Sustainability governance

The purpose of Essity’s sustainability governance is to ensure the Group’s commitments to its stakeholder groups, including customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, creditors, decision-makers and representatives of the community. The company’s commitments are expressed in the strategic framework, in objectives and in strategies. To ensure that the company’s priorities and methods are relevant over time, Essity maintains an active and continuous dialogue with its stakeholders.

Essity’s objective is to generate maximum economic value and at the same time, live up to environmental and social expectations. Economic strength and stability is a prerequisite for environmental investments and socially responsibility that generate long-term financial growth. Accordingly, Essity has established a number of policies and management systems to achieve and maintain the company’s economic value creation with respect to environmental and social value creation.

Essity’s overall social management approach is to assess how the company, through it operations, impacts and interacts with people and to develop strategies for establishing good relations with relevant stakeholders. Essity’s Code of Conduct is the main steering document concerning social responsibility. This defines areas where the company can successfully contribute to social sustainable development in the Group’s operations, and for various stakeholders along the value chain. In the markets where Essity operates, social value is generated for individuals and society through the company’s products and services for hygiene and health. In addition, the company creates jobs and pays the right tax and fees in the countries where the company operates. Essity’s overall environmental management approach is to enhance the operations’ positive contribution to the environment, while minimizing negative environmental impact.

Essity’s Executive Management Team bears the overall responsibility for the control of Essity’s business in the field of sustainability. Changes were implemented to the company’s organizational structure during the year. Essity’s unit with global responsibility for customer and consumer brands and innovation was given greater responsibility and now also includes sustainability and public affairs. The unit is called Global Brand, Innovation and Sustainability. The head of the unit reports to the CEO and is included in the Executive Management Team. Innovation and product development are crucial for pursuing and further strengthening Essity’s sustainability efforts. The sustainability reporting department has been transferred to the Group function Finance and the Compliance & Ethics department reports to the Group function Legal Affairs. In close collaboration with the business unit presidents, the approved strategy and objectives are broken down into specific targets and activities to ensure delivery on the Group’s objectives and business plans. Responsibility for implementation rests with the business units.

The purposes of Essity’s Compliance Council include monitoring compliance with Essity’s Code of Conduct.

A number of committees and networks operate horizontally across the Group’s different business units to guarantee a consistent approach. Read more about this at www.essity.com/sustainability.

Summary of strategic components of Essity’s sustainability governance

Strategic components

 

Generate increased
shareholder value
through profitable growth

 

Enable more people
every day to enjoy
a fuller life

 

Contribute to a
sustainable and
circular society

 

Enable our employees to realize their full potential, as part of one winning team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Policies (and guidelines)

 

  • Sustainability Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Anti-bribery and Corruption policy
  • Tax Policy

 

  • Sustainability Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Anti-bribery and Corruption policy
  • Global Supplier Standard
  • Community Relations Instruction

 

  • Sustainability Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Global Supplier Standard
  • Fiber Sourcing Policy
  • Tax Policy

 

  • Sustainability Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Anti-bribery and Corruption policy
  • Health and Safety Instruction
  • Diversity Policy
  • Remuneration Policy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Targets and KPIs

 

  • Financial targets
  • People and nature innovations

 

  • Supplier Code of Conduct – Global Supplier Standard
  • Hygiene solutions

 

  • Climate and energy: Science-Based Targets
  • Fiber Sourcing
  • Water
  • Production waste
  • Packaging
  • Innovation processes

 

  • Employee Health and Safety
  • Code of Conduct

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management systems, programs and certifications

 

  • Innovation processes
  • International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
  • Life cycle management

 

  • Innovation process
  • Sedex

 

  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 14001
  • Resource Management System (RMS)
  • ESAVE (energy)
  • MSAVE (material)
  • Chain of Custody certification, FSC and PEFC
  • Life cycle assessments (LCAs)

 

  • OHSAS 18001
  • Global system for performance review and development planning
  • Essity Leadership Platform

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External charters or initiatives

 

  • UN SDGs
  • UN Global Compact
  • Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

 

  • UN SDGs
  • UN Global Compact
  • OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
  • UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

 

  • UN SDGs
  • UN Global Compact
  • OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
  • Science Based Targets initiative
  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation

 

  • UN SDGs
  • UN Global Compact
  • OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
  • UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
  • European Works Council (EWC)
  • IndustriALL
  • ILO Core Conventions