Scottish Wholesale Association appoints Ylva Haglund as head of sustainability & engagement

The Scottish Wholesale Association has appointed Ylva Haglund as its new head of sustainability and engagement.

Haglund has previously held high-profile positions at several environmental charities including Keep Scotland Beautiful and Scottish Environment Link, where she focused on policy implementation and visibility.

She joins SWA after most recently holding the position of campaigns manager at Zero Waste Scotland.

In this role she was in charge of the prevention of consumer food waste, as well as changing attitudes through the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

She is currently a member of the European Commission expert group on food waste.

In her new role, Haglund will be responsible for supporting SWA members with knowledge and resources to overcome challenges in the drive towards net zero.

Additionally, Haglund will focus on the SWA’s ‘Decarbonisation of the Wholesale Industry’ project and deliver a communications strategy to improve engagement.

“This is a key role for us and confirmation of our commitment to our members and sector in exploring opportunities and finding solutions to make our industry cleaner and greener,” said SWA CEO Colin Smith.

“Ylva has an impressive track record and is well-placed to help our members on their journey to incorporate a just transition to new technologies as they decarbonise their businesses and meet environmental and sustainability targets.”

Haglund said: “The prospect of joining such a forward-thinking trade association and leading on sustainability and environmental issues affecting the Scottish and wider UK wholesale industry is hugely exciting for me.

“I will use my experience to help our wholesalers achieve their ambitions as we accelerate the transition to net zero and progress towards a circular economy.

“I’m looking forward to meeting members and working with them as we move on from the pandemic and make plans for the future.”

The appointment comes as the SWA were recently invited by the Scottish government to sit on the new Zero Emission Truck Taskforce.