Södra continues to be ranked among the highest percentile of businesses when it comes to sustainability, according to independent research firm EcoVadis. In its annual survey for 2023, Ecovadis notes that for the fourth year in a row, Södra ranks at the top among the 100,000 companies evaluated in over 200 sectors and 175 countries
Anders Norén, Head of Sustainability at Södra says: “EcoVadis’ survey looks at criteria in four areas: environment, fair working conditions and human rights, business ethics and sustainable sourcing. With a total of 79 points out of a possible 100, Södra remains at the highest “EcoVadis Platinum” level.
“We want Södra to play an active role in society’s transition to a sustainable and circular future. For us, it’s a commitment that spans generations and a future-proof way of creating the greatest possible value from and in the forest for family forestry and for society in general. This announcement is both a great acknowledgement that our work is yielding results and a spur to drive our work going forward,” adds Norén.
Strengths highlighted in the survey include Södra’s work with Science Based Targets Scope 1, 2 and 3, sustainable harvesting, work on resource efficiency and reporting of emissions. Our work with equality, diversity, and inclusion, as well as well-developed occupational healthcare, has also strengthened the results in the area of fair working conditions and human rights.
In the business ethics category, attention is paid to Södra’s policies, risk assessments, training and sustainability reporting. Södra’s work with traceability, supplier audits and the Supplier Code of Conduct are important factors in sustainable purchasing. Ecovadis also identified some areas for improvement, mostly relating to documentation.
The survey requires that all answers must be supported by documentation. Södra’s Annual and Sustainability Report, together with, among other things, the environmental reports from our three pulp mills, certification documents and Södra’s various policy documents, form the basis for the documentation for EcoVadis, which reviews and checks each document to ensure that the answers correspond to reality.
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