– We have given up projects, we do not want to make money with something that we believe is immoral – E24

– Yes, I sleep well at night! This is ambitious, but achievable.

The 34-year-old laughs inside the bright, minimalist office of the outdoor furniture company he inherited when his father fell ill and died in 2012.

At the age of 25, just a year after he himself survived the terrorist’s bullets in Utøya, he had to put aside his law studies and political career.

The transmission of inheritance from grandfather and father was more important.

– I came to the conclusion that in order to do a good job, the Vestre company must be, above all, a tool to change the world, he says.

– It is political in a lot, you do not have to work as a politician to change society, you can also do it in business. If he hadn’t seen exactly that opportunity, it probably would have been difficult to take over, he admits.

They failed to discuss generational handover in detail until it was too late, but she did manage to tell her father that she wanted to take over.

– I remember my dad was very happy. It gave me energy to think “rather the south, I have to do this.”

And what will it achieve? How should the company he runs, as he puts it, change the world neighborhood by neighborhood?

– Our goal is for us to be known as the most sustainable furniture manufacturer in the world. This means that we must be five to ten years ahead of the current regulatory framework, the market and the competitors. So it goes without saying that some of the measures we implement in the short term are more expensive, but we believe they will pay off in the long term.

He admits:

– It has a cost on the bottom line. We don’t do it because of Vestre’s quarterly results, although of course we should be profitable, and those who work here should be able to get a good night’s sleep.

Said no to millions of contracts

But despite opinions, visions and measurements beyond the purely financial, the company also generates results.

Under Jan Christian’s leadership, Vestre has expanded globally. Productivity at the existing factory in Sweden has doubled, total sales have tripled. Now a new factory must be built to further increase capacity.

– We have achieved this without moving a single industrial workplace outside of Norway and Sweden, two high cost countries. and yet we offer a pretty good return. It is not a fact that the more you focus on profitability, the more profitable you will be. If you follow your heart and do what is most important to the world, perhaps the payoff will come by itself? I think we are an example of that.

And Jan Christian Vestre himself is the first example of diploma winners in this year’s E24 Leadership Talents award.

More than 650 names were included in this year’s stack, which have evaluated various stages of selection. The main winner will be announced during a television broadcast on E24 and VGTV on Wednesday, January 6, but in the days leading up to this session, the winners of all seven sub-categories will be revealed. First, in the new category of the year, there is, then, “sustainability of the year”, Jan Christian Vestre.

– This is a team winner. We are proud to be able to share what we have achieved and, at the same time, be open about what we have not yet achieved. Maybe we can inspire others? If Vestre can do it, others can do it too, he says.

– We may have a more pragmatic view of profitability, and especially short-term profitability, than many other companies. Being family owned and deciding for ourselves helps. Some projects are not profitable in the short term, but we think it is important because it gives an ecological foothold and steers the world in the right direction, says the category winner.

– I think that several sustainability projects slow down if we believe that we can use the same economic models that we have always done, because these do not necessarily take into account that the world is going through the biggest change in history, that is, green.

Give a specific example: Vestre uses a lot of metal in production, especially steel and aluminum.

– With simple steps, we could decorate our end result quite well by buying cheap steel from China or Eastern Europe, but our policy is to always find the most environmentally friendly alternatives. Steel from Sweden’s SSAB has 30% less greenhouse gas emissions, but costs 15% more. It goes straight to our bottom line. We believe it is worth it, because we need symbolic power and we must push the steel industry to fight for the greenest possible solutions. Someone has to move on. I hope this is the new standard, and then the costs for those that follow will also decrease. This is always the case with new things that change the world.

Vestre has also distinguished itself by saying no to the lucrative treaties of the crown which include the so-called “hostile architecture”.

– That is, benches where the armrests are very close together, which should prevent the homeless from sleeping there. It is not that common in Norway, but you see it abroad. In the West we say that if we have created a society where people do not have a roof over their heads, then we must solve this social problem politically, not with physical obstacles. We deny this. We have talked about projects, that is, for the most part, that have cost us millions of crowns, but we do not want to make money with something that we are immoral, and I think that people are proud of their workplace when they work in a place that is stands out. for some values.

Green «extra bill»

The most important weapon in achieving the eco-sustainability goal is the new NOK 300 million production facility, which, if all goes according to plan, will be ready by Christmas next year.

It is literally located in the forest of Magnor, near the existing factory in Torsby in Värmland, close to Sweden and the company’s largest market in the EU. Plus, as the factory is called, is the largest investment in the Norwegian furniture industry in many decades.

– It is the most ecological furniture factory in the world, and that is not something that I say, it can be documented. We can’t create excitement, so it turns out that it’s half-shows that we bring. You have to walk with the word. We could handle the increased capacity in other, much cheaper ways. The cost of building as green as we are is an additional NOK 60-70 million. Yes, it’s expensive on the wallet, but incredibly good for the environment.

55 percent less CO2 emissions, 90 percent less energy needs, 90 percent of process water is recycled.

– What did your father say?

“Good question, he probably liked it.” He thought new things were exciting. Perhaps you had thought the “moment” was exciting? We decided this in the biggest economic recession the world has experienced since the 1930s, but we think waiting is the right decision.

Survived the terror of Utøya

He worked at the Storting as an adviser to the Labor Party when his father died. The previous year something more fateful happened that also affected Vestre’s life.

He was among those who were in Utøya on July 22, 2011, but escaped the bullets of the terrorist.

I don’t think about Utøya much anymore in everyday life, but several years passed where I thought about it almost daily. I do not please anyone in having to face the unspeakable fears we had out there.

He is now out of politics, but has been chairman of the board for the Utøya reconstruction project.

– The island has become one of the most important places in Europe to combat extremism. A place of learning where young people of all stripes, not just those from the AUF, can discuss democracy, freedom of expression and how we can fight hatred and violence. Utøya has become everything the perpetrator did not want her to be.

He himself says that what he experienced on a rainy summer day by the Tyrifjord nine years ago, perhaps to a greater extent than he first realized, has affected his work in the West.

– Utøya may have led Vestre to worry more about the social mission. The most important tool we have in the fight against terrorism and exclusion is working with attitudes. To counteract polarization, alienation, us / them thinking, create small and large communities for people to be seen and be part of the great us. And that’s what the West is all about: bringing people together in urban and rural spaces around the world, one neighborhood at a time.

That’s why Jan Christian Vestre calls “sustainability of the year”:

The reasoning of the jury: Jan Christian Vestre took over the family business, furniture manufacturer Vestre, at the age of 25. Since then, the company has seen strong growth, production at the company’s factory in Torsby in Sweden has increased by 50 percent and total sales have tripled.
Vestre has a zero vision of climate emissions, combines social and climate sustainability, has the ambitious goal of creating a sustainable industrial company and makes significant investments in digitization to achieve this. Jan Christian Vestre describes himself as a completely unique unifying and visionary leader.
He is widely recognized for his contributions to public debate, as chairman of the board for the rebuilding of Utøya after July 22, and for his work to further develop a sustainable export business.