SSF 2024: Exchange and impetus for sustainable development in Switzerland
Mobility and energy, the Alps as a habitat and biodiversity as well as sustainable corporate management were the key topics addressed by stakeholders from business, science and politics at this year's Sustainable Switzerland Forum.
The Sustainable Switzerland Forum 2024 brought together around 750 decision-makers from business, science and politics at the Kursaal in Bern on August 22, 2024. Around 40 national and international speakers took part in the third edition of the conference under the umbrella of the Sustainable Switzerland initiative.
The CEO dinner took place on the evening before the conference day. 100 CEOs from the Swiss economy were invited to the evening event with keynote speeches by historian and author Philipp Blom and Peter Altmaier, former German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy. In his speech, Blom criticized the constant pursuit of growth: "Infinite growth in a finite system is problematic." Altmaier, on the other hand, emphasized with regard to the current challenges: "We need solidarity among democrats, because what we decide today will apply for the next 20 years."
The morning of the conference day consisted of thematically focused content on "Mobility and Energy", "Alpine Habitat and Biodiversity" and "Sustainable Corporate Governance". In his keynote speech on mobility, Hendrik Lang, Senior Vice President Strategy at BMW, spoke about the need for digitalization in order to decarbonize supply chains: "We will only be able to manage the amount of data required for transparency in the supply chain through digitalization." Simon Zadek, Co-CEO of NatureFinance, said in his keynote on biodiversity that nature needs to be translated into financial risks and assets: "This changes the way nature is valued and how financial decisions are made." Christine Antlanger-Winter, Country Director of Google Switzerland, emphasized the importance of cooperation in an interview on sustainable corporate management: "Partnerships are important. No one can achieve sustainability alone."
In the afternoon of the conference, selected aspects of sustainability were discussed. Emeritus professor, architect and civil engineer Werner Sobek stated in his keynote speech on the interests of future generations: "For the first time in history, everyone belongs to one group - namely the group of those affected." A panel discussion debated how sensible it is to achieve climate neutrality by financing climate protection projects. Entrepreneur Antoinette Hunziker-Ebner took the view that emissions should be reduced locally: "Companies must focus on promoting the circular economy - on reducing emissions in their own operations."
Corine Blesi, Managing Director of NZZ Connect, the organizer of the Sustainable Switzerland Forum, says: "The Sustainable Switzerland Forum 2024 has once again shown how important the exchange between stakeholders from business, science and politics is for the sustainable development of Switzerland. With the diverse discussions and practical insights, we were able to provide the participants with impetus for sustainability in their respective areas."
The next Sustainable Switzerland Forum will take place again in Bern on September 2, 2025.
Source: www.sustainableswitzerland.ch
