The Nordic region’s leading business event for sustainable and organic products, Eco Life Scandinavia, has revealed its stellar speaker line-up for 2021. Returning to MalmöMässan on 17-18 November, a range of expert speakers will be discussing pertinent topics in the world of natural health and sustainable living – including proactive sustainable strategies, organic plant-based foods, consumer trends, and the effects of the pandemic on the self-care market.
Gunnel Åkerman (Group Chief Executive Officer at Life), and Mats Nilsson (Managing Director at Svensk Egenvård) will share their expert inside knowledge of the self-care market in Sweden, including the impact on VMS sales due to the covid pandemic, consumer behaviour and the future of the market.
During the pandemic, businesses around the globe have been forced adapt and change. Whilst it’s important for the economy to recover again, creating proactive solutions to the climate emergency is also a vital part of this conversation.
A senior member of Sproud International will take to the stage to discuss the urgency for company leaders to encourage a more sustainable food supply chain – in a session titled ‘Act now.’ And Per Løberg Eriksen, Head of Sustainability at Coop Norge SA, will talk about ‘Risk-based opportunities’ associated with sustainable practices.
“The three main takeaways from my session will be getting around the ‘we have to make money’ argument, defining opportunity and getting proactive on actually tackling sustainability,” says Løberg Eriksen.
Putting this into practice, Charlotta Szczepanowski (Quality & Sustainability Manager at Coop Sverige) will speak about Coop's Sustainability Declarations that cover ten different aspects, such as climate, biodiversity, water risks and working conditions. And through a different approach, Hannah Schragmann (Transparency Manager at Grow My Tree) will highlight the power of tree-planting against climate change and the role that businesses and individuals can play to be a part of this global momentum.
As an official climate partner of Grow My Tree, this year's show will be planting a tree for every attendee, via the organisation's tree adoption initiative.
Organic & plant-based
Plant-based food has been a hot topic in recent years, especially when it comes to conscious consumption – but can organic also play a part in this? Paul Holmbeck (Director, Holmbeck EcoConsult & IFOAM Board Member), Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl (Secretary-General, Vegetarian Society of Denmark) and Malina Andersson Lee (Sustainable Eating Specialist, Oatly AB) will discuss how ‘organic plant based’ is a more holistic solution for the planet, and how mostly non-organic plant-based foods may be ignoring both consumer wishes and environmental costs.
Spotlighting other health trends, Sebastian Koch (CEO & Co-Founder, completeorganics GmbH) will talk about the rise in the popularity of fermented foods – in particular, kimchi and how it can help support the gut microbiome positively and help build a stronger immune system.
Food waste to zero waste
Alireza Mobasheri (Business Area Manager, Social Enterprises Skåne City Mission) and Anne Lunde Dinesen (National coordinator, City Missions foodbanks) will discuss how food banks and social supermarkets can help combat hunger (2-4% of Swedes live in food poverty) and how this system may be able to halve food waste by 2030.
Rowan Drury (Founder, Gram Malmö) will walk through her own journey to living a more waste-free life and what prompted her to open Sweden’s first package-free store. She will dive into how the movement has grown over the last few years and the emerging trends for a more sustainable, circular and resource efficient way of selling food and household products.
To view the full seminar line-up, including dates and times, please visit www.ecolifeshow.com/education-2021.
Registration now open
Eco Life Scandinavia (co-located with Nordic Organic Food Fair) will return to MalmöMässan on the 17- 18 November 2021. The show will feature the best choice of organic food and drink, plant-based innovations, the latest natural health and beauty brands and sustainable living products. This makes it the perfect visit for thousands of key trade only buyers from leading health stores, pharmacy chains, wholesalers, distributors, importers, exporters, online retailers, independent retailers and supermarkets across Scandinavia.
To register for your free trade ticket, please visit www.ecolifeshow.com.
