How we work sustainably

Long-term goals
Environmental responsibility
Social responsibility
Business conduct

We sometimes say that we do not have a dedicated sustainability function. That is, of course, not entirely true. What we mean is that we do not operate sustainability as a separate function. Instead, we have chosen to integrate these issues into our day-to-day operations by engaging every single one of us, regardless of where in the organisation we work.

We have a high level of ambition: to conduct our business in a fully sustainable way – economically, environmentally and socially. Achieving this requires continuous commitment from all of us.

Our ambition is rooted in the assignment from our owners – to deliver a high and long-term risk-adjusted return without causing harm to the environment, people or the communities in which we operate. To succeed, we must always do our utmost.

Our vision of future-proof cities

Doing everything we can to become more sustainable is also essential if we are to realise our vision of the good city, where people thrive and businesses develop.

Our work is based on analyses of our operations, through which we have identified where our impact is greatest, how significant it is and what we need to do about it. In this work, we draw on the principles of the UN Global Compact, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the expectations of our stakeholders.

We have worked systematically for more than 15 years and have for many years been ranked among the most sustainable real estate companies in the world. At the same time, we recognise that we are not yet fully sustainable. We therefore raise our level of ambition year by year, reducing our negative impact and strengthening our positive contribution.

For more information about how we work with sustainability, as well as our targets and results, see our Annual Report and updates in our interim reports. Visit our Financial reports – Vasakronan

Are you a tenant of Vasakronan and need information about your premises/property related to the EU Taxonomy or CSRD?

More than half of Vasakronan’s buildings meet the requirements of the EU Green Taxonomy, and the information you may need for your CSRD reporting is available for all our properties. Please contact your Vasakronan representative for more information.

Long-term goals

Our ambition is rooted in the assignment from our owners – to deliver a high and long-term risk-adjusted return without causing harm to the environment, people or the communities in which we operate. Through our business model, we achieve profitability while creating sustainable value for our stakeholders. Our operations are guided by clear strategies and long-term objectives.

Environment

  • We are climate neutral across the entire value chain
  • We have minimised our use of freshwater
  • We have minimised our impact on biodiversity across the entire value chain
  • Our material use and waste management are circular

Social

  • We are the most sustainable employer in the industry, a company with high diversity, good inclusion and healthy workplaces
  • No human rights violations across the entire value chain
  • People feel safe, included and healthy in our properties and neighbourhoods

Business conduct

  • We are free from corruption across the entire value chain

Collaboration and Governance to achieve our targets

A fundamental prerequisite for achieving our targets is that we collaborate closely with our stakeholders. We are convinced that we achieve greater impact together than individually.

We have therefore initiated several collaborations, including Sweden Green Building Council, Byggvarubedömningen  and Håll Nollan.

We also participate in a range of initiatives such as Caring for Climate, Klimatpakten in Stockholm, Uppsala klimatprotokoll, Lokal färdplan Malmö 2030 as well as research and development collaborations with universities and industry.

To guide our work, we have codes of conduct for both employees and suppliers, as well as policies that set out the principles applicable across different areas.

Read more about our governing documents

Go to ESG Library

Our environmental responsibility

Our environmental work is based on our owners’ requirement to generate returns without negatively impacting the environment or people. Our work is grounded in analyses of our most significant environmental aspects across the value chain and in identifying how we can reduce our impact.
Each year, we set targets, follow them up and continuously improve.
Our most significant impacts relate to energy use, material use, waste and transport.

Climate change

Climate change is one of our greatest challenges. If we fail to address it, many other challenges will remain unresolved.

We work systematically to reduce our climate impact. We reduce energy demand in our existing buildings and set high requirements for energy performance in redevelopment and new construction.

We also work to reduce peak demand and increase flexibility in how and when we use energy.

We are phasing out fossil-based energy use linked to our properties while increasing our own production of renewable energy.

We collaborate with our tenants. As early as 2010, we were the first in the industry to introduce green leases, and since 2017 all our leases are green.

We procure renewable energy for our properties and always select the best available option from our suppliers.

Read more about our energy purchase agreements here.

Through this work, we have significantly reduced our emissions over time. We also maintain a clear position that there is no conflict between profitability and sustainability.

We have set the target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2030.
Learn more about our Roadmap 2030

Transport is another important part of our impact. We set requirements on suppliers, support our tenants in changing travel patterns and work systematically to reduce our own transport needs.

Water

Water is a fundamental resource of increasing importance, including in Sweden.

Our impact arises both in the day-to-day operation of our properties and upstream in the value chain, particularly in the production of construction materials.

We therefore work to use water more efficiently and to understand and reduce our impact across the entire value chain.

Biodiversity and ecosystems

Biodiversity is essential for functioning ecosystems. At the same time, it is declining rapidly, both globally and locally.

We impact biodiversity through land use, construction projects and materials. At the same time, we have the opportunity to contribute positively, particularly in the urban environments where our properties are located.

This includes reducing our negative impact and creating new value, for example through planting on the ground, on facades and on rooftops.

Resource use and circular economy

Material use in our projects is extensive and requires large volumes of resources.

We therefore work to reduce the amount of material we use and to increase the share of reused, recycled and renewable materials.

Large amounts of waste are generated in both projects and tenant operations. Our objective is to reduce volumes and ensure that as much as possible is returned to circular flows. Our work is based on the waste hierarchy:

  • Minimise – wherever possible, we try to prevent any waste arising. For example, by not renovating unnecessarily.
  • Reuse – we try to reuse any waste that arises, for example by selling.
  • Recycle material – metals, corrugated board, glass and glass packaging are examples of materials that can be recycled and transformed into new products.
  • Recover energy – combustible waste is a resource that can be use to recover energy and become electricity or heat. Organic waste can become biogas through anaerobic digestion.
  • Dispose of – waste that cannot be reused, recycled or used for energy recovery is taken care of, disposed of, in an environmentally correct manner.

Certified buildings

Environmental certification is an important tool for us, both to meet tenant requirements and to support our green financing.

We primarily use LEED, which is an international system for certifying buildings. Properties are assessed from six main categories : energy and atmosphere, sustainable sites, indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, and materials and resources. At the end of 2025, 97 per cent of our portfolio was environmentally certified, of which 95 per cent achieved LEED Gold or higher.

Our social responsibility

Our operations affect thousands of people, including our employees, workers in our value chain and individuals who spend time in and around our properties. Our business can only be considered sustainable if we ensure safe, secure and healthy environments where human rights are respected.

Good and safe working environments

We work to ensure a good and safe working environment in our own operations and in our projects. Risks are higher in construction and service contracts, which place higher demands on us.

Health and wellbeing

The design of buildings and areas has a direct impact on people’s health. We actively work with indoor environments and design to support healthier and more active lifestyles.

Diversity and equal treatment

Everyone should be able to live their lives free from discrimination. For us, this means both reducing risks and strengthening our business. We are convinced that diversity makes us more innovative and better prepared for the future.

Safety and security

Safe environments are essential for our tenants and for urban life as a whole. We therefore combine operational safety measures with long-term area development in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Business Conduct

We conduct our business with a high level of integrity and actively work to prevent corruption and other forms of misconduct.

We set clear requirements for our suppliers and have codes of conduct that define expectations for both employees and partners.

To facilitate reporting of concerns, we provide a whistleblowing function
Click here to read more about the whistle-blower function.

Do you have any questions?

Have a chat with our Head of Sustainability, Anna Denell.

Anna Denell
Head of Sustainability
070-968 15 81 · 08-566 205 81