Bruks Siwertell Group releases latest annual sustainability report

3 Apr 2024

Bruks Siwertell has released its annual sustainability report (2023), which outlines the Group’s long-term sustainability ambitions, reflects its response to a new European Union (EU) directive, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which came into force in January 2024 for listed companies and January 2025 for unlisted, and also highlights current progress and initiatives.

“We welcome the CSRD,” says Peter Jonsson, CEO, Bruks Siwertell Group. “It brings clarity to reporting and strengthens the rules around how companies communicate and measure their sustainability goals.

“We are keeping our goals in plain sight, and have maintained the intensity of our sustainability work this year, including deepening our scope 3 climate calculations,” he continues. “These now set the base level of the Group’s carbon emissions, and are important for obtaining evidential data about the true impact of our business operations, enabling us to better target reductions, particularly in relation to our goal of reducing total value chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030.

“Another important development for the Group in 2023 was our strategic acquisition of West Salem Machinery (WSM). We are getting to know our new WSM colleagues and are excited about what we can offer through our strengthened capabilities, particularly in the renewable energy and biofuel sectors. This includes the aviation industry looking to decarbonize with sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs); we are very well-placed to support this transition, in much the same way as we are helping coal-fired power stations switch to biomass and wood biomass pellets,” Jonsson explains.

 Peter Jonsson, CEO, Bruks Siwertell Group

“I am also immensely proud of all Bruks Siwertell Group personnel for their positive approach to waste reduction. Our target is to bring our office waste down to zero, and we have seen Group-wide efforts to instigate robust training programs in waste reduction, sorting and recycling,” he adds.

Anna Halling, Chief Strategy Officer, Bruks Siwertell Group, notes that: “Key to achieving this waste reduction target is, in part, going to be through good collaborations with specialist waste contractors. Their focus is not just on offices, but also on our assembly and production facilities, and the establishment of key performance indicators (KPIs), so that progress is measurable.

“Our first voluntary health challenge was carried out as well last year,” Halling says. “The Challengize app was used and it resulted in an 8.2% increase in physical activity, which was fantastic. This initiative is being rolled out again this year, and really targets a holistic approach to our personnel, contributing to the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 3, ‘good health and well-being’ (SDG 3), and increasing our eNPS value, which relates to personnel satisfaction.

Underpinning all these initiatives has been an intensive and systematic sustainability training program. “If we are to reach our ambitions, all personnel need to have a basic understanding of sustainability and what it entails, ensuring that we are pulling in the same direction,” Halling adds. “My hope is that this work will permeate the Group and through greater awareness we can build on a process where each individual person can think about what they can do differently within their role.”

Bruks Siwertell Group’s continued transparency in reporting its sustainability work remains a key commitment.

“Transparency is the cornerstone of trust,” says Emily Brækhus Cueva, Director of Marketing Communications, Bruks Siwertell Group. “It is not just about what we have to say about our sustainability initiatives, achievements and challenges, it is also about how openly we say it. 

“This honesty in sustainability communication is not just ethical, it is strategic. It builds on our credibility and resilience, setting the stage for long-term success and our ultimate aim to set the sustainability standard for the industries that we serve. We invite our stakeholders to share this journey with us,” she notes.

“Transparency is not always comfortable, but it is essential,” Brækhus Cueva says. “It is about admitting our challenges, celebrating our victories, and ultimately, driving meaningful change. Sustainability is not a buzzword, it is a commitment, and the bridge between our intentions and our impact."

Bruks Siwertell Group’s sustainability report, Sustainability Report 2023, is available to read here.