HEM Denmark has delved deeply into the reporting work

He does not hide the fact that working on the new sustainability report has been resource-intensive, but the collaboration with Viegand Maagøe enabled him and his 24 colleagues to still have time to focus on the operations of HEM.

“Of course, we had to find data and participate in workshops, but we had Viegand Maagøe to drive the entire process, analyze our company and our market and put it all in the right reporting boxes. In this way, we ensured progress and eliminated the risk of ending up in greenwashing in relation to the communication of our work,” explains the sales manager.

The sustainability report includes HEM's first climate report and a description of the company's approved Science Based Targets objective for CO2 reductions. It also explains how HEM works to ensure traceability and transparency backward in the value chain via certifications, and on the focus on diversity and safe and healthy working conditions.

“It's a huge help for us, because now we have something concrete to show, and we have a reporting tool to use for future reporting."

For HEM, the extensive work of reporting on its own sustainability efforts was not forced by existing pressure from the value chain or customers, but it has slowly started to come.

“We have assessed that this will be a deal breaker for whether we can be allowed to act in the market in the future. Then we are not on the train that is rumbling out there, we are simply not allowed to bid, but instead are chosen from,” says Bo Heilskov.

The sales manager’s call to other companies – regardless of size – is therefore also short and sweet: Get started!

“Even if it will initially only be a legal requirement for larger companies to report on sustainability and responsibility, you might as well be at the forefront so that your company is competitive – also in the future. At least we have not regretted that here at HEM,” says Bo Heilskov.