Since opening in 2008, our office has become one of Stockholm’s iconic coworking spaces for entrepreneurs and impact-oriented organizations by leveraging our culture of sustainability. Beginning as a co-working space for those working in change management, the five founders wanted to fill a gap and bring people working with a shared vision together.
The company’s mission continues to support and empower social entrepreneurs through curated networking and enabling collaborations. It offers impact entrepreneurs, freelancers, small business owners, and startups a dynamic community to engage with alongside a professional alternative to the traditional leasing agreement or cluttered home office. Members share open desks and meeting spaces, and only pay for what they use instead of paying a flat-rate for coworking of which they only use a limited amount.
To mark Impact Hub Stockholm’s twelve-year anniversary, the company established a new location together with real-estate developer Skandia Fastigheter, and sustainable furniture company European Furniture Group. The collaboration hopes to inspire a new vision for how workplaces can look when sustainability is considered from all aspects. From the outset, the three parties wanted to reflect their sustainability ethos in the facility’s physical nature, values and culture, and social impact. We believe that a successful business must thrive with a triple-bottom line – a vital economic model, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility.
During the second half of 2019, the 610 sq meter locale was stripped and refurbished with Cradle to Cradle® Bronze level certified carpeting, Oeko-Tex ® certified curtains, low-VOC paint recommended by the Asthma and Allergy Association that meets the Nordic Ecolabel’s environmental requirements, human-centered wireless lighting system, smart room sensors to reduce the environmental impact of energy usage, modular recycling bins made of MDF from certified forestry plus steel manufactured in Sweden from 20% recycled material and are 100% recyclable.
The lean luxury workplace is outfitted with furniture from our partner European Furniture Group (EFG). With roots from the forests of Småland, today the company is a leading European supplier of interior design solutions and keeps its manufacturing centred in its hometown of Tranås. EFG designs products with minimalist construction, versatile functionality and long lifecycles. With a “less is more” approach that minimises material consumption and material components, the manufacturer uses as many recycled materials as possible to create more circular products. While 85% of climate emissions generated by an item of furniture comes from the material, EFG’s circular approach reduces the climate impact by as much as 40% compared to buying a new item.
Today, we have minimised our office’s carbon footprint with 100% of electricity purchased from renewable sources. Suppliers are carefully selected based on criteria built upon social responsibility and environmental stewardship. We also support immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners who have been shown to employ more people, and yet continue to face greater challenges in the marketplace compared to native-born Swedes.
Now Impact Hub Stockholm’s office has been nominated for Sveriges Snyggaste Kontor (Sweden’s Most Attractive Office) 2020. We hope this marks a change by showing companies in Sweden that sustainability can be integrated into business operations at an even greater level than before. For us, this is just the beginning of what we want to achieve.
Are you interested in moving to a more sustainable workplace? Contact us via email to book a tour
AUTHOR:
Cathy Xiao Chen is the Head of Operations at Impact Hub Stockholm. With a passion for supporting social impact, she advises and connects changemakers with collaborators to maximize impact.