Human Nature 2025 – Time 

For the tenth time, Axfoundation had the pleasure of inviting a broad group of enablers to Human Nature – the event that flows between thoughts and flavors, sounds and theories. As always, the art of living and acting for a sustainable world was explored. The questions ranged from the eternal to the urgent: What can the evolution of the universe teach us about our actions today for a sustainable future? How do we create a new norm where sustainable behavior is second nature? And how can we find the time to hurry – and the peace to feel trust?

Thomas Hertog, physicist and author of On the Origin of Time, was a close collaborator of Stephen Hawking for many years. At the seminar, Hertog took us on a journey from the Big Bang to today’s climate challenges. With a new perspective on time, Hertog showed why we don’t just observe the future – we create it.  

Anab Jain is a Professor of Design Investigations at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and founder of the internationally acclaimed Superflux. Jain believes we can unleash our imagination and envision the future in a way that feels real. By doing so, we can turn uncertain future scenarios into concrete choices in the present. 

Madeleine Linins Mörner is the Program Director for Future Food at Axfoundation. Her research-based conclusion is clear: continuing to eat the way we do would be madness. The global food sector is responsible for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of biodiversity loss. But since we can’t stop eating, a better idea is to urgently change the way we produce and consume food.

Koen Thewissen works with behavioral design, cognitive psychology, and “nudging.” The name of the agency Thewissen founded, weareDaniel, is a tribute to Nobel Laureate in Economics, Daniel Kahneman. Using the metaphor of Snakes and Ladders – ladders as opportunities, snakes as setbacks – Thewissen argues that the world needs more activism. Fear and anger, he says, are necessary drivers for transformation. 

Tove Blomgren and Mikael Arman from EY Doberman/SALLY posed the question of what kind of future we want to help create – through a film from the future. With startling clarity, they showed where we’re headed if “business as usual” continues: an economy optimized for short-term gains and driven by an insatiable appetite for energy and natural resources. It’s up to us to treat the future as a radically urgent matter in the present. 

In a panel discussion, author, professor of ethics, and priest Elisabeth Gerle, lecturer and climate activist Andreas Magnusson, and Per Olsson, researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre, explored the need for a spiritual infrastructure in an uncertain world. Gerle observed, “The good we want to do, we do not,” concluding that we need each other not to lose hope. Reflecting on his time with Fridays for Future, Magnusson noted how adults projected their hope onto the youth while continuing with life as usual. He emphasized the importance of self-leadership and said we must “find our inner exponentiality.” Olsson spoke of a hospice for old ideas – a metaphor for acknowledging fear and polarization during the transition. Letting go is hard. But with respect and dignity, more people will come along. 

Five thinkers and doers each presented their ideas in just a few minutes – quick, inspiring glimpses into fresh thinking and concrete solutions! 

1. Climate Budget as a Creative Catalyst
   Magnus Åkerström, finalist in Sweden’s 2024 Chef of the Year competition, cooked a meal for six people with a strict budget of just 3 kg of CO₂ equivalents in the final round. The limitation served as a creative catalyst, and he encouraged guests to try it at home. 
2. Laghum Economy: A New Compass
   Stefan Krook, serial entrepreneur and Practitioner in Residence at the Stockholm School of Economics’ House of Innovation, wants to translate planetary boundaries into clear guidelines for the economic system. His book is coming soon. 
3. Remove Instead of Reinvent!
   Sara Renström, Senior Researcher at RISE and expert in exnovation, showed the way toward a sufficiency-oriented circular economy – focusing not on creating more, but on letting go of what no longer serves us. 
4. A New Forest Logic
   Fredrik Moberg, Co-Director at Albaeco, visualized the future of our forests through the fictional Beyond Woods annual report from 2050 – reimagining how forests can thrive in harmony with society and climate goals. 
5. Use the EU as a Lever!
   Alice Bah Kuhnke, Member of the European Parliament, intended to share tips on how to tap into the EU for driving change – but rather expressed disillusionment with the current state of day-to-day politics. 

The seminar portion concluded with a personal speech by Axfoundation’s founder, Antonia Ax:son Johnson. Drawing inspiration from The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry, Antonia shared her life journey, highlighting the moments that had been truly pivotal – both privately and for the Axel Johnson Group. 

She spoke of stepping into the role of Chair at age 30, a mother of four, when her father, Axel Johnson, fell ill. In her search for meaning in this leadership role, she found it in a flash of clarity – in the one and a half million customers they served each day. “We were impacting people’s lives – and we had to take responsibility for our products and services. We could become ‘the good company,’ with a greater and deeper purpose.” 

Another defining moment came during an encounter with a herd of elephants in South Africa. “I was filled with the sense that time may be our greatest gift. The moment of decision is now,” Antonia concluded, tying the seminar’s message together.