Nordvest Stories: Lovis Engel and B Lab Nordics in the Garage

When I started my blog back in March, something else was also opening in Nordvest: Thoravej29, the community space that decided to celebrate its launch with 29 days of events. A lot of those events were in Danish, but I managed to find a couple where language wasn’t a barrier. One was a Monday morning dance party at 7am — and honestly, it was the best start to a week I’ve ever had (more of that, please!). The other was a run/walk with B Corps (catered afterward by Meyers with some BMOs, of course). I was glad I chose the walking group rather than running, because it meant I could actually talk to people along the way. That’s how I ended up chatting with Gitte, Manager at B Lab Nordics. A few months later, when I was looking for people to talk to about life and work in the neighborhood, she connected me with her colleague and fellow Nordvest fan, Lovis Engel.

The Past

Lovis is the first full-time employee at B Lab Nordics, the organization behind the B Corp movement in the Nordics. If you’re not familiar, B Lab’s mission is “to create a more just, equitable and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet.” In short: they certify companies that are serious about balancing profit with purpose, not just saying the right words.

He first came across the whole B Corp idea while working at the BMW Foundation, before heading to CBS to study Diversity and Change Management with a minor in social studies and finance. His thesis ended up being about a German fintech company that had already been B Corp certified. Back then, there weren’t many B Corps in Denmark, which made him curious about who was pushing this movement forward in the Nordics. Through oikos, a student sustainability organization, he heard about an internship to build the B Corp movement in the Nordics.

When it was time for B Lab Nordics’ first own office in 2024, Lovis made sure to also include looking at places in Nordvest: The area of Copenhagen he lived in during lockdown: Where he ran, cycled around Utterslev Mose, biked down Frederiksundsvej and did many other activities. After moving, he now misses the bazaars and the mix of languages — the kind of everyday encounters he doesn’t find in other neighborhoods.

Through a friend, B Lab stumbled across Demokrati Garage, and it just felt right. “We love the project and there are so many cool initiatives here,” Lovis said. “The co-working really works well in the sense that you’re building a community. And this is a big part of our movement as well.”

Their office is literally a former storage room. They painted the floor, built it up themselves. “Not perfect, but very hands on.” Which, honestly, could be B Lab’s tagline. People often wander in — sometimes looking for the bathroom, sometimes curious after spotting the logo while grabbing a coffee at Flere Fugle. And that’s exactly what they wanted: visibility, openness, a human face. They even host onboarding sessions here so companies don’t feel like they’re dealing with a faceless global organization.

“We felt like this is the amazing spot of being part of a community, but also being part of the culture.” Lovis told me. And then he added something I loved: “In the business realm, people are often pretending to be something they’re not. And I felt it was quite unique about this place that you don’t have to pretend in a way.”

The Present

Even though he doesn’t live in Nordvest anymore, Lovis is still here most days — for work, for coffee, for walks. He calls it “little Nørrebro” — diverse and buzzing, but not overly polished. “It’s up and coming. It’s not perfect yet, but in that sense, it feels like home.”

He still wanders the bazaars, which he loves for the little surprises. “These kind of things wouldn’t just happen if you go to Føtex, where everything is always the same.” His go-to spots are Flere Fugle and its sister café Fovl, and he discovered Storm B when it was opposite of his local Covid test center. Utterslev Mose is still his place for a walk-and-talk.

At work, Lovis is the first point of contact for companies across the Nordics who want to get certified. He explains the standards, helps them through the review process, figures out risks and eligibility. Behind the scenes, he’s also the bridge between B Lab Global, B Lab Europe, and the Nordic companies — making sure big-picture updates actually land in the local markets.

Most of the certified companies are still in Denmark, but Lovis has his eye on the smaller markets (in terms of current B Corps) too: Sweden, Norway, even Iceland (where there are just two so far). Balancing that — supporting the stronger Danish network while trying to grow the others — is part of his daily work.

And travel is part of it, too. Whenever possible, he chooses the train over flying when he needs to visit B Lab’s offices across Europe. “I could talk for hours about train infrastructure in Europe,” he admitted, sharing a documentary about why unifying Europe’s rail systems is way harder than you’d think (here’s the link, if you feel like geeking out too). It was one of those moments where you could see how his work and personal passions line up: networks, connections, and making systems work better.

And then there are the experiments. “We’re constantly rethinking what it means to work,” he said, telling me about their trial of a four-day work week. He insists on testing new ways of working on himself, not just recommending them to others. “I’m not shying away from trying it on myself.”

The Future

Looking ahead, Lovis wants to move back to Nordvest — maybe even buy an apartment here. In the short term, he’s lobbying for something very practical: a shower in Demokrati Garage. That way he can run to or from work and still join Flere Fugle’s Tuesday social runs. “Maybe it can happen during a garage work day,” he said with a smile — the same way the pink container bar popped up between Flere Fugle and the Garage’s main hall.

On the bigger picture side, he’s excited about B Lab’s updated standards, which now line up more closely with EU regulations. It should make things simpler for companies — easier to explain, easier to integrate, easier to act on.

But what excites him most is the spirit of collective action in Nordvest. “It doesn’t feel like an office that you come to and leave again,” he told me. “It’s more something you also contribute to and live in. If you don’t try to make this a nicer place, nobody will. And it’s not like you’re outsourcing it to some service provider. Everybody’s very hands on, and that’s just a really nice mentality.” Compared to Indre By, where things can feel colder and distant, Nordvest offers the kind of rugged community where movements like B Lab can thrive.

On my way home, I kept thinking about our final topic: how whether or not a company becomes B Corp certified often comes down to a CEO’s willingness to take responsibility. It made me wonder if my own workplace had tried. The thought lingered as I looked at the photo I’d just taken of Lovis, smiling in his bright pink Armed Angels t-shirt from their “Don’t Ghost the Vote” collection — a small reminder that he lives the values he talks about. Behind him, Demokrati Garage buzzed with life, proof that Nordvest thrives not because it’s polished, but because it’s rugged, real, and built by people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty (or just full of paint!).

Want to know more? Here are some useful links Lovis shared with me:

Find out about events and other activities at Demokrati Garage in Nordvest here

Read more about the B Corp movement in the Nordics here

Follow Lovis' work for the B Corp movement along on LinkedIn, Instagram by signing up for their monthly newsletter here