SCA performs strongly in Swedish sustainability ranking

SCA finished in fourth place in the overall ranking and second in the "materials" category.

“We work with a circular and renewable raw material with which we prioritise sustainability throughout the value chain, so we’re delighted with this ranking. Sustainability is a journey that you never really finish, but this is a good sign that we’ve got a lot right so far,” says Hans Djurberg, Head of Sustainability at SCA.

This was the fifth year Dagens Industri and Lund University published the “Sustainable Businesses” ranking that rates stock market listed businesses in terms of sustainability ambitions, achievements, and priorities.

The report ranks 131 businesses based on a detailed review of annual reports and surveys of the businesses designed to increase knowledge of current status.

The 2022 ranking focused on the businesses’ work on in-depth risk and scenario analysis and sustainability governance. These are critical areas for the transformation of business and the economy in terms of climate and sustainability.

“Today, the climate benefits of the forest are at the core of SCA’s business activities because our raw material and our products offer clear advantages in terms of their capacity to replace fossil materials, which many of our customers want. So, it has become entirely natural to integrate our sustainability report into our financial annual report because sustainability is such a central part of our business,” explains Djurberg.

In the overall ranking of the 131 companies, SCA finished in joint fourth place with SEB and Alfa Laval. SCA was ranked second in the “materials” category.

“This is a great snapshot of where we are right now that we’ll take with us going forward because even if we’ve done well, we also need to improve. The report provides four concrete tips to all businesses, some of which, for example how to work on preparedness and action plans for new legal requirements and how to communicate sustainability achievements, are areas where we’ll be able to do more,” Djurberg says.

“As key aspects of our business, climate and sustainability are priorities that include all our operations and where we try to use the entire value chain to achieve new benefits. This also affects how we work with our forests in northern Sweden and how we invest and plan for our industries in the regions of Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland and Västernorrland,” Djurberg adds. 

Photo: Michael Engman