‘Sweden+Korea Green Transition Alliance’ encourage Korea to step up climate action
Sweden+Korea Green Transition Alliance announced its commitment to take action
At the “pledging ceremony” at the Swedish Ambassador’s Residence, the 13 Swedish companies participating in “Sweden+Korea Green Transition Alliance” together with the Embassy of Sweden, Business Sweden and Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Korea, signed a mission statement outlining their commitments.
Ambassador Hallgren declared that the companies in the Green Transition Alliance have committed to support Korea's future green competitiveness in three ways.
- Take Action. Commit to assess environmental risks and opportunities in their operations.
- Co-create. To seek partnerships for innovative solutions that will advance sustainability across major sectors.
- Raise ambitions. To inspire bold action to bring forward South Korea’s target to become a carbon neutral economy ahead of 2050
Ambassador Hallgren said: “It is interesting to note that many of the companies in the Alliance have set more ambitious goals for carbon neutrality than both the Governments of Sweden and Korea. This is truly inspiring, and I wish it will help push the agenda in both countries.”
At this event, △ABB △Atlas Copco △Envac △IKEA △Kraft Powercon △Okla △Scandinavian Biogas △Scania △SF Marina △Tetra Pak △Volvo Cars △Volvo Construction Equipment △Volvo Trucks, which are actively engaged in various fields including construction, energy, marine, energy, manufacturing, retail, transportation, and waste management present concrete pledge respectively targeting green transition and carbon neutrality by 2050 in Korea.
Sweden is one of the most advanced countries in creating sustainable business environment, proving that the green transition helps companies strengthen their competitiveness. The 13 Swedish companies who present the pledge are paying much attention and effort to environmental issues, which are cited as Sweden’s best practices.
Ambassador Hallgren added "The green transition is one of the ways to create a wide range of business opportunities and increase competitiveness," and "Korea's Green New Deal and its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 could be a turning point for Korea to develop into a green carbon neutral society."
“We are excited to join forces with the Swedish community in Korea and leverage our collective power to make Korea greener,” said Fredrik Johansson, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) at IKEA Korea. ”With the Alliance we look forward to driving a deeper understanding around the importance and urgency of climate change and engage the many Koreans to make meaningful changes. We at IKEA Korea are also committed to do our part to make a better future for Korea and the planet we share.”
Sweden at the forefront of technology-led green transition is a country that has shown that it can be achieved economic growth and reduce carbon emissions at the same time, with Sweden's GDP rising 50% while its carbon emissions falling 26% between 1990 and 2017.
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13 Swedish company’s presentations and other relevant materials at Sweden Abroad below.