The first few days in Stockholm have been very eventful and consisted of a lot of walking. The first two days were long since they mainly consisted of traveling and moving into our accommodations. We have been exploring the city and getting to know one another as we settle into this new place. So far, we’ve gone to dinner as a group and then did a scavenger hunt across the city, which was really fun and informative. I enjoyed hanging out with a new group of people and taking funny photos together as we went through each clue. This was also on the same day as the National Day of Sweden, which celebrates Sweden’s independence. There were so many activities going on across the city, like concerts, speeches, live band performances, and just a lot of people spending time outside. It was cool to see everyone out and about, enjoying the beautiful weather and celebrating their country.
I will be working in the sustainable retail and e-commerce industry. The company I am working for, Green Little Heart, functions as an ethical marketplace that promotes eco-friendly lifestyles through slow fashion and natural skincare that is produced with circular designs. Their sustainable and slow fashion designs consist of clothing that is either secondhand or made to order. Clothes that are made to order are specially made for customers by taking their measurements and producing personalized pieces as they are bought, instead of being made in a high quantity. Their natural skincare products consist of a range of certifications, which include being vegan, cruelty-free, organic, or plastic neutral.
They have a strong focus on working with companies that meet these sustainability standards and conduct extensive research to ensure these standards are upheld. I am interested in the sustainable retail industry because people will always need to buy these goods, and I want to promote sustainable ways and options to enjoy the goods that are being sold. Product production and waste have a heavy impact on the environment, and I think it’s important we try to find ways to reduce our impact on the world.
In order to be successful in this field, I think one of the most important skills required is an understanding of sustainable production and certifications for the products they sell. For a company to truly promote sustainable living, they need to be very critical about the companies they’re working with to ensure they’re meeting the certifications claimed. Being able to think critically about the research behind the companies is important, along with strong communication skills. The company hosts a lot of community events, such as workshops or live music shows, to spread their message of sustainable living and strengthen community relationships.
My position has a focus on community outreach and helping with these events, so this is a skill I will get to strengthen while I’m here. I think working in the sustainability field generally requires strong communication skills because you must be able to effectively share information and explain why people should care about living sustainably in the first place. This can range from sharing presentations about research findings to explaining why a sustainable option is better for a company in the long term. It is also heavily community-based and requires multiple people to get involved and try to make a change wherever possible. Environmental issues also impact different communities at varying levels, and being able to recognize who is being impacted and how you can help is important.
My host country has a strong sustainability culture and sustainable lifestyles are more common overall. I think some competencies that are necessary in Sweden are circular business modeling, customer education, and transparency. When it comes to circular business modeling it’s important to understand the entire lifecycle of the products being produced. The goal is to produce products that can be used long-term, repaired, and recycled. It’s about making the most out of what is being produced and not letting it go to waste before you can find another use for it.
Customer education is another important competency because if customers do not know where the item they’re buying is coming from or how it’s being produced, there is less care for this. When they are educated on where their products are coming from and the impact of them, then there is more desire to learn and understand what they’re consuming. This also plays into transparency, which strengthens trust between the company and customer. If the companies are holding themselves accountable during their production and sales, then customers are more trusting of what they’re being sold and feel the companies care for their consumers.
Overall, it’s very important to have a good understanding of circular business models, what sustainable production looks like, and strong communication professionally, plus with the community you are impacting.
