Sustainability training through e-learning

“Engaging e-learning tool will develop the industry towards sustainability”

Today, sustainability is no longer a trend, it´s a conscious and long-term strategy integrated into the core business. In addition to meet the global climate breakdown, sustainable entrepreneurship is about running businesses with the future in sight.
– In the sustainability work we are firmly convinced, that if we are to contribute we must do so together. Together means involving our customers, partners and stakeholders throughout the whole value chain. This is where our e-learning platform fits in, says Julien Boijmans, Sustainability Manager, at Kekkilä-BVB.

4 sustainable initiatives

Kekkilä-BVB has identified 4 sustainable initiatives based on the UN’s 17 global sustainability goals. One of our four initiatives, Flourishing people, includes a project using e-learning. To engage on the topic of sustainability customers are involved. Running the development of the e-learning platform Julien believes in systems being interactive. Knowledge exchange is central to meet the future and the system is one action among several.

– Through e-learning we offer training on our sustainable goals. We train in sustainable cultivation, show our products and discuss benefits with the different raw material we offer. This way we show action, filling the word sustainability with knowledge, Julien says.

Julien is the project manager of one of the 9 project teams taking the sustainability roadmap into action.

Creating insight for communication

The e-learning training is first offered internally with the ambition to guide employees. Their feedback on the content is very important and can be reported into the system.
-This way we learn from each other in an effective way, our salespeople for example have very valuable insights from our customers, Julien says.

By involving the employees, customers are involved.
– Sustainable cultivation means different things for our customers based on plants, local conditions and technical level in nurseries. Receiving feedback from customers about their challenges means everything, Julien says.

Advantages with a digital tool

A digital tool has many advantages. One advantage is that it is always available and that anyone who is interested can attend the training as many times he or she wishes. The biggest advantage is that it is interactive, we tell our story and then we ask questions. With the help of the answers we receive, we develop and learn.

– Thanks to the answers we receive, we can develop the courses and easily update the content in the tool, Julien says.

The tool structures information of what people are interested in. This way we can support people and invite them when we have something new to tell in their areas of interest.

Different global approaches on sustainability

Sustainability is about values. Customer conditions and cultivation globally looks very different. Of course, we know that the political agenda on sustainability looks different in different countries, comparing central and northern Europe, for example, with Latin America. However, the challenge is in creating profitable sustainability for each of our customers. And end customers have the power to drive the change.

– We are all part of a” push and pull” society. By “push” we mean that we know that climate breakdown is chasing us, there are facts no one can ignore. The question is who is driving the change? All of us in the value chain and also the end customers who have the power to create change, the “pull” effect. The industry must produce products the way that end consumers want to. And sustainability is an important aspect when people make choices, Julien says.

Questions about Sustainability training through e-learning? Contact Julien Boijmans