Sustainability - an integrated part of our operations

Sustainability means creating long-term solutions from economic, environmental and social perspectives, and increasing these values through business processes.

Apart from assuming responsibility and creating value for wider society, as well as protecting future generations, sustainability work also brings greater competitive advantages to Beijer Electronics. Well-executed, integrated sustainability work also contributes to better administration and good control of our products and services. This results in more satisfied customers, committed co-workers and increased profitability.

Our sustainability work is based on documentation including a Code of Conduct, which is approved each year by the Board of Directors. It states guidelines on business ethics, countering corruption, the environment, human rights and data transparency.

Beijer Electronics takes preventative measures to protect people and the environment wherever possible. Through regulations like REACH or RoHS, Beijer Electronics ensures that no product contains prohibited or hazardous compounds that affect the customer.

 

Vision

Beijer Electronics sustainability work should be an integrated and natural part of its operations, and its work should promote profitable and sustainable development.

 

Strategy

Operations should contribute to sustainable development, and sustainability work should be integrated into operations and generate practical results. This work should feature throughout business including ownership, management, developing products and services portfolios, customer relationships, co-workers and finance. Conducting operations responsibly is essential to the company’s short and long-term success, while focusing on profitability and long-term shareholder value. Actions should feature high skills levels, good business morals and accountability.

Standpoint on climate change and planetary boundaries

Beijer Electronics accepts the scientific evidence that human activity presents major risks for future generations. Accordingly, to make its contribution to the global agenda, Beijer Electronics will control and clarify goals for operations consistent with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Beijer Electronics will future-proof its product and service portfolio by making its manufacturing energy efficient, adopting a life cycle perspective in investments, taking responsibility for natural resources and biological diversity, increasing the share of renewable energy, and adapting its operations to climate change. Beijer Electronics will engage in customers’ and regulators’ climate plans and policies.

 

Commitment

In 2017 we adopted the following overarching and strategic commitments that set a framework for managing operations in accordance with its sustainability strategy. Management appointed three sustainability coordinators in 2018, to ensure that BEIJER Group’s three business entities; Westermo, Korenix and Beijer Electronics, take actions that realize these commitments and follow up on the sustainability goals formulated.

At an overall level, we intend to manage operations consistent with the UN’s SDGs. This means connecting business model and strategy to the global SDGs more clearly.

The following goals have been identified as especially relevant to operations. Goal 8; Decent work and economic growth. Goal 9; Industry, innovation and infrastructure. Goal 12; Responsible consumption and production. Goal 16; Peace, justice and strong institutions.

Development work will be conducted in 2021 to clarify the connection between our business model and the sustainability goals, and to identify ways to measure and follow up on the goals combined with the GRI Standards reporting framework.

 

Overall

  • Govern operations consistent with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Comply with our Code of Conduct, which is based on the UN Global Compact. All co-workers and collaborative partners should understand and comply with the Code of Conduct.
  • Continuously increase knowledge of sustainability through training and communication of sustainability issues.
  • Regularly follow up, report and improve sustainability work.

Economic sustainability

  • Maintain long-term sustainable economic growth of cash flows.
  • Create business models for interaction in sustainable investments.
  • Maintain low financial and operational risk for healthy value growth and create scope for paying dividends to shareholders.

Environmental sustainability

  • Responsibly and efficiently utilize natural resources to avoid jeopardizing planetary boundaries, thus our climate, and future generations’ possibilities in a finite world.
  • Build and manage with a life cycle philosophy and promote circular models.
  • Contribute to greater biological diversity and limit the usage and propagation of environmentally hazardous products.
  • Create the potential for responsible waste management by minimizing waste, preventing contamination and viewing waste as a resource for reuse and recycling.

 

Social sustainability

  • Provide a secure and healthy environment for co-workers and other people in and around our premises.
  • Create an equal opportunities organization with diversity that reflects the make-up of society.
  • Contribute to employment and youth opportunities to enter the labor market.
  • Engage in issues of significance to social progress.
  • Highlight and change discriminatory structures within the organization.
  • Be an attractive employer and attract the best and most professional co-workers.