Education is a key part of VBG Group's sustainability journey

To facilitate the sustainability journey, VBG Group has invested in commissioned training for its employees. Photo: Pexels

The international industrial group VBG Group operates in 15 countries and is perhaps best known for its trailer couplings for transport vehicles. In 2020, the group initiated a deliberate sustainability effort, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption from its facilities by 50% by 2030. The current focus is primarily on building knowledge and infrastructure to help achieve these goals.

"We joined the UN Global Compact in 2022, committing us to actively work on sustainability and to report our progress annually to the UN. As a Swedish company, we adhere to Swedish legislation, no matter which country we operate in," explains Christina Holgerson.

Different perspectives on sustainability

"One major challenge is that our employees live and work in countries with varying levels of maturity regarding sustainability. We have 2,000 employees and understanding of this work can differ greatly between countries. Therefore, it's crucial to build knowledge so that all staff have a unified platform to rely on," says Christina.

To find a solution that fits the group's organizational structure and specific needs, VBG Group chose to tailor a commissioned training program in collaboration with University West.

"We have collaborated with the university previously, so the choice was natural. For us, it's important to use high-quality, research-based education.,” explains Christina.

Training for specific roles

Since autumn 2022, University West and VBG Group have conducted six online courses with a total of approximately 120 participants and four in-person courses focusing on sales for about 60 employees in direct contact with customers. Participants work in different regions, including the Nordics, other parts of Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. The courses have provided participants with new knowledge on topics ranging from the UN's sustainable development goals, life cycle analysis, and circular economy, to the environmental impacts of material extraction and transportation.

“In the longer online training, we’ve had a mix of purchasers, product developers, managers, and sales staff. Each of them can, in different ways, impact and contribute to our sustainability work,” says Christina.

Tailored course content

The diverse professional roles, nationalities, and knowledge levels of participants have led lecturer Claes Fredriksson to adapt the course content for each session.
"It can be a challenge to find the right perspective when participants have varying levels of foundational knowledge and different views on sustainability work. Therefore, before each course session, we prepared examples and contexts related to the participants' countries and the conditions there," says Claes Fredriksson, associate professor in Materials Science who researches and teaches in environmental and sustainability issues.

Cost-effective solution

The training concluded earlier this year, and evaluations show that participants gained new knowledge and insights into sustainability work.
“Participants appreciated that the structure allowed them to balance their studies with work. Now more employees want to take the course, so there may be a continuation. Conducting the courses online is a cost-effective and convenient solution,” says Christina.

“The training is an important investment. In addition to providing us with a shared platform of knowledge, it gives us a common ‘language’ for discussing our sustainability work, and it also creates networks within the company that are valuable to our sustainability journey,” says Christina.

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The commissioned training that VBG Group undertook is based on University West’s course, Introduction to Sustainability in Industrial Production, which is part of the university’s regular course offerings and is open to the public.

Interested in commissioned training? Contact Ingrid Elison, University West

Learn more about VBG Group's initiative in previously published article (in Swedish)