Linda Skogsberg: What sustainability looks like in 2024
Sustainability is a big word. These 14 letters have the power to enlighten, engage, and enrage in equal measure. For some, it's an afterthought. For others, the only thought. Today, as we release our Polestar Sustainability report 2023, we speak to Linda Skogsberg to find out why sustainability is still front and centre at the company.
Linda Skogsberg has seen her fair share of launches since joining Polestar as its Sustainability Communications Lead. With reports released each year, much of her time is spent sifting through an almost infinite number of data points. As each new report highlights progress made, as well as pinpointing areas of improvement, she is something of an authority on Polestar's sustainability trajectory. Armed with this knowledge - and 18 years of communications experience - Linda sat down with us to discuss her key takeaways from the report, sustainability "fatigue", and why all of this still matters in 2024.
Good morning, Linda. Congratulations on launching our Sustainability report 2023. Can you explain what it is for readers unfamiliar with the report's contents?
Sure. Let's try. The sustainability report is an important and powerful tool for transparency. It gives a complete overview of Polestar's sustainability strategy and the work being done within our four focus areas of climate neutrality, circularity, transparency, and inclusion. The report outlines our main sustainability targets, actions, achievements, and challenges on our road to truly sustainable mobility. This year, we not only look back at the past year's performance but also look ahead as we deep dive into our climate roadmap.
That sounds interesting. We all know people lead pretty busy lives; can you try to outline why this report is so important and why people should read it?
Today, most companies have net zero pledges, but there's a shortage of transparent climate roadmaps demonstrating the concrete actions that will lead to zero. That's what we want to address with this report! We delve into our climate roadmap, which not only outlines our progress, goals, and strategies but also demonstrates our commitment and concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Reading our sustainability report will give insight into how we plan to reach our climate neutrality target by 2040.
Increasing transparency is not just about adding more data
What are your biggest takeaways from the report?
We have challenged ourselves to increase the level of transparency even further, and we have taken major steps forward, which I am very proud of. There's a tremendous amount of work behind every single detail. But increasing transparency is not just about adding more data; it's also about creating clarity about what makes Polestar unique, and I think we're succeeding in that.
Many people think sustainability is just about environmental issues, but that's not the case. Can you briefly explain what sustainability means to a company like Polestar?
Sustainability is one of our core pillars, which, together with innovation and design, makes Polestar's foundation. We have a holistic approach to sustainability, where all sustainability challenges are interconnected and inseparable. We both have the opportunity and responsibility to impact society and the environment throughout our value chain.
There seems to be a growing trend toward sustainability fatigue. Do you agree with this, and if so, why do you think it's happening?
Sustainability fatigue is definitely a thing. It's understandable that individuals sometimes can become overwhelmed by the constant barrage of sustainability-related messages, initiatives, and challenges. I think there are several factors behind this, including scepticism about greenwashing, feelings of helplessness in the face of global environmental problems, or a lack of clear and actionable solutions. But having said that, we see that sustainability is very important for our customers, investors, and, not least, our employees. At Polestar, we want to contribute to a more vivid and positive view of sustainability, showing that the desirable choice and the right choice can be one and the same, where sustainability, design, and performance go hand in hand.
Finally, why do you think sustainability is still important in 2024?
Working to minimise the negative impact and maximise the positive will always be important for any company and should never go out of style. It's not a temporary need; it's a constant mindset that we all need to have, and by that, I mean companies as well as individuals.
Read the full Polestar Sustainability report 2023 here.
