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Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure SDGs

How can social innovation be made truly transformative?

Social innovation is often touted as one of the key ways in which we can address various sustainability challenges. It is understood as an innovation process that can stretch the boundaries of creativity and flexibility to develop new and pragmatic solutions. While the concept and the process of social innovation are important tools for  societal […]

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Climate Action Decent Work and Economic Growth Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Partnerships for the Goals SDGs Sustainable Cities and Communities

Business model design for sustainability-as-flourishing

As we grapple with some of the biggest sustainability challenges of our times such as extreme poverty, climate crisis, pollution, increased inequalities, there is a clear need for organisations to rethink their business models and value logics to reflect the challenges and opportunities thus created.   In this episode of Sustainability Unwrapped, we delve deeper into novel business model design for sustainable development  […]

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Life Below Water Life on Land Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Reduced Inequalities Sustainable Cities and Communities

Green(ing) colonialism in Sámi territories

In recent years, different social and environmental justice movements have caused many to wake up to the injustice suffered by marginalized groups and made us aware of the struggle’s they face due to their identity, ethnicity, culture or pollution of their environment. Still, in much of the mainstream discussion there has been a lack of indigenous perspectives on these topics.   In this episode of Sustainability Unwrapped, we get an insight into the struggles of the Arctic Indigenous People of Europe, the Sámis, and how their way of life and livelihoods are endangered by government supported […]

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Decent Work and Economic Growth Gender Equality Reduced Inequalities

From the economy of work to the care economy

What would the world look like if women and men shared care equally? How do families and their situations sometimes ‘fall between two stools’ when they don’t fit the ‘norm’?  And how can their situation be addressed and improved?  Unpaid work is often referred to as care work outside of employment, meaning caring for children and other kin, but also other kinds of household work that often is invisible and not […]

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Decent Work and Economic Growth Gender Equality Good Health and Well-being Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure No Poverty Partnerships for the Goals Reduced Inequalities Responsible Consumption and Production

Is human rights a happy topic?

This blog is written by Greta Steenvoorden, a Doctoral candidate at the subject of Supply Chain and Social Responsibility at Hanken. Hanne Dumur-Laanila is a publisher of the text! Human rights impact of business activities is one of the hot topics of today. While the discussion has roots as far back as the times of Dutch East […]

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Good Health and Well-being Partnerships for the Goals Sustainable Cities and Communities

How can volunteering promote sustainability mindset?

Volunteering is defined as a free act of an individual or a group to give time and/or service to others. It’s about taking action for issues that feel important to oneself. Volunteering has often been criticized for being harmful in certain contexts or being motivated by egoism. While the former is problematic, is the latter […]

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Climate Action Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Partnerships for the Goals Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Responsible Consumption and Production Sustainable Cities and Communities

ESG investing, Institutional Investors, and Active Ownership

For many investors, the financial outcome of their investments is not their only objective. Some investors are also interested in the impact and role of their investments in promoting sustainability and responsible actions.   Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is a term for investments aiming for long-term positive impact on society and the environment with positive financial returns. For instance, the world’s largest asset manager BlackRock recently stated in their 2020 Letter to Our Clients that “sustainability should be our […]

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Climate Action Decent Work and Economic Growth Good Health and Well-being Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Reduced Inequalities Responsible Consumption and Production

What is the role of intellectual property in sustainable fashion?

One may think what has IPR to do with Sustainable Fashion. Well, fashion industry is an Intellectual Property (IP) intensive industry, that deals with plenty of creativity in the form of designs, fabric etc. However, historically, the global fashion industry has had to operate in a low-IP protection environment, especially when it comes to designs.  Fast fashion has benefitted hugely from the low-IP protection of the industry as it has been rather risk-free to knock-off designs of […]

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Affordable and Clean Energy Climate Action Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Partnerships for the Goals Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Sustainable Cities and Communities

Political Polarizations of Sustainability

What role would you think sustainability policies play in accentuating political division in your country? How has the question of peat energy become a polarizing issue in Finland and how does it relate to sustainability? What is the Finnish approach to bioeconomy and how sustainable is it?  We’re witnessing an increased geographical division of politics in many countries in Europe and North America, between the so-called liberal, metropolitan centres on […]

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Decent Work and Economic Growth Gender Equality Good Health and Well-being Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Reduced Inequalities Sustainable Cities and Communities Uncategorized

Is artificial intelligence fair, inclusive and ethical?

Imagine a robot running a recruitment process? Sounds like the solution we have been waiting for fair recruitment processes?  But wait…Can it really be free of bias? The answer is unfortunately not so simple and lies in the algorithms that are behind the artificial intelligence tools. As our lives become more and more intertwined with […]