CEO Klas Forsström on sustainability

Why is sustainability important to us and how do we define it?

Sustainability is the core of our business and is fully integrated into our strategy.

Our products and solutions contribute to a healthier planet by creating the perfect indoor climate for animals and plants and by supporting manufacturing companies to create tomorrow's technologies, such as electric car batteries.

But sustainability to us is so much more than providing the best portfolio from an environmental point of view. It is also about how we conduct our business and support our employees in their roles and the communities in which we operate.

Based on our five strategic priorities, a stakeholder analysis and risk assessment, we identified several areas that are crucial for us to work with to secure a thriving business in the future.

We have a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2030 – how far have we come on this journey?

We have set an ambitious emission reduction goal for 2030. By then, we want to achieve net-zero emissions from our operations. This means that we must drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. electricity from non-renewable sources and fossil fuels) from our factories, offices, and vehicles.

But we want to go even further.

We also want to reduce our indirect emissions, i.e. emissions in our upstream and downstream value chain. This includes emissions that our suppliers generate by producing the material we use in our products, emissions from our transports and emissions generated by our customers when they use our products.

In 2021, we held several workshops with a selected group of managers to identify the most significant indirect emissions and to discuss how to measure and reduce them in the best way. It is a huge project that requires cooperation between everyone at Munters, but it is an initiative that will have a positive impact on all parts of our business, from purchasing and innovation to the production of our products and transportation. I am pleased to say that we have made significant progress in identifying our carbon footprint and finding ways to reduce our emissions.

Why is it important to be a responsible business?

Compliance with laws and regulations is the basis for an ethical and sustainable business. By always acting ethically and correctly, we become credible and build strong relationships with our customers. This creates opportunities for fruitful collaboration and profitable business. If we compromise on this, we will not be able to survive and thrive in the future. I have zero tolerance for behavior that does not conform to our code of conduct.

An important part of our work is to ensure that our partners and suppliers sign our code of conduct. A routine dialogue with our partners on issues such as child labor and the use of sustainable material provides several advantages and opportunities for in-depth, long-term relationships and prevents risk.

How do we work with diversity and safety?

We are convinced that diversity provides us with different perspectives and valuable insights that improve our company and our offering. A few years ago, we set a goal that 30 percent of both employees and managers should be women by 2025.

To achieve this, we launched several initiatives, such as recruitment training on gender bias for staff and managers to ensure we have a bigger pool of female candidates to choose from. We also participated in the UN Global Compact initiative on gender equality and plan to start discussion groups on gender, social justice and human rights. We continuously evaluate our progress and adjust our action plans. One example of this is when our management team recently held a workshop on how to increase gender diversity. This resulted in setting some specific targets for 2023 that our managers have to act on.

The safety work at our production facilities has been an important focus in recent years. All accidents have been reported to Group Management since the end of 2018. Together with DuPont Sustainable Solutions, we are creating a new standard in safety where a zero-accident culture becomes the norm. We want Munters to be a safe workplace for everyone, which requires that our employees also commit to following all safety procedures without exception.

I am excited about the work that is going on at Munters and the progress I see when it comes to sustainability. There is so much will and creativity in finding new ways to operate in all areas that I am sure will benefit our customers, our business, and the planet overall.