development .

What does accountability look like in a world shaped by AI, geopolitics, and rising stakeholder expectations? In this episode, Robin Hodess of GRI explores how the role of sustainability reporting is shifting and why companies that treat it as strategic data, not compliance, will be better positioned to compete.

Host Joachim Nahem, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder at Position Green, sits down with Robin Hodess, CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), to explore how corporate accountability is being reshaped in a world defined by geopolitical tension, technological disruption, and rising expectations.

As the original standard setter for sustainability reporting—emerging from initiatives that followed major environmental crises like Exxon Valdez—GRI has played a central role in defining how companies measure and communicate their impact. But today, the landscape is far more complex. Accountability is no longer limited to environmental damage. It now includes issues such as data privacy, AI, social inequality, governance, and the broader role of business in society.

Robin Hodess unpacks how sustainability reporting is evolving from a compliance exercise into a critical source of strategic insight. She explains why businesses must move beyond fragmented frameworks and focus on what truly matters, using data to navigate risk, identify opportunities, and make better decisions.

Learn about:

• From reporting to decision making: Why sustainability data is becoming essential for strategy, risk management, and long-term business growth
• The expanding scope of accountability: How issues like AI, data centres, nature, and social impact are redefining what companies are responsible for
• Complexity vs clarity: Why more frameworks and regulation have created confusion and how leaders can focus on what truly matters
• Materiality in practice: How companies can prioritize the most relevant impacts without being overwhelmed by the breadth of ESG topics
• Global fragmentation and standards: What rising geopolitical tensions mean for reporting requirements and why harmonisation matters more than ever
• The business value of transparency: Why 73 percent of studies show a positive link between sustainability reporting and financial performance
• Leadership and credibility: How companies can rebuild trust by moving beyond claims and focusing on evidence, progress, and accountability

Robin Hodess is the CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the world’s leading standard setter for sustainability reporting. With a career spanning finance, ethics, and global governance, she has held senior roles at Transparency International and other international organisations. Robin brings a long term perspective on corporate transparency, accountability, and the role of business in addressing global challenges. Under her leadership, GRI continues to shape how companies measure, manage, and communicate their impact in an increasingly complex world.

Resources from this episode:

From Impact to Income: How sustainability reporting affects the bottom Line:

Decoding biodiversity impacts: A practical guide to corporate reporting with the GRI Standards:

Case studies on reporting with GRI 101 and TNFD:

As geopolitical tensions rise and regulatory frameworks become more fragmented, many executives are questioning how far their responsibility should extend across global value chains. This conversation explores where accountability really sits today and why the debate around human rights, competitiveness, and transparency is reaching an inflection point for global business.

Marcos Neto unpacks new research from UNDP that directly challenges the assumption that human rights due diligence comes at the expense of financial performance. Drawing on a multi year analysis of more than 200 global companies across sectors including apparel, extractives, automotive, ICT, and agriculture, he shares what the data actually shows and why ignoring human rights can pose a real risk to long term value creation.

Learn about:

• Human rights and financial performance Why companies with stronger human rights practices see higher returns on assets and why declining performance carries measurable financial risk

• The myth of lost competitiveness What the evidence says about investor reactions, cost concerns, and profitability

• From policy to decision making Why human rights only matter when embedded into core business processes rather than treated as a reporting exercise

• Regulation, investors, and accountability How responsibility is shaped not only by law but by stakeholder expectations and risk management

• Emerging human rights risks What leaders should watch as business models evolve across areas like AI, data centres, critical raw materials, and reshoring

• Materiality in practice How executives can focus on what truly matters without trying to solve every problem in the world

Marcos Neto is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director at UNDP, where he leads work on private sector engagement, sustainable finance, and governance. With more than three decades of experience across civil society and international institutions, Marcos works at the intersection of business, human rights, climate, and development. He has been closely involved in advancing global standards on disclosure, due diligence, and the integration of sustainability into corporate decision making.

Resource from this episode

https://www.undp.org/publications/human-rights-vs-competitiveness-false-dilemma

Behind every life saving inhaler sits a hidden climate footprint. In this episode, Bespak challenges the status quo, exploring how respiratory products can be redesigned for a low carbon future and why tackling propellant gases and supply chain emissions is one of pharma’s biggest untapped opportunities.

In this episode

Chris Hirst unpacks how Bespak is approaching sustainability at the most granular level: materials, formulations, manufacturing processes, and supplier collaboration. He explains why ESG at Bespak is not a side initiative, but a core business strategy, one that strengthens competitiveness, trust, and long-term value creation.

Learn about:

• Strategic transformation:

Bespak was carved out to become an independent company, strengthening its ability to innovate, move faster, and focus on long-term value creation. How being part of the EQT portfolio makes sustainability a core priority and reinforces responsible growth.

• Sustainability in healthcare manufacturing:

How a traditionally hard-to-decarbonize sector is reducing its footprint and where the biggest opportunities for impact lie.

