1 Sustainability as a business strategy I am delighted to present another ÅF Green Advisor Report – a digest of some of the ways ÅF is working with its clients to make society and business more sustainable. By focusing on changing and improving the way we do business, we are proud to be contributing to a better environment, increased profitability, a fairer society and ultimately a more sustainable planet. Sustainability continued to hit the headlines in 2014. UN climate experts presented a new IPCC assessment of our planet’s health, warning that changes now taking place pose grave risks to global food security and economic development. This stark warning, underscored by a worldwide spike in natural disasters – cloudbursts in southern Sweden, floods in Europe, severe drought in the USA and South America – has raised awareness of the issues. That is good news! The more people who are galvanised into action, the better. At ÅF sustainability is always a top priority. Our constant aim is to help our clients to achieve their sustainability targets by developing smart new technical solutions to meet their needs. Through their dedicated day-to-day efforts our consultants can make a real difference. Take, for example, the project described in this issue to secure sustainable electricity supplies for Mauritius. With a strong dependency on imported fuels, the island has used ÅF’s expertise in renewable energy to meet its rapidly expanding need for electricity through wind and solar power. Earlier in the year ÅF was commis- sioned to replace an obsolescent water purification system when one of southern Sweden’s rivers showed signs of acute hypoxia. ÅF consultants also designed a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient power plant for the New Karolinska Solna Hospital, one of Sweden’s most important specialist care institutions. And when a decision was made to build a “green cycling highway” through a Czech nature reserve, ÅF’s experience proved invaluable in designing an innovative solution that is not only eco-friendly, but also helps ensure that even the bicycles themselves last longer. This year’s ÅForsk grants have been awarded to research projects into spruce bark and water analysis. Bark, long ignored as merely an inconvenient byproduct of forestry operations, has the potential to become the mainstay of numerous sustainable products in the future. Progress made by researchers in water analysis techniques means that today’s complex, time-consuming procedures may soon be a thing of the past as samples are analysed quickly and accurately on site instead. You can read about these projects – and more of the steps towards greater sustainability that we have helped our clients and partners to take – in this issue of Green Advisor Report. Wherever ÅF is involved, we aim to help our clients to play their part in creating a more sustainable society by finding new solutions to old problems. Our sustainability policies and guidelines support this ambition, ensuring that we work in a fair and transparent way. No one is more aware than we are of the need to practise what we preach. Over the past year I have gained a fascinating insight into the scope of ÅF’s sustainability work worldwide. Being able to take part in efforts to improve sustainability with their broad focus on society, the environment and economic growth is more than just a fascinating challenge. It’s a privilege. Nyamko Sabuni Director of Sustainability, ÅF GREEN ADVISOR REPORT 201 4
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