That mindset was put into practice when Joy Davidson, Sustainability Manager at Thomas Concrete Inc., spent time with colleagues in Sweden. During her visit, she worked closely with Janna Karlsson, Product Developer Precast at Thomas Betong AB. Later, Janna visited Joy and her team in the U.S. By stepping into each other’s everyday work, both gained new perspectives on shared challenges and insights they could bring back to their own organizations.
During her time in Sweden, Joy focused on learning how the sales process works in the Swedish market. She gained a deeper understanding of how sales teams collaborate with prescribing customers, and how these relationships are shaped by different perspectives on where value is created.
She also learned how the Swedish team manages product GWP data for customers. As demand grows for project-level carbon reductions, this experience provided valuable input for ongoing work in the U.S. to review how data is structured and applied.
Beyond the professional insights, Joy emphasizes the importance of personal connections. Getting to know colleagues in other countries helps build trust and makes collaboration easier long after the visit has ended.
“Listening to each other and sharing our experiences, while making a real effort to understand different perspectives, gives us a much stronger starting point for building long-term and workable solutions,” says Joy. “I leave inspired and motivated to continue the dialogue, and with a much broader network of resources than before.”
Seeing the Bigger Picture
From Janna’s perspective, the visit to the U.S. offered a new view of how sustainability work supports the broader organization. She took part in discussions on EPDs, raw material development, and climate impact, and saw how closely these areas are linked to both technical development and business decisions.
One observation that stood out was how closely sustainability work is connected to sales. With the right knowledge and support, sustainability becomes a natural part of customer conversations rather than a separate topic. Janna also noted that EPD work involves several parts of the organization, helping to build shared understanding and collective responsibility.
“The most valuable thing I took home was seeing the bigger picture, and how sustainability, technical development, and business are connected in everyday work,” says Janna.
While market conditions and customer requirements differ between countries, these differences create opportunities for learning rather than obstacles. By sharing experiences and ways of working, the visits strengthened understanding and collaboration across the group.
These exchanges show what Knowledge Together means in practice. It is not about finding one single solution, but about learning from each other’s perspectives and building strength together.
