Sustainability

Good for society and good for SCA

Long-term value can only be created if companies simultaneously create value for their operating environment. By turning social challenges into business opportunities, SCA creates the conditions for profitable growth.

2015 was a year with a global sustainability focus. The UN adopted 17 Global Goals Sustainable for Development and the UN COP 21 climate change conference in Paris saw the global community agree to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Meeting these commitments will require new ways of working and cross-border cooperation – a transition in which the business community will play a key role. Both the global sustainability goals and the climate agreement have direct links to SCA’s business, mainly in terms of health and well-being, water and sanitation, energy and climate, and sustainable consumption.

SCA creates value that encompasses economic, social and environmental dimensions, which SCA’s incontinence care offering is a good example of. These individually designed solutions free up time for caregivers and relatives, while also reducing the amount of laundry and waste generated. If people can work, or receive care at home instead of at an institution, costs to society are substantially reduced. But most importantly, people are able to enjoy a better quality of life and live more active lives.

SCA conducts regular educational initiatives in hand washing and teaches preschoolers about the importance of hand hygiene. (photo)

SCA conducts regular educational initiatives in hand washing and teaches preschoolers about the importance of hand hygiene.

Hand washing is an effective and cheap way for society to prevent the spread of disease. We conduct regular educational initiatives in hand washing and during the year, SCA and Vinda implemented a program in China. The program used the “Ella’s hand washing adventure” app to teach preschoolers and households about the importance of hand hygiene.

Global warming is one of the most serious problems in the world today, and SCA is committed to finding climate-change and energy-efficiency solutions. We constantly endeavor to find smarter and more efficient ways of working, which benefits both SCA and the environment. For example, the company’s investment in a new biofuel plant in Nokia, Finland, is increasing operational efficiency and reducing energy costs, while at the same time cutting carbon emissions by 40%. Resource efficiency is a top priority, not only with respect to energy and water, but also to raw materials, transport activities and minimizing waste.

SCA is a major producer of renewable energy and is always looking for new, innovative solutions. In 2015, we decided to build a pilot plant for the production of biodiesel at our kraftliner mill in Obbola.

We want to help our customers and consumers make sustainable, informed decisions when choosing brands and products. This means that our innovation work is based on a life cycle perspective and that product safety and transparency are of the utmost importance.

Ethics are a top priority and SCA carries out ongoing employee training in order to minimize the risk of unethical behavior in its operations. In 2015, we conducted extensive training in competition law (anti-trust).

In recent years, SCA has devoted considerable focus to its health and safety efforts, adopting a vision of zero workplace accidents. During the year, the company held its first SCA Global Safety Week, with a range of activities to promote the message that everyone should be able to return home safely from work. Safety statistics continued to improve, with a 31% reduction in the accident frequency rate between 2011 and 2015.


SCA 2015 Sustainability Report (photo)

About the Sustainability Report

SCA publishes a Sustainability Report each year. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 core guidelines are applied in the report and a detailed GRI index table is available at www.sca.com. The Sustainability Report was reviewed in its entirety by PwC.

SCA’s Sustainability Report is available in English and Swedish in a printed version and at www.sca.com. The Sustainability Report is also SCA’s Communication on Progress, a document required of all Global Compact signatories.

The Sustainability Report and the Annual Report should be viewed as a single unit in which information may be provided in either report or, where appropriate, in both. Read more at www.sca.com or in SCA’s 2015 Sustainability Report.