Kaj Embren
A sustainability expert with over 30 years’ experience, I specialise in providing businesses, governments and global organisations with innovative communications strategies that drive growth and build influence. My professional network spans CEOs, political leaders at all levels of government, digital influencers and thought leaders across a variety of sectors.
As the CEO of Respect, a sustainability consultancy I co-founded in 2000, I oversaw the creation of the Business Leaders’ Initiative on Climate Change (BLICC), one of the first major cross-industry networks committed to reducing corporations’ climate impact. Alongside a wide range of EU representatives and NGOs, participants included McDonalds, IKEA, DHL, The Body Shop, Maersk, Fortum, Stora Enso, Interface, and Triodos Bank. Today, BLICC continues to operate under the name HAGA Initiative.
I also worked closely with The Natural Step Foundation (TNS), an NGO that in the 1990s developed the influential “four system conditions” principle for sustainable societies. As part of the organisation’s leadership team, I helped establish a global framework that has since been used by large corporations like IKEA and DHL, as well as legislators and policymakers around the world.
Elsewhere, I developed the Sustainable City Concept for the Stockholm/London partnership that resulted in Stockholm joining C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (then known as the C20 Cities Network) in 2005. I also helped introduce the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol in China alongside the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD) in 2006.
Ahead of the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, I developed The Road to Copenhagen, an initiative that mobilised business leaders and politicians. The programme was actively supported by world leaders including former Irish president Mary Robinson, former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and then-Vice-President of the European Commission Margot Wallström, as well as an array of climate-progressive companies.
Since 2010 I have been working as a senior adviser and coach to business leaders in the carbon market, including executives at the Swedish energy provider Stockholm Exergi, Ragn-Sells Group and WRI, as well as the organizers of events like and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and Crowdsourcing Week.
In 2021, I launched the podcast “Transformers: The Sustainability Changemakers,” for which I’ve hosted in-depth discussions with more than 50 leaders from across the private, public and non-governmental sectors.
My professional services also include facilitation, content development, social media strategy, podcast production and video marketing for the likes of Reuters’ ESG Investment Europe, C40 Cities, AIPH World Green City Awards and Tetra Pak.
Kaj Embrén
Flat 83, 130 Webber Street, SE1 0JP, London, UK
+44 7400538926. +46 703982211
E-Mail: kaj@embren.com
Languages: Swedish (native), English (fluent)
Social media:
With presence on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, I have a combined social media following of over 100,000. My podcast “Transformers” has 50,000 listeners across Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, as well as via my website www.kajembren.org.
Last year, I was named the EU’s number 1 social media influencer in the fields of energy, climate and food by Brussels-based ZN Consulting.
Website: www.kajembren.org
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/KajEmbren (82,400 followers)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kajembren
A Values Based Consultancy Specialized in Sustainability
Created one of the first Business Leaders’ Initiative on Climate Change – BLICC . Alongside a wide range of EU representatives and NGOs, participating corporations included McDonalds, Stora Enso, Interface, IKEA, DHL, The Body Shop, Fortum, Maersk and the Triodos Bank. BLICC continues to operate to the present date under the name of HAGA-Initiative.
Created the RespectTable Europe to plan climate responses for business and governments– involving only CEOs of large corporations such as IKEA, IVECO, DHL, Interface and The Body Shop among others; and the then EU Commissioner of the Environment Margot Wallström. CEOs met regularly through the Respect Table grouping to discuss climate strategy and how to incorporate changes into their business in a friendly and informal basis. (2000- 2007)
Developed “The Road to Copenhagen” an initiative to mobilise business leaders and politicians for the Climate Summit in Copenhagen in 2009. The programme actively involved three world leaders: Mary Robinson, Margot Wallstrom and GroHarlenBruntland and climate progressive companies who were part of RespectTable, BLICCand well as Volvo Trucks.
Helped develop the Sustainable City Concept for the Stockholm/London partnership in 2007 that resulted in Stockholm joining C40 that at that time was called C20.
Introduced the GHG-protocolin China with WRI in Beijing 2006 during the China Business Council for Sustainable Development.