Crucible and networking meetings in April

Networking meeting at Festi

The holding company Festi, which operates Krónuna, Elko, N1 and Bakkann warehouses, invited Festi's member companies to a fun and informative networking meeting in April.

Ásta Sigríður Fjeldsted, CEO, Kolbeinn Finnsson, Managing Director of Operations, and Ásdís Björg Jónsdóttir, Director of Social and Quality Affairs, welcomed the guests. Festi, which has been a member of Festi since 2013, presented the focus, actions and challenges related to the group's sustainability journey, whose ambition in this regard has attracted attention in recent years. Ásta Sigríður Fjeldsted, CEO, Ásdís Björg Jónsdóttir, Director of Social and Quality Affairs, and Kolbeinn Finnsson, Managing Director of Operations, told us about this. Festi's and its operating companies' sustainability strategy is based on Nasdaq's international standards for UFS, TCFD risk analysis and EU Taxonomy. They also aim to shape themselves into the scientific criteria for corporate climate goals, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). A few examples of Festi's sustainability goals are carbon neutrality, sustainability-based supplier assessment, increased investments in green energy solutions, certified new afforestation registered in the Climate Registry, and employee training tailored to the company's multinational group, which employs 56 nationalities. Festi's sustainability report was then certified by Deloitte, even though it is not yet a legal requirement, but it will nevertheless prepare the group for the upcoming European Union CSRD directive on sustainability reporting. As always at Networking Meetings, the member companies had a lively and informative conversation about the various aspects of sustainability in operations.

Crucible meeting on the social aspect of EU taxonomy

Festa member companies met on April 18th at an electronic Deigla meeting where the topic of discussion was the social aspect of sustainability and the EU taxonomy. Arnar Sveinn Harðarson, lawyer and representative at LOGOS Law Firm, gave us an insight into the legislation currently being processed by the EU and relating to the social aspects of companies' sustainability journey – the EU Social Taxonomy. This is legislation that will have a major impact in the near future.

Sara Dögg Svanhildardótti from Þroskahjálp informed us about the opportunities and resources available to companies when it comes to hiring individuals with disabilities and/or reduced work capacity and the appropriate accommodation that is required by law and the United Nations Convention. We then received inspiration from three different and varying sized Festa member organizations that have addressed these issues with distinction:

VAXA í farsælu samstarfi við Vinnumálastofnun og Reykjavíkurborg hefur ráðið til sín 10 kraftmikla einstaklinga sem flest hafa nú starfað í nokkurn tíma hjá fyrirtækinu. Um er að ræða flóttafólk sem kom til landsins síðustu ár og hefur auðgað vinnustaðinn til muna. Hjá VAXA starfa nú 11 þjóðerni. Hólmfríður Kristín Árnadóttir frá VAXA sagði frá þessu.
 
Guðrún Aðalsteinsdóttir, framkvæmdastjóri Króununnar, kynnti þau skýru markmið og aðgerðaáætlun Krónunnar þegar kemur að því að „jafna leikinn” í tengslum við m.a. starfsfólk sem er af erlendum uppruna. Til að jafna leikinn eru mikilvægt að vera „meðvituð um sína eigin ómeðvituðu hlutdrægni”. Dæmi um það sem þessi stefna hefur skilað er fjölgun á kvenkyns og hinsegin verslunarstjórum og einnig verslunarstjórum af erlendum uppruna. „Við vitum að það er ákvörðun að jafna leikinn og veita fólki jöfn tækifæri” eru orð sem kjarna þessa stefnu vel.

Marel er með stefnu um fjölbreytileika og þátttöku og hlutur af því er m.a. þjálfa starfsfólk til þess að vera meðvitað um „fjölbreytileika í allri sinni mynd.“ Hjá Marel er sérstakt stöðugildi sem heldur utan um þessi mál. Markmiðið er að allt starfsfólk upplifi að það sé metið að verðleikum og taki þátt. Hildur Arnars Ólafsdóttir, mannauðstjóri Marel sagði okkur frá þessu.