Meet the company that closes the circle in the transition. For EFO, sustainability is the whole business concept. The company helps six major Swedish energy companies to convert waste into energy that heats and provides electricity to Swedish households.
EFO imports about 1 million tons of waste per year - household waste, industrial waste and wood waste. EFO handles the international business for the Swedish energy companies that are EFO's owners. But it's not just the amount imported that is special, but what happens when the waste ends up at Swedish district heating plants in Västerås, Jönköping, Södertälje, Halmstad Sundsvall and Enköping.
Efforts in several areas
In the conversion process, 95% of the energy is recovered from waste that was previously often sent to landfill. At the same time, it avoids the harmful methane gases generated by landfills - a gas 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Another plus is that EFO uses return shipments, mainly by ship and train - shipments that would otherwise be empty on the way back. In this way, the company can make transportation more sustainable.
In other words, EFO has a unique role when it comes to a significant part of Swedish waste imports. EFO has a team working on fuel purchasing and a team working on logistics to ensure environmentally friendly transportation. Staff also carry out many site visits to ensure that suppliers from different countries meet their requirements.
Strategic rethink
But even for a company like EFO, there is potential for development.
Cecilia Hedlund is sustainability manager at EFO. She says that the company has previously done a solid job in sustainability, not least in logistics. At the same time, there has been room to systematize sustainability work and become even more strategic.
What I did was to take a holistic approach to sustainability issues. I also made sure that we got better at setting goals and working strategically.
- Even in the past, we have worked with independent inspections of ships in terms of safety, working conditions, the environment on board and other issues. What I did was to take a holistic approach to sustainability issues. I also made sure we got better at setting targets and working strategically.
Sustainability is an issue that is incredibly important in the relationship with EFO's owners.
- At EFO, we have identified certain risk areas. On the one hand, it is about social issues at suppliers, linked to working conditions and rights. On the other hand, it is about business ethics, linked to issues such as corruption and organized crime. But it also concerns the emissions that occur when waste is transported to our owners. In the latter case, we are working purposefully to mix more biofuels into our transportation.
Cecilia Hedlund, Sustainability Manager at EFO
CSRD reporting on a voluntary basis
The practical work of reviewing the sustainability work started in May 2024. To work more coherently and strategically, Cecilia and her colleagues decided to start reporting based on the CSRD framework.
An interesting aspect of the decision to report on CSRD is that it was not preceded by formal reporting requirements, as the company is not subject to them. The reporting that Cecilia has initiated is on a voluntary basis:
- While we meet the turnover requirement for CSRD, we do not meet the total assets or number of employees requirement, and since we are not subject to CSRD, there will be no potential difference if the Omnibus bill passes.
We want to be a leader in sustainability. We want to be at the forefront of our industry and help change it.
- For us, a compelling reason to report is our own desire to be a leader in sustainability. It is something that is extremely important to us. We want to be at the forefront of our industry and help change it.
Stratsys - an obvious choice
In order to be able to work purposefully and in a structured way with sustainability work, EFO needed to find a good system support.
- We compared four different options to find the right system support for EFO. We were looking for a system that could help us keep track of all data points, both in terms of quantitative and qualitative data. It felt very important.
In the comparison, one supplier stood out: Stratsys.
We feel that Stratsys offers more for the money. In the end, it has been an easy choice.
- It turned out that Stratsys had a very user-friendly tool, with many good features. We liked how the system captures the whole process - from stakeholder, analysis and strategy to the ability to set targets. It's neat and was something that convinced us. Another aspect is about the value. We felt that Stratsys offered more for the money. In the end, it was an easy choice.
Already well on the way
Since then, Cecilia and the team at EFO have come a long way. The goal is to finish the reporting by the end of June this year. This is because the company has a broken financial year.
- We've finished the double materiality analysis, we've made the gaps and we've finished reporting according to GHG. Right now we are setting goals and developing plans and we are well on track.
Cecilia looks forward to continuing to develop sustainability work at EFO.
- We have a very good structure, which helps us to work strategically. Today we are aware of all data points, which means that we do not have to worry that we have missed anything, Cecilia concludes.
If you want to know more about how Stratsys can help you in your sustainability work, please contact us and we will be happy to tell you more.
