A clear direction in a changing world

We continue to accelerate our sustainability efforts and takes new crucial steps to reduce climate footprint. Through innovation, strategic investments, and collaboration with customers and suppliers, we strengthen our role as a leading player in the green transition. In the Sustainability Report for 2024, we share the concrete steps we have taken to realise our vision – Building a more sustainable society. This report highlights among other things, our ambitious climate goals, effort to minimizing the risks in the supply chain and promoting increased competence among our employees as well as develop future ready leadership. Ahlsell´s focus and priorities in its sustainability work are based on, among other things, Agenda 2030 and the global sustainability goals.

We are committed to achieving net zero emissions and our climate goals for 2024 align with the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree target. These goals are approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, ensuring they are ambitious and in line with the latest climate science.

Focusing on product footprint
In terms of our whole value chain, most of the climate and environmental impact comes from the manufacturing and use of the products we sell. One priority area is therefore to provide our customers with sustainability information for our products, to enable conscious, sustainable purchasing and to facilitate various reporting needs. Among other things, we produce environmental product declarations for our private label products, work with supplier dialogue and product requirements, and develop system support to enable data sharing.

Long-term target and overall Net-Zero Target:
Ahlsell AB commits to reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 90% by 2045 from a 2022 base year, and to neutralize any residual emissions to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2045.

Near-Term Targets:
Ahlsell AB commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 75% by 2030 from a 2022 base year. Ahlsell AB also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 42% within the same timeframe.

The illustration shows the distribution of Ahlsell’s climate impact between Scopes 1, 2 and 3 in accordance with the GHG Protocol, based on the climate survey that was conducted with 2022 as base year.

Scope 1 includes emissions from what Ahlsell directly controls (e.g., our company cars and on-site fuel use).

Scope 2 includes emissions from the energy Ahlsell purchases, such as electricity, heating and cooling.

Scope 3 covers missions from everything else in Ahlsell’s value chain, for example from waste and business travel, but most emissions are connected to the products we sell. For example, scope 3 includes emissions from our suppliers during production and emissions from the use-phase of our sold products.

Together with customers and suppliers, we work on sustainable business development, with a focus on quality, resource efficiency and circularity in our offering. Through innovative product and service development, product-specific climate data and knowledge sharing, we are committed to make the more sustainable alternatives the “first choice”.

Strategic goals for sustainable business
Sustainable business development is one of the focus areas in Ahlsell’s sustainability strategy. Our overarching goal is to continuously increase the share of sales from sustainable products and services.

We develop and offer product alternatives with improved environmental performance, including more offerings featuring repair, spare parts, reuse and other services that extend the useful life of products and save resources.

High demands on product quality
Products of good quality that function and last as planned are the foundation for user safety, resource efficiency and a more sustainable business. We want our customers to feel confident that the products they buy from Ahlsell are of good quality and safe to use.

Environmentally approved products
Ahlsell offers a wide range of products environmentally approved in accordance with different standards, including the Swedish Building Materials Assessment. Environmental approval makes it easier for construction and property customers to choose building materials based on environmental and health aspects and is also necessary to be able to environmentally certify buildings in accordance with the BREEAM, Miljöbyggnad, LEED and DGNB systems.

In a rapidly evolving global landscape, Ahlsell remains steadfast in our commitment to staying relevant and developing our sustainable practices. Responsible sourcing is a cornerstone of our business and our sustainability strategy, reflecting our dedication to integrating ethical, social, and environmental considerations into our procurement processes.

Our commitment to responsible sourcing involves close collaboration with our suppliers. This includes exploring new areas for business development including circularity and sustainable products as well as mitigating supply chain risks. We aim to build long-term partnerships that are founded on mutual respect and shared values.

Supply chain Due Diligence
As we navigate the complexities of a changing world, we strive to not only meet but exceed the expectations of our stakeholders. By aligning our processes with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct, we aim to establish a robust due diligence framework that helps us identify, assess, and mitigate any potential negative impacts on people, society, and the environment.

Regulatory compliance
Due to a rapidly changing regulatory landscape, we remain committed to staying proactive in navigating market and compliance challenges. This year, 2024, we updated our Trade Compliance Policy to align with global regulations, reinforcing adherence to export controls and sanctions. We have also updated our Code of Conduct to further strengthen our commitment in this area regarding business ethics, sustainability, and human rights.

In combination with an attractive offering, it is our skilled and serviceminded employees who make Ahlsell a value-adding company in a changing world. We place great emphasis on being an attractive workplace, where every employee can develop and feel proud. A healthy and safe work environment, an inclusive culture and ongoing investments in leadership and skills development are important elements in ensuring that every employee can grow with us.

People & Culture Strategy
Our work to be an attractive, developmental workplace is based on an ambitious overarching goal: “The best time in your working life”. The strategic work focuses on four areas: People Attraction, People Growth, Diversity and Inclusion, and Improvement & Innovation.

Guided by our values
At Ahlsell, we are truly living by our values in our day-to-day work. They provide guidance in decision-making and in shaping the attitudes we have towards each other, our customers and our business partners. Our values are included in the introduction of new employees. We follow up on the perception of compliance in employee appraisals and in our employee and customer surveys.

High level of employee engagement
We measure engagement, leadership, organisational development and the perception of the corporate culture in regular employee surveys. In the yearly survey, The Engagement Index 75 (76) and the Leadership Index 82 (83) surpass our goals and show that our active work on leadership issues has yielded results. Employee Net Promotor score was 38 (46)* showing that we still have highly dedicated employees, however the result is a little lower compared to last year.

* The eNPS, employee net promoter score, is measured on a scale of -100 to +100. The eNPS is influenced by many factors and varies between different industries and countries; a result above +30is generally considered very good.