S1 Ep 6: The ESG trend, digitalization in sustainable development and diversity learnings from Finland, with Milla-Mari Vastavuo

How will the ESG trend impact diversity in the future? How can digitalization foster sustainable development and change diversity in our society? How digitalized are companies in Finland? In this episode, I chat with Milla-Mari Vastavuo on her journey into the field of sustainability and her current work in the biofuels industry based in Finland. We talk about the ESG trend, the regulatory changes in the EU, and how it will impact diversity in the future. We talk about the important of balancing all three aspects of Environment, Social and Governance factors when prioritizing sustainable development goals, having transparent discussions and communication about targets. We also discuss the challenges in measuring social targets, whether quotas foster real equality or not, how digitalization helps to communicate with diverse groups of people, and ultimately how do we make the diversity movement sustainable. We end the conversation on some reflection on career paths, goals and individual journeys. Milla-Mari Vastavuo is a Senior sustainability specialist at UPM Biofuels, a forest products company based in Finland. She holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental management from Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering. Before joining UPM in 2018, she has lived in Japan and in the US. Links and mentions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milla-mari-vastavuo-a0909a76/ Listen to the podcast on other platforms: https//adyakumar.com/links Connect with me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.dd.podcast