News
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18 maj 2021
Dialogue: The food of the future
Challenges in climate and biodiversity put the question of our current food system at the forefront. To meet the challenges, food production and consumption need to change fundamentally. What are the problems and challenges? What consumer behaviors can be promoted? And how can sustainable investment move us in the right direction?
These are questions that were discussed at a webinar (in Swedish) organised by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra) and Sweden’s Sustainable Investment Forum (Swesif) 7 May. 2021, where GEDB director Beatrice Crona took part. Based on Mistra's research programs Mistra Food Futures and Mistra Sustainable Consumption, it aimed to give an overview of the food sector's structure - its challenges and potential from a sustainability perspective. the focus was how we achieve sustainable food consumption, consumer behavior, as well as obstacles and opportunities to scale up various initiatives and strategies. In addition, the conditions for sustainable investments in the various parts of the food sector were discussed.
Among other things, Beatrice Crona raised the issue of how can investors can be made to invest both in already existing companies to reduce harm and not only in new innovative companies where sustainability is part of the business model.
“It is important to develop tools for measuring the impact of a company’s production, not just for CO2, but also other aspects, like biodiversity”, was one aspect she stressed.
Other speakers were Helena Hansson, professor at SLU and program manager Mistra Food Futures, Åsa Svenfelt, associate professor at KTH and program manager Mistra Sustainable Consumption and Fredric Nyström, Head of Responsible Investment at Öhman Fonder. Moderator: Anders Sahlman.