Our Sustainability Work
As a publicly funded entity, Science Park bears a societal responsibility that we are committed and obliged to uphold. Through the numerous ideas, companies, and individuals we encounter every year, we have a significant opportunity to steer the direction of our region’s business towards a more sustainable path.
Our Contribution to a More Sustainable World
We firmly believe in the power of innovation to address societal challenges, whether they are big or small, local or global. We trust in the entrepreneur’s desire to contribute to a sustainable society, hence, we place a special emphasis on those individuals & ideas that move in the right direction. This is our contribution to a more sustainable world – through more sustainable innovations that make a positive impact in our community.
At Science Park, we strive to practice what we preach. We aim to drive change and be at the forefront. This requires us to have the knowledge and tools necessary to foster the development of sustainable businesses for the future.
Science Park Supports Companies and Entrepreneurs in Sustainability and Impact
Having an internal sustainability program is a baseline requirement for us; ensuring sustainable purchases, traveling sustainably, and promoting a workplace that champions gender equality, inclusiveness, and diversity. Even more crucial – and more challenging – is the work we do alongside others.
Our primary objective is to encourage and support entrepreneurs in developing sustainable businesses. That is, to advocate for a business approach that generates ecological, social, and economic value both today and for future generations.
This entails
Working to reduce the climate impact both internally and in our collaborations with entrepreneurs and partners.
Promoting inclusion, accessibility, and gender equality in every aspect – internally and in collaboration with our stakeholders.
Viewing economic sustainability as a prerequisite for long-term viability in all types of businesses.
Science Park’s Commitment Based on the UN’s Global Goals
As a publicly funded organization, the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development play a pivotal role in our efforts. We’ve chosen to prioritize four of the 17 goals. These goals were selected because they pertain to areas where we, as an organization, can genuinely influence outcomes. These selected goals dictate the focus of our operations in our activities and processes, and they permeate our entire organization.
Goal 5: Gender Equality – We Advocate for Female Entrepreneurship
Today, fewer women than men are starting businesses, even though the desire to be an entrepreneur is equally strong among both genders. One issue is that women generally perceive greater barriers to entrepreneurship. Another challenge is that businesses owned by women receive fewer loans and investments. To promote female entrepreneurship and highlight inspiring role models, Science Park, in collaboration with the Jönköping County Chamber of Commerce and Jönköping County Region, presents the “Young Leading Woman of the Year” award. We also organize activities and programs aimed at industries where we know women are keen on starting businesses, and we spotlight female entrepreneurs in our networks by allowing them to be speakers at our events, seminars, and trainings. We are also diligent in the representation of entrepreneurs in Science Park’s external communications.
Goal 9: Sustainable Industry, Innovations, and Infrastructure – We Advocate for Solutions to Sustainability Challenges
We believe in entrepreneurs’ desire to contribute to a sustainable society and thus place special emphasis on ideas moving in the right direction. This means:
- We always work towards more sustainable solutions when engaging with entrepreneurs and businesses.
- We utilize models and tools focused on sustainability and impact in our business development processes.
- We particularly concentrate on ideas aimed at addressing societal challenges and creating impact.
- Sustainability is a basic requirement in our business development programs.
- Some of our business development programs place a special emphasis on sustainable ideas and innovations.
- We organize events that specifically highlight entrepreneurs and innovations contributing to a more sustainable society through their enterprises, such as the lecture series “Impact Sessions”.
- Sustainability and impact are central in all the projects we undertake.
- We encourage and inspire new entrepreneurs to think and act sustainably from the outset.
Goal 10: Reduced Inequality – We Advocate for Equal Opportunity in Business
Diversity and inclusion should be givens in companies, boards, and the entire innovation system of Jönköping County, including at Science Park.
Research indicates that diverse teams are more successful. Science Park’s activities should reflect reality, hence we target various demographic groups with our offerings. This involves ensuring everyone feels welcome and heard, but also broadening the perception of who can be an entrepreneur.
We promote diversity through a wide range of offerings, various focuses in our programs to attract a diverse audience, the speakers we hire, and how we convey our propositions.
Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production – We Advocate for Circular Business Models
Renewable materials, energy-efficient solutions, and circular production chains, in both products and services, are crucial for a sustainable future.
Every year, Science Park interacts with a large number of individuals considering starting a business as well as those who already run companies. This includes solo enterprises, small to medium-sized businesses that have been in operation for a long time. We have a significant opportunity to influence, especially in the early stages, towards more sustainable choices. Hence, Science Park has a responsibility to drive progress in the realm of the circular economy.
We constantly strive to refine our business development process. We employ a range of tools and models in business development, and there’s an ongoing effort to adapt these for sustainability. Science Park aims to provide fully sustainable business development for our entrepreneurs and companies.
In coaching entrepreneurs and businesses, we aim to collaboratively find alternative and more sustainable solutions in areas such as transportation, materials, energy solutions, and revenue models.
We continuously update our internal knowledge in various areas related to circular business models, alternative materials, smart energy solutions, and more. We work to highlight good examples in the events we organize to inspire and disseminate knowledge.