About the report
With innovation and ingenuity, we lead the design and implementation of next-generation recycling using resource-efficient waste handling.
This is our first Sustainability Report to include data from all parts of our global business.
Our refined sustainability topics
We have refined our four Sustainability Strategic Topics to better reflect our positive sustainability benefits of our products and services.
Our topics are: Resource circularity, Quality of life, Carbon neutrality and Customer added value.
In addition, Envac’s three Business Responsibility Topics define our responsibility as a business partner – to guide our behaviour and how we operate our business. Taking care of our employees, being honest and transparent towards our business partners, and treating everyone as an equal and with respect is key to be considered a serious business partner.
Mission
Combining innovation and experience, we create and implement clean, clever and resource-efficient waste handling technologies, providing our customers with game-changing solutions for sustainability and quality of life.
Vision
To create smarter cities, improve quality of life today and help secure a greener planet for future generations.
We enable smart, sustainable communities and drive the circular economy by redefining how society thinks of waste – today and for future generations.
Envac Global - Outline 2022
Reflecting Envac's work towards GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY
– Christer Lundberg, Global Sustainability & Quality Lead
Enabling the smart, sustainable city of the Future
As someone who closely monitors global urban development through various media channels, I have noticed a common trend among urban developers. They want to prioritise the needs of city dwellers over those of cars and trucks, which suggests that future cities will likely have less traffic and more space dedicated to recreation, socialising, and nature. Envac’s innovative approach helps make this vision of a more sustainable city a reality. We don’t just offer a waste collection solution; we are committed to being vital to the bigger picture.
Important Advancements in 2022
In 2022, we implemented a global information system to collect sustainability data. We aim to evaluate which data we need to collect historically on a global level in 2023, with the target to provide a complete baseline from 2018 in the 2023 report for next year.
We’ve made significant headway in modernising and digitising our operations in 2022. Our ReFlow solution is vital to achieving our sustainability goals, and we’re excited to offer a free version with all new Envac installations and upgrades in the future.
We conducted a pre-study for global Life Cycle Analysis in 2022 to help us set priorities and guidelines to achieve our sustainability target.
To promote responsibility, we updated our policies and guidelines, trained employees on our Code of Conduct, launched a supplier code, and updated our health and safety policies. We created a global policy for diversity and inclusion and will develop action plans. We also implemented a global independent third-party whistleblowing system open to all our internal and external stakeholders to report any suspected misconduct anonymously.
Ready, set, go
We’ve been preparing for our sustainability approach since 2020 and starting implementation in 2022. Our goal is to make impactful changes by 2024 and to achieve this, we’ll update our stakeholder dialogue, gather historical data, and conduct a global Life Cycle Analysis to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Our planet needs the positive reinforcement now more than ever before and the UN Sustainable Goals are the perfect way to make a positive impact. Envac is dedicated to making waste management more innovative and accessible to reduce the impact of current global challenges. With the technologies at our fingertips, it’s clearer than ever that we can be the change and do our part for future generations. In 2015, the United Nations established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to make the world more sustainable before 2030.
Envac system promotes user safety and health as it prevents unsanitary conditions. Our solutions for hospitals promote safer handling of contaminated waste, including the medical waste.
From fair wages, safe working conditions to green initiatives, Envac is making steady progress toward economic growth that works for everyone.
One of our installations in NYC has been in operation since 1975 and has withstood extreme weather conditions. It is possible to retrofit our system in existing delicate urban areas.
Roads give way to walkways, bike lanes, and green areas. Combined with better air quality due to less waste collection traffic, we help cities achieve this goal and improve urban quality of life.
Our system reduces water usage, supports UN goals, and promotes responsible waste management. It handles multiple waste types, sorts for recycling, and produces bioenergy and biofertilizers from food waste.
Pneumatic waste collection reduces carbon emissions by up to 90% and improves recycling behaviour.
Value chain stakeholders and materiality
This report is based on our value chain, stakeholder interests, risks & opportunities, and prioritised topics from 2020.
With valuable input from each region it is confirmed it is still valid for 2022.
In 2023 we are planning to do a focused update of the stakeholder and materiality analysis to also prepare us for primarily upcoming EU regulations within sustainability reporting.
Our prioritised stakeholders
- Customers
- Cities/Communities
- Building owners
- City developers
- End users
- Employees
- Suppliers
Value chain and risks and opportunities
R&D
R&D
At the same time we need to know that the materials in our products are safe to use for the environment and raw materials are collected in a fair and ethical way.
