Biodiversity loss at global level is considered potentially catastrophic. What does biodiversity mean and why is it important? How serious a problem is biodiversity loss and what is being done in the forest sector? Listen to our latest podcast and learn about some of the actions being taken in the Nordic forests. Guesting the pod are Joakim Hjältén, professor in Animal Ecology at Swedish University in Agricultural Sciences and Robert Berg, Sustainability manager in Stora Enso Wood Supply Sweden

We are increasingly thinking about the environmental impact of products before we decide to buy them. But how do we perceive packaging? Turns out that what we as consumers think are environmentally friendly packages and what the experts think are not necessarily the same thing. A recent study carried out by Stora Enso aimed to find out how consumers perceive liquid packaging and to understand what they perceive to be environmentally friendly or not. We discuss the results with Marcus Dehlin, Business Development Director, Stora Enso, and Katja Ollila, Brand Director, Stora Enso.

What is the future for single-use disposable items in a society striving to reduce plastic usage and excess waste? In the latest episode of our podcast Renewable future, we take a look at three items in particular; the disposable bag, cup and straw. We examine the pros and cons of each and look at what kind of future they have. Experts on the program include Maija Bigestans, brand strategist at the Stockholm brand agency BVD, and Hanna Ljungkvist Nordin, Senior Project Manager with Waste at the Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

Construction in wood has started to take off, particularly in the multi-storey building segment. While the possibilities to construct large buildings in wood have been around for some time, the industry hasn’t been asking for it. But today, investors and developers are showing interest in wood. What’s happened?

Consumers want to make the right environmental choices when they go shopping but how exactly do you go about it. What tips can we all bear in mind the next time we need to make a purchase and how should we be thinking about the packages our purchases arrive in?

Guests on this episode:

Åsa Stenmarck, Manager of the waste group, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute

Tiina Pursula, Director of Sustainability, Consumer Board division, Stora Enso

Anna Cummins, co-founder of the 5 Gyres institute, has devoted her life to fight the plastics that are contaminating our waters. Did you know that today there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastics on the surface of the oceans? Water bottles, plastic bags and other waste that end up in the water fragmentize and are subsequently eaten by fish – and then go further up the food value chain. Anna tells about the plastic pollution we see in all our oceans and what can be done about it.

Guest on this episode: Anna Cummins, co-founder and Global Strategy Director of 5 Gyres institute.

No one has ever seen the paperless office. While the world embraces digital technology, there is still a good future for paper. In fact, paper and digital often coexist, complementing each other. For instance, printed advertising drives e-commerce, direct mail is found to be a way to cut through the digital noise and studies show it’s easier to take in information read from paper than a screen.

For news, paper is declining but for other sectors it’s actually doing quite well. In Asia, print is even a growing market.

Guests on the episode:

Martyn Eustace, Director of the organisation Two Sides

Liisa Nyyssönen, SVP Communications, Stora Enso Paper division

2 billion people in the world are obese. 800 million people go to bed hungry. 30% of all food produced is lost or wasted before being consumed. And, the population is growing. Something needs to be done. What can companies do and what is the role of packaging in making sure that food safely reaches the consumer and stays fresh as long as possible?

Guests on this episode: to Helén Williams, lecturer in environment and energy systems at Karlstad University, Sweden and Alexi Ernstoff, Project Manager for the programme ‘FReSH’ – Food Reform for Sustainability and Health, run jointly by World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the EAT foundation.

E-commerce is taking off in a big way. But is it more environmentally friendly than doing your shopping in the store? It definitely has the potential to be, but return rates and the last mile of transportation are parameters that complicates the equation. E-retailers are getting increasingly environmentally aware and are looking for clever packaging from renewable materials.

Hear Professor Hannu Saarijärvi, Professor of service and retailing at Tampere university and Sohrab Kazemahvazi, Director of Innovation, Stora Enso Packaging Solutions, discuss the future possibilities of e-commerce and the role of packaging.

Professor Saarijärvi has done his research together with professor Mark T. Spence with Bond University.

How do we compare the carbon footprint of a plane trip to the carbon footprint of the food we buy? Can we really live in a carbon neutral way? And, how can carbon handprint be part of the solution? In this podcast Tiina Pajula, a carbon footprint expert at the Finnish Research Institute VTT and Eliot Whittington, Programme Director from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership elaborate on these issues and causes for optimism.