Green appeal from 227 Swedish companies changes the narrative in the run-up to the general elections

More than 220 companies in Sweden – together accounting for almost one-fifth of the country’s GDP – have undersigned an opinion piece urging Swedish politicians to focus on the great business opportunities of the climate transition instead of treating it as mainly a problem.

With the general election in Sweden just four days away, a massive gathering of Swedish companies has just delivered a clear message to the political parties: Give us incentives and tougher regulations, to help us take advantage of the enormous business opportunities implied in the climate transition.

The opinion piece was published on Wednesday, September 7, in Aftonbladet, Sweden's biggest daily newspaper with four million daily readers.

The 227 companies have a combined turnover of 1000 billion SEK. This represents almost a fifth of Sweden’s GDP. Among the signatures are CEO:s and other high-level representatives from big companies like Ericsson, Telia, Skanska, Polestar and Postnord, as well as a large number of medium-sized and small companies from all business sectors. The list also includes the airline company Bra, Sweden’s largest fuel company Preem, and ICA, the country’s leading grocery retailer. To see the full list of signatures, scroll to the bottom of the original article.

”It is gratifying to see that so many companies want stronger climate regulation and also end the support for the fossil-fuel subsidies. We will never solve the climate crisis if we don’t start phasing out these destructive subsidies now. And we definitely don’t have time to increase them, which unfortunately is part of the election pledges of most Swedish parties”, says Ingmar Rentzhog, CEO and founder of We Don’t Have Time.

The op-ed attracted huge media attention in Sweden. Within the first 24 hours, more than 25 media organizations had picked up the story, and it was widely spread in social media. The op-ed set the political agenda in the biggest news programs on national TV, and it was also picked up by media organizations in France, Australia, the US and many other countries.

Here is a full translation of the opinion piece:

POLITICIANS – WHY DON'T YOU SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES IN A GREEN TRANSITION

A green transition has the potential to provide a wealth of new opportunities for Swedish businesses and their employees. So why is it that politicians often choose to view it as a necessary evil; something that should be postponed to a future date if possible?

On 25 August, 1,944 researchers and employees of academic institutions signed an opinion piece in the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet with the headline “Politicians, enough is enough – start taking the climate crisis seriously”. The researchers outlined the risks to our climate and environment that will be beyond our control if we don’t expedite a green transition.

Naturally, we agree. The climate crisis poses an existential threat to all, and we need rapid change. By 2030 we need to have halved global CO2 emissions to be in line with the Paris agreement of restricting global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.

What worries us is that so many of you Swedish politicians only view the transition as a problem, and not the great opportunity it really is. In the same way that Sweden took the lead in digitalization thanks to political decisions and extensive investments, we now have the same opportunity to take the lead on the climate transition.

The Swedish business sector’s transition to climate friendly operations alone will create a multitude of new jobs. This is where innovations will be developed and where the major export potential can be found. More than half of the world’s combined GDP already originates from companies and organizations that have voluntarily joined the UN’s Race To Zero initiative, thus committed to leaving fossil fuels behind. These operators are now starting to implement stronger, climate friendly demands on their subcontractors and partners.

In political debates, one sometimes hears the question, “Why should Sweden take the lead in the climate transition?”

For us, this question is puzzling. In the business world, taking the lead is a top priority. That’s how you stay relevant, that’s how you finetune your products and services, and that’s how you decide which investments to make. Simply put, becoming climate-conscious is really about future-proofing your business and continuing to stay competitive.

The companies that take sustainability seriously today are those that will be best equipped to do business tomorrow. And with the climate crisis on everyone’s minds, you can’t attract investors, customers and talent without making this transition.

For us, it’s a no-brainer. Companies that fail to do so will soon be faced with such stringent environmental requirements from nations, regions, customers and partners that they will be completely excluded from central markets.

This is not some distant future scenario. This is a sweeping change that has already begun. Just look at the automotive market, where key nations and regions welcome investment in new technology with open arms, but will shut their door on new sales of fossil-based cars in just a few years.

We, the undersigned, don’t want to come second. We want to remain at the forefront. We want to lead the way and show the rest of the world that change is not only possible, but also a recipe for business success.

This is where you politicians come into the picture. Because we can’t do this alone. We need both incentives and tougher regulations from your side, because greener standards will make us perform even better. We need long-term rules and clear goals, because this gives us security when making our investments.

Some of you might think that we’re already there. We’re not. Today’s extensive and expanding fossil subsidies are keeping yesterday’s technologies on artificial life support, while slowing down the expansion of companies that have invested heavily in taking the next transition step.

In the same way, the proposed decrease in the greenhouse gas reduction mandate for diesel and petrol would pull the rug out from under those companies that have invested heavily in the production of fossil-free fuels. While support programs are obviously needed to deal with a rampant energy crisis, these must be both long-term and designed so that companies which make the transition become winners.

In order to rapidly move forward, we now need courage and clear political decisions to accelerate the transition, not to hamper it.