Mondi and IUFRO collaborate on sustainable business strategies
Forest science and business join forces to create a more sustainable future
Vienna, 18 July 2017 – Mondi, the international packaging and paper group, and IUFRO, the global network for forest science cooperation, will co-host an open dialogue at the IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress this September in Freiburg, Germany. The aim is to identify strategies and options for long-term structured collaboration between business and science towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mondi and IUFRO are both committed to the important role of business and science in advancing action towards sustainable development, especially to combat climate change and its impacts, conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable economic growth worldwide.
The IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress on 18-22 September 2017 in Freiburg will highlight the contribution of forest research to answering questions of global relevance in the past, present and future. A series of Science in Dialogue sessions will offer opportunities to strengthen the interaction between science and important national and international policymakers and stakeholders, and to build bridges to other sectors such as water and energy from local to global levels.
One of these sessions will be the Science meets Business dialogue on Tuesday, 19 September. It will focus on challenges faced in reaching the SDGs and consider how science can address the needs of the private sector. It will also examine whether there is a gap between the requirements of the private sector and the knowledge, skills and competences delivered by forest-related education.
Christian Skilich, Operations Services & Technical Director, Mondi Group will represent the forest-based private sector. He stated, “Mondi is actively collaborating with the scientific community and intends to support joint strategies and actions. We share with IUFRO a commitment to structured collaboration on global key challenges, such as climate change, sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources and product innovation. Our ‘Growing Responsibly’ model is closely aligned with the SDGs and we see value in collaborating with scientific experts to deliver these goals.”
Prof. Mike Wingfield, IUFRO President, confirms: “Business and industry are major players in promoting sustainable pathways. It is essential for science to effectively identify and address information requirements of business and industry in order to create science-based solutions for a sustainable future. Mondi and IUFRO, who coincidentally are neighbours in Vienna, jointly have the expertise, knowledge and capacity to contribute to identifying pathways for sustainable development and options for the way forward.”
The Science meets Business dialogue will feature a keynote speech by renowned Cambridge University Professor Bhaskar Vira that will set the scene and address interlinkages and trade-offs between SDGs. This will be followed by statements of three high-level panellists representing the forest-based, food and energy sectors, who will then engage in discussion with scientists and the audience.
This collaboration between business and science aims to create a platform for linking their perspectives on key sustainable development challenges and to identify opportunities for knowledge exchange and mutual learning among scientists, young professionals and business leaders.
Photos:
https://mondi.box.com/s/z4j7rhzwg89nsbsbzt526tsl4jgmhw7g
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO http://www.iufro.org/) is the only world‐wide organization devoted to forest research and related sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and individual scientists as well as decision‐making authorities and other stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress– Interconnecting Forests, Science and People: http://iufro2017.com/
For more information, please contact:
Ms Gerda Wolfrum
at +43-1-8770151-17 (Austria/CET), or
wolfrum@iufro.org
Contact:
Niki Fraiss, Senior Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: +43 1 79013 4059, Fax: +43 (0)1 79013 948
Email: Niki.Fraiss@mondigroup.com
About Mondi
We are Mondi: IN TOUCH EVERY DAY
Mondi is an international packaging and paper Group, employing around 25,000 people across more than 30 countries. Our key operations are located in central Europe, Russia, North America and South Africa. In 2016, Mondi had revenues of €6.7 billion and a return on capital employed of 20.3%.
We are fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain - from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and compound plastics, to developing effective and innovative industrial and consumer packaging solutions. With over 100 products customised into more than 100,000 solutions, we offer more than you may expect. Leading brands around the world rely on our innovative technologies and products across a variety of industries such as agriculture; automotive; building and construction; chemicals and dangerous goods; food and beverages; graphic and photographic; home and personal care; medical and pharmaceutical; office and professional printing; packaging and paper converting; pet care; retail and e-commerce; and shipping and transport.
We believe sustainable development makes good business sense. It's integral to our responsible and profitable growth, and embedded in everything we do, every day. We continue to look for ways to do more with less, promote the responsible management of ecosystems, develop and inspire our people, and enhance the value that our sustainable product solutions create.
Mondi has a dual listed company structure, with a primary listing on the JSE Limited for Mondi Limited under the ticker code MND and a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for Mondi plc, under the ticker code MNDI. We have been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2007.