Recently, we interviewed Eva Vati, a Swedish entrepreneur and sustainability leadership expert. Vati is passionate about helping businesses become more sustainable, and she does this through her role as CEO and founder of two companies: Vati of Sweden and Verify Agency of Sweden. While Vati of Sweden educates, trains, and certifies professionals on sustainability, Verify Agency verifies organizations’ sustainability statements to prevent greenwashing and ensure that they are able to report on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) work. 

In this post, we’ll focus on the work Vati is doing in sustainability leadership and sustainability report verification. By understanding the ins and outs of her role with each, it’s possible to get a better idea of the roadblocks apparent today and how best to overcome them.

Quick Stats About Vati Of Sweden & Verify Agency

• Certified around 250 change leaders.

• Kickstarted 250 companies through their initiatives.

• Trained approximately 800 individuals through various courses.

• Presence in 17 countries.

Nurturing Sustainability Leadership In Business

More than anything, Vati’s vision is to create leaders who drive change in sustainable businesses. Sustainability, she notes, is multifaceted, encompassing various dimensions, and her courses align strategies with this broader perspective.

Eva’s approach begins with imparting an established methodology to integrate sustainability into business strategies. This framework draws on established standards and compliance with emerging EU regulations. What makes her programs special is that they extend beyond just strategy to cover diversity, equality, inclusion, circular business, and impact auditing.

The DE&I Certified Change Leader Course

For those aiming to become certified change leaders for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Eva’s course offers a complete experience. Adopting a train-the-trainer format, the 10-week course combines pre-recorded theoretical content with live group coaching. Participants apply their learning to real-world scenarios which enables direct integration within companies. Finally, certification involves both theoretical assessment and piloting newly acquired knowledge.

Ensuring Legitimacy And Acceptance: Globally Recognized Courses In Sustainability Leadership

When asked about the acceptance of the certifications, Vati stated that the certifications handed out by Vati of Sweden are grounded in international ISO standards, particularly ISO 26000, which is adopted by over 80 countries. However, due to the recent stringent ESG reporting updates coming from Brussels, Vati’s focus has extended to aligning her programs with the EU’s CSRD and ESRS standards, ensuring regional acceptance due to the need for businesses to adapt to the new reporting regulations.

Practical Steps Towards Sustainable Leadership

Vati’s insights offer a roadmap for aspiring leaders seeking to shape businesses grounded in sustainability. Vati outlines three key strategies people who are looking to learn about sustainability in leadership can take in order to get started. 

1. Understand The Landscape

The journey must begin with an understanding of a company’s position in the global context. This entails recognizing challenges posed by economics, environment, and regulations. Leaders must grasp their company’s value chain and market operations to align with the emerging “new economy.” Eva emphasizes that this understanding is pivotal for a company’s survival in an ever-evolving business landscape.

2. Embrace Leadership For Transformation

Vati goes on to stress the importance of proactive leadership in order to successfully effect change. She encourages leaders to spearhead actions that transform companies into drivers of positive impact. By nurturing a perspective that values societal and environmental well-being, leaders can navigate business practices that harmonize with the vision of a sustainable future.

3. Integrate Sustainability Strategically

Vati’s third step involves embedding sustainability into a company’s DNA. At the end of the day, sustainability isn’t merely about addressing social and environmental concerns; rather, it’s about integrating sustainability as a fundamental element of business strategy. This integration ensures that economic success, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship come together, forming a complete and well-rounded approach to sustainable business.

Vati’s counsel sets forth a practical framework for aspiring leaders who aim to shape a future where businesses thrive while contributing to a better world.

Verifying Genuine Sustainability In Business Operations

Besides helping businesses and individuals work towards becoming sustainability leaders, Vati also addresses the crucial issue of distinguishing true sustainability from greenwashing, a challenge commonly found in the corporate landscape. This is where Verify Agency comes in. By introducing a rigorous sustainability report verification process, the agency is able to foster transparency and accountability within company statements.

Striving For Transparency

Greenwashing, which tends to be unintentional, comes from unclear reporting. As the world’s first accredited company of its kind, Verify Agency takes on the role of confirming such company statements and ensuring everything is credible. This involves answering 50 questions that cover a company’s actions, future goals, and support for sustainable development. Verification goes beyond just stating policies; it ensures actions align with promises.

Certification vs. Verification of Claims

Though they’re occasionally lumped together, Vati understands the differences between certification and verification. While certification involves fulfilling specific requirements, verification assesses a company’s maturity level in sustainability. This transparency is important for investors and financial institutions as it allows them to evaluate a company’s legitimate commitment to and potential impact in sustainability.

The Tipping Point: When Will Businesses Take Sustainability Seriously?

In the final part of our interview, we asked Vati about the future of sustainability in business. She believes that we are at a tipping point, where businesses are starting to take environmental threats seriously and are making a commitment to building a global circular economy.

Vati cited three reasons for her optimism. 

First, she pointed to the increasing number of environmental challenges that we are facing, such as fires, floods, and hurricanes. These challenges are creating a burning platform for change, where businesses are starting to realize that they can no longer afford to ignore the issue of sustainability.

Second, Vati noted that there are a number of new regulations coming into the market that will force businesses to take action on sustainability. For example, the European Union has recently proposed a number of regulations that would require businesses to reduce their environmental impact significantly and start reporting on it. Better yet, this isn’t something exclusive to Europe, eventually the whole world will have to follow suit. 

Third, Vati highlighted the importance of leadership in driving sustainability. She pointed to the recent launch of the Inner Development Goals, a new framework for leadership that is focused on sustainability. Vati believes that this framework will help evolve future leaders to take action and be more aware of the importance of sustainability.

Despite the many challenges we face, Vati remains optimistic about the future of sustainability in business. She believes that we are at a very important tipping point, where businesses are starting to take environmental threats seriously and are making a commitment to building a global circular economy.

• Connect with Eva on Linkedin

• Give Verify Agency a follow

• Give Vati of Sweden a follow