- Cost/quality balance
- Environmental design
- Design for user experience
- Material sourcing
- Resource Circularity / Carbon Neutrality
- Customer Added Value
- Quality of Life
- Minimise environmental impact
- Cost efficiency
- Safe & user friendly systems
Supply
Supply
- Supplier partnership
- Transport efficiency
- Supplier environmental impact
- Supplier social impact
- Material sourcing
- Fair and ethical business
- Diversity and inclusion
- Resource Circularity / Carbon Neutrality
- Supplier evaluation
- Global procurement policy
Sales & marketing
Sales & marketing
To succeed in selling the Envac concept, we need to have competent sales people that understand the sustainability benefits of our systems and how to present them correctly.
A key to success is to influence municipal decision makers. While doing this, we need to make sure we communicate with them in an ethical way and all facts we communicate about our products must be verified.
- Sustainability product knowledge
- Fair and ethical sales process
- Fair and ethical marketing
- Customer added value
- Fair and ethical business
- Global sales procedure
- Regional/Local sales processes
Project installation
Project installation
Cost efficiency in project delivery and making sure we deliver on time is crucial for the continued success of our business and customer satisfaction.
An installation requires a lot of physical and manual work with associated OHS risks. We primarily use subcontractors but in some cases our own employees do the job. Either way, we ensure high standards of OHS.
- Cost-efficient projects
- On time project delivery
- Customer project environmental and social requirements
- OHS practices
- Partnership with subcontractors
- Customer added value
- Working conditions
- Resource Circularity / Carbon Neutrality
- Global project procedure
- Regional/Local project processes
- Regional/Local OHS policies and procedures
- Subcontractor agreements
General policies
& procedures
Code of Conduct
Global Quality Manual
Global Environmental Policy
Global OHS Policy
Global supplier Code of Conduct
Global Diversity & Inclusion policy
Global whistleblowing policy & process
Operation & maintenance
Operation & maintenance
In order to ensure optimal operation, an Envac system needs to be maintained. Our team of service technicians provide such services on a daily basis. While ensuring a system operates optimally, they work with safety in mind and travel between sites in an energy efficient way.
Safety is crucial when a system needs new parts or is decommissioned. For instance, we have very old installations where we need to consider the kinds of material the building contains before we start to remove an old system.
- OHS practices
- Operating efficiency
- Route planning
- Fuel usage
- End of life practice
- Quality of Life
- Working conditions
- Resource Circularity / Carbon Neutrality
- Regional/Local O&M process
- Regional/Local OHS policies and procedures
Materiality assessment
Building on the evaluation of our value chain risks, we conducted a market investigation with external stakeholders on a global level in 2020. Sustainability was part of the investigation but not its sole focus.
In parallel, we held 15 workshops with 20 Envac employees that have regular contact with important external stakeholders. The employees were asked to rank 22 different materiality topics from the perspective of specific external stakeholders in order to gauge the sustainability perceptions and priorities of various external stakeholder groups.
The results of these materiality assessments were cross checked with the findings of our value chain risk evaluation to provide a list of prioritised reporting topics that is aligned with our Business Strategy Topics and Business Responsibility Topics. The prioritised list was approved by the Envac Board of Directors and Global Executive Board (GEB) in the beginning of February 2021.
Four Cornerstones of Sustainability
Best environmental performance
Carbon neutrality
Resource circularity
Prioritised materiality topics
Energy efficient systems
- Recycling rate
- Heavy traffic reduction
- Substances in material/product
- UN SDG,s – 12 & 13
- Transport efficiency
- Business trips
- Waste management(Internal)
Lowest operational cost for cities
Customer added value
Prioritised materiality topics
Energy efficient systems
- Quality of material/product
- Resilient system
- UN SDG,s – 9
- Back-office efficiency
Real value for building owners and developers
Customer added value
Prioritised materiality topics
Energy efficient system
- Heavy traffic reduction
- Urban liveability
- Resilient system
- UN SDG,s – 9 & 11
- Clean & sanitary installation
The happiest users in the waste collection industry
Quality of life
Prioritised materiality topics
User experience
- Customer & user safety
- Heavy traffic reduction
- Urban liveability
- UN SDG,s – 9 & 11
- Clean & sanitary installation
Business responsibility
Working conditions
Prioritised materiality topics
- UN SDG,s – 8
- Attract & retain talent
Fair & ethical Business
Prioritised materiality topics
- UN SDG,s – 16
- Attract & retain talent
Diversity & Inclusion
Prioritised materiality topics
- Equal opportunities & diversity
- UN SDG,s 5 & 10
- Attract & retain talent