Important events
Developed strategy
During the year, the company’s sustainability strategy was reviewed to ensure that the contents and objectives were consistent with the operations being pursued. The previous strategy was adopted when the primary operation at Bergs was the sawmill business, which changed in conjunction with the sale of the Swedish sawmill business in 2020. The previously clear link to forests and forestry has there- fore become more tenuous, even if the majority of the raw materials that Bergs processes still comprises wood from sustainably managed forests in the Baltic Sea region.
Code of Conduct adopted
A Group-wide Code of Conduct that encompasses all employees in the Group has been developed and adopted. A similar document will be launched in 2023 that will regulate collaboration with the Group’s strategic suppliers, thus ensuring compliance with stringent requirements throughout the value chain.
Whistleblowing function established
To capture and highlight potential improprieties, Bergs has inaugurated a whistleblowing function. The aim is to have a safe, open channel for people who suspect an unsatisfactory state of affairs where employees, business partners and other stakeholders have the opportunity to report what they feel are serious incidents or conditions that, owing to their content, cannot be reported via normal procedures. Information and instructions for this function are available in five languages via the Bergs Group website.
Borrowing with sustainability requirements
During the year, Bergs signed a loan financing agreement with Danske Bank and SEB in which certain conditions are bound up with the outcome of selected KPIs in Bergs’s sustainability strategy, which thus reinforces the link between goals and performance.
More energy produced in-house
Additional solar panels have been approved and installed for 2023, which together provide 800,000 kWh distributed among three production units. Planning for increased capacity is routinely in progress.
Directors’ meeting in Stockholm
Some 50 directors and senior executives from the Group’s various subsidiaries gathered in Stockholm for a review of the Group’s strategy and the way forward. In addition to the Group Management’s presentations and exchange of experiences, time was added for discussion of brand strategy and the new Code of Conduct that applies to all subsidiaries.
