Innovating for the better

In Sweden, many companies have been quick to seize the opportunity to innovate for the better, not least through green conversions. Here are a few examples:

Fossil-free steel

HYBRIT – a joint initiative by Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB, mining company LKAB and electricity producer Vattenfall – aims for steelmaking that is entirely fossil-free by 2045.

The technology under development replaces coal – traditionally needed for ore-based steel production – with hydrogen gas, which changes the by-product from carbon dioxide to water.

In 2021, HYBRIT made its first delivery of fossil-free steel, to Swedish truckmaker Volvo AB, as a trial run.

HYBRIT aims to deliver fossil-free steel to the market in 2026, with a full-scale solution in place by 2035. The goal of being totally fossil-free by 2045 is identical to the government's goal for all of Sweden.

Work–life balance

At music streaming company Spotify, all employees are eligible for six months of corporate-funded parental leave with full pay – regardless of where in the world they work. The leave covers any parent, regardless of the employee's gender or parental form.

Spotify also encourages all employees to exchange any public holidays for days of their choosing in line with their personal beliefs or religions. These global policies recognise the importance of a healthy work and family life balance and aims at giving everyone equal opportunities to combine family life with career ambitions.

There is also Volvo Cars, which in 2021 introduced an all-gender, paid parental leave policy to all its employees – more than 40,000 – across the globe. Volvo's ‘Family Bond’ gives all employees with at least one year’s service a total of 24 weeks of leave at 80 per cent of their base pay by default. The leave can be taken anytime within the three first years of parenthood. This policy includes all legally registered parents.

Maintaining industrial ethics

Atlas Copco, a leading supplier of industrial equipment such as compressors and assembly systems, has nearly 40,000 employees, serving customers in more than 180 countries. This kind of global reach translates to a lot of responsibility, especially when setting out to grow only in ways that are ethical.

To stay the course, Atlas Copco trains employees in how to recognise conflicts of interest, bribery, fraud, harassment, discrimination and other forms of misconduct. The company encourages not only its employees but also business partners and other stakeholders to report any suspected wrongdoing or misconduct.

Atlas Copco has an established process for reporting actions perceived as violations of laws, regulations or the Atlas Copco Group Business Code of Practice, which is often stricter than local laws. Reports can be made in any language, written or orally.

Fast food, slower climate change

Max Burgers is a fast food company that is committed to changing its industry into something sustainable. The company works consistently to shrink its climate footprint by reducing emissions. One way is to offer five times as many green meals and increase sales of vegetarian meals, which have smaller carbon footprint.

Max conducts a comprehensive and continuous analysis of their climate imprint in which emissions for the entire value chain are calculated. They even include employees' trips to and from work, guests' trips to and from the restaurant, as well as their own business trips, including air travel.

For emissions that cannot yet be reduced, Max has used carbon offset initiatives since 2008.

Last updated on 7 December 2022
Source: Sweden.se