• Innovation and the low-carbon transition:

Re-engineering essential products like inhalers to cut emissions without compromising patient safety or performance.

• Regulation and responsibility:

How emerging sustainability regulations are shaping R&D priorities, transparency, and long-term business strategy.

• Customer and partner expectations:

Supporting pharma and healthcare customers in meeting decarbonization goals through smarter design and sustainable supply chains.

• Culture and execution:

What it takes to align people and teams to deliver real change during both business transformation and sustainability transitions.

About Chris Hirst

Chris Hirst is the CEO of Bespak, a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), specializing in inhaled and nasal drug delivery devices and drug-device combination products.

With a deep background in pharmaceutical manufacturing and operations, Chris has led Bespak’s transformation into an independent company with a strong focus on low-carbon innovation, supply-chain collaboration, and science-based climate targets. Under his leadership, Bespak has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative and is positioning itself as a partner of choice for sustainable respiratory solutions.

What happens when the future of energy meets the reality of climate targets?
In this episode of The Sustainable Edge, host Joachim Nahem sits down with Tomas Qvickström, Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Fortum, to explore how major energy players are balancing security, scale, and sustainability in the race to decarbonize.

Tomas Qvickström explains how Fortum is contributing to the clean energy transition in the Nordics and Poland through a balanced energy mix, development of renewables and a comprehensive approach to sustainability that goes beyond emissions. From the drivers of electrification, to helping customers decarbonize through data and guarantees of origin, this episode goes inside the energy systems shaping our climate future.

Learn about:

• Balancing the grid: Why the Nordic "energy plate" model combines flexible, firm, and renewable sources like hydro, nuclear, and wind to power a stable transition.
  
  

• A credible decarbonization path: How Fortum is integrating science-based climate targets and biodiversity goals directly into business strategy and finance.
  
  

• From grid to socket: Why clean energy production doesn't guarantee clean consumption, and how Fortum helps customers track and reduce Scope 2 emissions.
  
  

• Bottlenecks to scale: What's really slowing down renewable investments and how long-term offtake agreements, smart cases for implementation, and policy support can unlock progress.

Tomas Qvickström is Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Fortum, a €16 billion Nordic energy company. He leads Fortum's work on climate, biodiversity, and sustainable finance, helping integrate ESG targets across operational planning and decision-making. Tomas brings a fact-based, systems-level view to one of the world's most complex sustainability challenges: powering the clean transition at scale.

What happens when the thrill of motorsport meets the urgency of climate action? In this episode of The Sustainable Edge, host Joachim Nahem sits down with Jennifer Babington from Envision Racing, Operations Director and General Counsel to explore how sport can fuel global momentum for sustainability.

Jennifer Babington reveals how Envision Racing is embedding sustainability into every lap, from freight emissions and clean tech innovation to fan engagement and sponsorship integrity. She takes us behind the scenes of Formula E's three-step climate strategy, and shares how the team is driving measurable change both on and off the track.

Learn about:

• Sustainability at speed – Formula E's framework to measure, reduce, and offset carbon emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3.
  
  

• A credible net-zero pathway – How the series plans to cut Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 50% and Scope 3 by 27.5% by 2030, reaching net zero by 2040.
  
  

• Innovation through competition – Why motorsport's transition to electric, circular, and regenerative technologies is shaping the future of clean mobility.
  
  

• The power of platform – How a global audience of 491 million and races in 150+ countries amplify the message of sustainability and action.
  
  

• Race Against Climate Change – How Envision Racing is using gamified engagement, partnerships, and pledges to turn awareness into real-world impact.
  
  

Jennifer Babington is the Operations Director and General Counsel at Envision Racing, a leading team in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. With a background in corporate law and operations leadership, she oversees Envision Racing's sustainability strategy, governance, and stakeholder engagement. Jennifer's work bridges the gap between elite sport and environmental responsibility, proving that high performance and sustainability can, and must go hand in hand.

Inspired by the ideas shared on Sustainable Edge?
Learn more about Envision Racing's Race Against Climate Change and make your own pledge. A tree will be planted for every donation.
https://envision-racing.com/sustainability/

In this bite-sized episode of Sustainable Edge, host Joachim Nahem talks with Alison Taylor, clinical professor at NYU Stern School of Business and author of Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World. Alison shares why small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a unique opportunity to lead on sustainability—without falling into the tick-box trap that often dominates corporate ESG strategies.

Alison explains how SMEs can leverage their agility and focus to build authentic, impactful sustainability strategies. Learn why fewer cultural complexities and a sharper focus on core material issues can help smaller companies not only drive meaningful change but also avoid the reputational risks facing larger corporations. Discover how B2B companies are uniquely positioned to embed environmental and social benefits into their business models while navigating existential challenges.

Alison Taylor is a clinical professor at NYU Stern School of Business and executive director at Ethical Systems. She is a leading voice on ethics, governance, and sustainable business practices. In her book Higher Ground, Alison offers a fresh perspective on how companies can rethink their role in society and build strategies that align purpose with long-term value creation.