Review SGES 2022: "Making up for lost time"
On September 7 and 8, 2022, the Swiss Green Economy Symposium took place in Winterthur. Several hundred participants met at this symposium to exchange ideas about sustainable economy. The topics of this year's event could not be more topical.
Green Economy is one of the most important future trends. In the near future, more and more companies are likely to be involved in some form of concrete sustainable products - and for everyone else, regulations and other constraints such as climate change and the energy crisis alone are likely to lead to an increased focus on sustainable business. The current energy supply situation clearly shows that we now have to "make up for lost ground," he said. "We are not facing the energy crisis, we are in it," said Bern's mayor Alec von Graffenried in his welcoming message on the first day of the Swiss Green Economy Symposium SGES, and he admitted: "We have to act now."
SGES: The "green" business summit since 2013
Since 2013, the Swiss Green Economy Symposium (SGES) has been using concrete examples to show how business, politics, science and NGOs can jointly contribute to greater prosperity, environmental protection and more peaceful coexistence. This year's event was held under the motto "Working together responsibly and courageously". On the two symposium days of September 7 and 8, 2022, current issues around circular economy, climate protection and social responsibility were discussed in plenary sessions and various so-called innovation forums. A highlight was the keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Honorary President of the Club of Rome, who first pointed out the limits to growth 50 years ago. Today, it must be stated that the appeals of 1972 have unfortunately become more urgent - worldwide, but also in Switzerland.
Climate protection: Do we still have enough time?
On the first day of SGES 2022, for example, Katrin Schneeberger, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, provided an overview of the status of the circular economy in Switzerland. Although much is already being done, there is still a lot of room for improvement, she said: for example, only 12 percent of all Swiss companies have their own circular activities in their business. Only 9 percent invest more than 10 percent in the circular economy. And likewise, only 12 percent of Swiss companies generate more than 10 percent of sales with circular economy. On the subject of climate protection, National Councilor Jürg Grossen fired a broadside against the Federal Council. He said that the Federal Council had failed to set the course in good time and now had to take emergency measures on an ongoing basis. Jürg Grossen sees the greatest opportunities in digitization: Thanks to smart technology, up to 80 percent of energy can be saved, as he explained with reference to his own company building. "That's what we need to talk about, not more energy production," Grossen said. A sign of how proverbially heated the discussion currently is was probably also the action of some climate activists. They unceremoniously stormed the stage and demanded of panelist Juan Beer, CEO of Zurich Insurance, that his company abandon all investments in oil and gas on the spot. "We are in a transition, and it takes time," Beer's replica said, stressing that the first steps to phase out oil and gas had already been taken.
Existing narratives no longer work, as David Schärer from Rod Kommunikation also emphasized on the first day of the symposium. Companies need to become even more aware of their social responsibility. There are more and more examples of this. A pioneer in this area is Migros, for example, which invests considerable sums in social and cultural life every year with its cultural percentage.
Climate protection in companies: Still much to do
How much courage and responsibility are necessary for safe and sustainable energies was discussed in depth on the second day of the event. The question of how a global and sustainable Switzerland can be achieved through more cooperation was also discussed. As on the first day, various innovation forums took place, which dealt with circular economy, climate protection and social responsibility with a focus on individual industries. For example, they dealt with energy management in buildings, urban logistics, sustainable financing instruments, sustainability communication or concrete climate protection in companies. The Swiss Climate Action Initiative (SCAI) was presented in this context. One of its aims is to develop a guide for SMEs that they can use to draw up their own roadmap for achieving climate targets. The initiative also focuses on a climate information cockpit and the implementation of climate protection along the entire supply chains.
Next SGES: September 6-7, 2023
In addition to the presentations and the innovation forums, a small exhibition was held with 16 participating organizations. The focus was on different innovations for the way to achieve individual of the 17 sustainability goals of the UN. For example, solutions made of bioplastics were on display, as were sustainable building materials and consulting and training services. With a total of 250 speakers, 16 innovation forums and 11 keynotes, the SGES certainly lived up to its claim of being Switzerland's most comprehensive business summit on the Green Economy. Nevertheless, at times one could still get the impression of moving in a "bubble of like-minded people" for whom the direction is clear: words must now be followed by deeds. Ideologically colored lightning actions or consistent obstructionism are not very effective. Nevertheless, the direction of Goal No. 17 of the UN 2030 Agenda was right on both symposium days: "Strengthen means of implementation and breathe new life into the global partnership for sustainable development". The next Swiss Green Economy Symposium will take place on September 6-7, 2023.
