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.