Emergent Trends in Collaboration for Sustainability

Sustainability Alliances

• Strong trend towards sustainability alliances among organizations to deal with climate change and sustainability challenges.
• Collaboration across organizational borders deemed essential for addressing global warming, which has increased carbon dioxide levels by around 50% since pre-industrial times.

Fossil Free Sweden Initiative

• Sweden's goal for a climate-neutral society by 2045 involves a governmental initiative called Fossil Free Sweden.
• Industry-specific roadmaps (22 total) have been created to guide sectors towards sustainability.

Industry Contributions to Emissions

• Industries account for approximately 30% of Sweden's carbon dioxide emissions, primarily from sectors like mining and construction.
• New technological developments are critical to reducing emissions while maintaining production efficiency.

Collaborative Projects

• Numerous industrial projects emphasize resource efficiency and circular business models.
• Example: The collaboration between AB and mining companies focuses on "ventilation on demand" to reduce energy consumption and improve air quality in mines.

Shift in Collaboration Models

• Firms acknowledge that transitioning to a greener economy necessitates collaboration; no single firm can achieve this independently.
• Traditional procurement methods focusing on cost-cutting do not support complex, transformative sustainability initiatives.

Ecosystem Approach

• Sustainability requires a shift from individual firm perspectives to a collaborative ecosystem approach, linking various firms' roles.
• Success of collaborations hinges on understanding how different organizations interconnect within their ecosystem.

Challenges in Sustainability Collaborations

• High-risk, high-reward nature of sustainability alliances; comparisons show they are more complex and prone to failure than traditional R&D alliances.
• Increased conflict areas arise due to differing company interests in sustainability transitions, impacting the overall goals.

Diverse Partnerships

• Collaborations often require engagement with partners from different industries, leading to potential misunderstandings and lack of trust.
• Urgency in addressing sustainability demands rapid and effective collaboration across diverse and unfamiliar partner organizations.

Competitive and Regulatory Pressures

• Companies must develop sustainable solutions to compete effectively in the future marketplace; pressure exists from societal movements advocating for sustainability.
• Regulatory frameworks are increasingly encouraging or mandating sustainable practices across various industries.

Societal Expectations

• There is significant societal pressure for corporations to actively pursue sustainability, as seen in movements like Fridays for Future.
• Companies face the dual challenge of meeting regulatory requirements and public expectations for sustainable development.

Best Practices for Collaboration

• Future discussions will focus on effective strategies to manage pressures and complexities within sustainability alliances.
• Emphasis on developing trust-based, long-term partnerships rather than transactional relationships for successful collaborations.