Luxembourg Sustainability Forum 2023 Addresses 5 Themes

On Thursday 26 September 2023, IMS Luxembourg organised the 12th Luxembourg Sustainability Forum: BEHIND THE SCENES - Acting for Real Change, attracting over 400 people in total. 

The must-attend event in terms of sustainable development in Luxembourg, organised each year by the IMS team, took a look behind the scenes of our economic life. Eating, dressing, travelling, working... these actions all hold tremendous potential for moving us towards a desirable future. Citizens and businesses alike are on the front line of change to address the challenge of “sustainable consumption and production”. 

In all, more than 400 people attended this afternoon’s event, 150 of them in person. Between set changes, actors’ improvisations and dance immersions with the artistic and activist collective Minuit 12, the presentations followed on five themes: Behind Your Water, Behind Your Travel, Behind Your Style, Behind Your Food and Behind Your Job.

“By working with dance, with the body, it’s a message that’s all the more direct because the body is our primary tool for dealing with all these climatic changes. When it’s 40 degrees, when there’s no water, when there’s drought in the south or at the other end of the world, it’s in our flesh that we’re affected, hence the importance of dance, the body and images” stated Justine Sène, Collectif Minuit 12.

Charlènes Descollonges, a Hydrological Engineer, spoke throughout the afternoon to highlight one's impact and dependence on water in all the economic aspects of our lives. “Soil is an incredible reservoir of water [...] I discovered that since 1999, the Luxembourg Space Observatory has calculated that every day 5,000 m2 are artificialised. In two days, that’s the equivalent of the surface area of the car park next to us. A tarmac surface cannot infiltrate rainwater, recharge aquifers and then run off into rivers.”  

The event then turned to slow travel with Peigi Rodan, Ben Lynam and Felipe Koch. “Tourism is a major emitter of greenhouse gases, particularly air traffic. The current trend is for 4% of flights to be long-haul, representing 40% of total emissions from the tourism sector... We must slow down this growth or even decrease air traffic to limit greenhouse gas emissions” stated Ben Lynam, Head of Communications, The Travel Foundation.

In a fashion show like no other, Esra Tat, Joy Hellers, Elisabeth Adame, Bert Von Son and Kiki Boreel discussed the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry and possible solutions. Six models of all ages and looks wore second-hand or upcycled outfits, proving that it is perfectly possible to have everyday style without buying new clothes, given that we have already produced enough clothes for everyone until 2100.

IMS, in partnership with the Spënchen association, is launching a call for action among the member companies of the IMS Luxembourg network to collect as many items of clothing as possible from employees during November. Click here to organise a collection. https://imslux.lu/eng/news/602_clothing-collection-campaign-with-ims-and-spenchen-asbl

Chef René Mathieu whetted attendees' appetites with three vegan dishes presented during the Behind Your Food session, which focused on rethinking food systems, fighting food waste and moving towards regenerative agriculture. The discussions with Jean Muller, Julia Gregor, Chuck de Liedekerke and Thomas Uthayakumar ended with a focus on the food of the future: moving towards small quantities, a more authentic, more varied, nutritious and plant-based diet.

Disconnection and loss of meaning at work, work-life balance and rethinking the role of work were just some of the questions raised in the Behind Your Job session at the end of the afternoon. At the heart of this exchange between Pierre-Éric Sutter, Saskia Rotshuizen, Gwaldys Costant, and Gabrielle Pastel were discussions on the importance of the mission carried out by companies and the alignment with employees’ values. 

Some of the solutions put forward were to rediscover the meaning of existence, to question the reasons for our actions and our commitment, and above all, the responsibility borne by companies. This need for commitment, highlighted for example by the B Corp movement, or the possibility of focusing on human values, creating communities for projects that give satisfaction, recognition and a sense of belonging are other avenues to be explored. The company is an essential place for shaking things up and restoring the more tangible hope of a common movement? 

“Companies must be exemplary. It’s not a question of acquiring talent but of retaining talent. What makes me stay with a company? Alignment. The alignment between what has been said and what is actually happening." stated Gabrielle Pastel, Youth Forever.