Navigating the Sustainability Landscape: A Synergy or a Trade-off for Europe’s Future?
On April 24, we had the pleasure of inviting our members to a panel discussion on Navigating the sustainability landscape: A Synergy or a Trade-off for Europe’s Future hosted by Ethos. The seminar focused on the significant changes, challenges and opportunities of the new business landscape as well as the evolving relationship between sustainability and competitiveness. We had the privilege of listening to three experts in the field, David Frydlinger, Partner at Cirio Law Firm, Ekin Björstedt, Secretary-General at Global Child Forum, and Sara Gorton, SVP of Sustainability and Innovations at Skanska. The panel was expertly moderated by Linnéa Waninger, Human Rights and Supply Chain Lead at Ethos.
David Frydlinger addressed the growing complexity of sustainability regulations across the EU. While the current legal landscape is often confusing, he expressed hope for a more streamlined and consistent framework in the future. He spoke about the challenge of balancing sustainability with competitiveness, noting the current lack of data to understand how the two can effectively coexist. From a UK perspective, he praised their leadership in developing strong climate frameworks.
Ekin Björstedt focused on the importance of integrating children’s rights into corporate sustainability strategies. She highlighted how the climate crisis affects children daily and how their needs are often invisible in business metrics. Björstedt called for greater transparency and accountability, urging companies to include child-focused considerations in areas like communication, policy, and supply chains.
Sara Gorton shared Skanska’s approach to embedding sustainability into the company’s core operations. She emphasised the importance of collaboration across customers, suppliers, and industries to drive meaningful progress. Skanska’s sustainability pillars include health, safety, environmental ethics, human rights, and a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. Gorton highlighted climate change as both a pressing challenge and an opportunity for innovation, noting that scalability and collective action are key to creating solutions.
The discussion closed with a shared message: the future depends on immediate, collective investment in sustainability. It should be a driving force for innovation, resilience, and inclusivity. While the path forward is complex, we have a real opportunity to lead in shaping a greener, fairer economy.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this event, a special thank you to our speakers and moderator for an intriguing discussion and to Ethos for hosting us.
