Xwander Nordic is sustainable because it has always wanted to be. We covered compensating in our last blog post. Underlining the achievability of sustainability, and how big companies can become greener, step by step. This isn’t the end however. Sustainability is exactly that, sustainable.
For us to achieve our goal of a healthier planet we need to maintain course. Sustainability in business has far greater benefits than simply saving the planet. (Not that saving the planet is simple by any means) When big companies become green, it is because hurdles placed in their way by tougher regulations have been overcome by superior engineering. The superior engineering is passed down to the general public, inspiring the minds of the next generation to become even more innovative and help big companies become even more green. This is the mission of sustainability. But it does not start with big companies. It starts with you and I.
Let’s compartmentalise the big picture. Imagine a big company. They have many people depending on them to make money. Their staff, investors, shareholders, the tax man… the list goes on. Now imagine there is no pressure to become green or consider the environment. Why would they change? Why would they throw millions of moneys to R&D for something they’re not under pressure to do? We have to be that reason. As the public, we have to hold companies and organisations accountable. We can do this through protesting. We can also do this by championing our small businesses to lead the way.
This is Xwander Nordic’s ambition. To us, sustainability isn’t a business model; it’s a way of life. As kids, we here were all taught the importance of not picking all the berries from the forest. We have to share them with the animals or else they starve. If they starve then the things that eat them starve too.
We were taught to release fish, too small for catching, back to the water. Small fish may not have yet reproduced. If we eat all the babies then there will be no new adults to make new fish. We’ve all heard this before, “circle of life” “ecosystems”. They’re not just coin words but in fact real, actions of the natural world. At Xwander Nordic we take this to the next level. We don’t wish to simply abide by regulation and hold the burden of being green, to compensate for larger companies. No. We wish to actively push the boundaries of what big companies can get away with.
We aspire to tighten the belt of the big companies, forcing them to make change. The more hurdles in their way, the quicker they must act to adapt and survive.
How do we do this?
Xwander Nordic is a zero plastic company. We’re ambassadors of the recycling movement. We source exclusively from local companies and local providers. We only outsource when we absolutely have to. We support local farmers and reindeer herders, and other small businesses. As a DMC we provide tourism exclusively to authentic, local providers. We offer low emission activities and over contribute our carbon footprint through compensate.com aiming for carbon negativity. We contribute to reforestation. And we cooperate with the Finnish national park authorities, helping to support and protect Finnish wildlife and its habitats. We want to share our passion and love towards our beautiful nature and educate our clients about how to enjoy it responsibly.
We have no delusions of grandeur. We know that (alone) we won’t change the world but we know our place in it, and the advantages this has. We’re in a situation where we can set an example. We’re in a position to inspire others to do the same. We’re not the first small business in the world to be in this position but we are willing to try the hardest.
But we don’t want to be alone. We don’t want to be the lone voice screaming into the abyss. We’re not! And not by a long way! However, if we don’t act to inspire, then we remain too small to make a big difference.