Exclusive Sustainability Video: Angela Hultberg, Kearney

In her fireside chat at Sustainability Live London 2023, Angela Hultberg, Global Director of Sustainability at Kearney, outlined the critical aspects of driving sustainability and the importance of design in a circular economy. Here's a summary of the key points she raised:

• Impact through consulting: Hultberg highlighted her role in influencing sustainability across various sectors, emphasising the significant impact that can be achieved by assisting companies in becoming truly sustainable. She stressed the importance of helping businesses accelerate their sustainability transition, stating, "the biggest impact we can have is by helping them...become truly sustainable businesses".
• Challenges in consulting: Despite the expertise within large corporations, Hultberg mentioned the value external consultants can bring, especially in prioritising sustainability efforts and making the business case for sustainability.
• Importance of Collaboration: She underscored that achieving sustainability targets requires collaboration across industries and sectors, using the automotive industry's need for electrification and renewable energy as an example.
• Organisational change: Hultberg pointed out that a major barrier to achieving sustainability goals is the lack of organisational change towards sustainability within companies. She emphasised the need for clear roles, responsibilities, and KPIs that align with sustainability goals.
• Design for circularity: Starting with design is crucial for circularity. Hultberg argued that products should be designed with their entire lifecycle in mind, considering their end-of-life stage from the beginning to ensure they can be easily recycled or reused.
• Business model innovation: She discussed how circularity could lead to new business models and revenue streams, such as selling spare parts, entering the secondhand market, and offering leasing services instead of outright sales.
• Execution over strategy: A key takeaway from Hultberg's consulting experience is the challenge of moving from strategy to execution. She noted the aspiration gap between where companies want to be and where they currently stand.
• EV batteries and circularity: Hultberg delved into the specific example of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, discussing the potential for using them beyond just propelling vehicles, such as in grid storage, before recycling them.

The session painted a comprehensive picture of the current sustainability landscape, emphasising the need for systemic change, collaboration, and innovation in business models to achieve circularity and sustainability goals.

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