LAURA GALDIKIENE
Senior Economist at Swedbank Lithuania
Laura Galdikienė graduated from the University of Amsterdam with a master’s degree in Economics. Her main activity is related to the analysis and forecasting of economic trends in Lithuania and the euro-area. She is also interested in digitization and technological change, sustainable development, gender and income inequality. Laura Galdikienė analyses the impact of these phenomena on the economy, the labour market, social policy and provides recommendations for the implementation of policy measures.
Sustainable business is going mainstream worldwide. Demand for environmentally friendly products and services are growing, as well as socially responsible investments, especially among millennials. There is also a push from new regulations and global arrangements (e.g., the Paris climate agreement). New business/investment opportunities in many sectors are being created as a result – renewable energy capacity is expanding, electric cars are soon to be the norm, big data are used for sustainability ratings of companies, and new finance instruments are being developed.
A new push and a framework to tackle climate change and social challenges globally are also coming from the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by the world leaders and came into force in January 2016. Swedbank has developed a new methodology, Sustainability Indicators, to monitor the progress towards the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim is to assess long-run sustainability in Sweden and the Baltics and to see where the biggest potential for improvement is.
“In today’s Lithuania, the subject of sustainable development is still not a matter of concern, but I am convinced that the sustainable development will become a more important subject of discussion in the face of global social and ecological challenges,” says Laura Galdikienė.
