Half-day masterclass on ESG and circular economy

‍

Kvika Asset Management is one of the most experienced managers of private equity funds in Iceland investing in various industries including tourism, services, food production, health care and technology. 

With ESG and responsible investment as a priority Kvika wanted to help their portfolio companies get up to date on the changing regulatory environment and the opportunity in circular economy solutions. 

Having a long-term, responsible and sustainable approach to investment is Kvika's way of creating value in portfolio companies and to society at large. Therefore, Kvika asked Lab21st to plan and execute a half-day masterclass for CEOs/CFOs of 11 portfolio companies to get everyone up to speed on 'need to know' and best practice.

What we did

We designed an interactive training session balancing inspirational talks with practical exercises. 

The masterclass was structured in 3 main sections:

1/ Inspiration from systems thinking and circular economy business models. Why 'sustainability' is no longer enough, problems with carbon tunnel vision, how to design out waste and pollution and how to avoid greenwashing.

2/ ESG basics and the changing regulatory environment. Why is everyone talking ESG, what are the frameworks and standards you need to know about and how can you get ahead of the requirements?

3/ How to get started: Learnings from doing. Why innovation needs to happen alongside ESG compliance, how design sprints can get you going and what is needed to create a flourishing culture of thinking big, starting small and learning fast.

"I really got to know the full scope of sustainability and what to expect in the future" (masterclass participant)

Outcome

We left 25 participants with new inspiration and knowledge about what sustainability actually means and what best practice strategy, action and communication look like. The participants felt slightly overwhelmed on the coming regulations and requirements but also with a list of what needs to happen next in their organisations to get ahead and turn the challenge into new business opportunities.

"My key take away is that an optimistic outlook is key. We need to adopt a problem-solving mentality" (masterclass participant)

‍