{"id":2449,"date":"2014-08-05T14:13:09","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T14:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/axfoundation.se\/antonias-hallbara-historia-2\/"},"modified":"2023-10-17T16:57:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T14:57:59","slug":"antonias-sustainable-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.axfoundation.se\/en\/antonias-sustainable-story","title":{"rendered":"Antonia\u2019s Sustainable Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \"Antonia\n

Antonia Ax:son Johnson took over the family empire A. Johnson & Co. HAB in 1982.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

\n
\n

“The good company”<\/h2>\n
\n

Antonia Ax:son Johnson took over the family empire A. Johnson & Co. HAB in 1982. Already then, during the golden age of greed, she spoke about the \u201c<\/em>good company\u201d and of the corporate world as the greatest potential changing force in society. Not many people listened. Today, some decades later, concepts such as corporate social responsibility and sustainable development are spoken by every forward-thinking corporate leader.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

“In the beginning, when I had just taken over the family business, I often asked myself what my motivation was. Was it being responsible for a long-standing family business? Was it good balance sheets and income statements? Or were other values important? I soon realized that what motivated me was something more than economics.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

\n
\n

The Rio Conference as inspiration for change <\/h2>\n
\n

Antonia Ax:son Johnson began working specifically towards sustainable development within the corporate world when Percy Barnevik from ABB contacted her in 1989. Leading up to the major UN meeting Earth Summit, also known as the Rio Conference, the corporate world had been requested to submit ideas on environmental challenges and sustainable development. Forty prominent business leaders from around the world met in Holland, not really knowing how or where to begin, as the subject was new. Despite their initial confusion, the meeting ended up being successful and Antonia went home, inspired to make a change \u2013 home to a management team that had not yet caught on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe general attitude among the bosses was that business executives should not get involved in these issues. The very thought was considered bizarre. Rather, these were the responsibilities of society and the authorities. No one understood that businesses are very much part of society.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n