Pillar 3

The business of the future

Read more about targets, outcomes and activities on our path to providing businesses of the future.

What is a business of the future?

The business of the future focuses on how Knowit can influence its surroundings through its business. Through its work with digitalization and innovation, Knowit is a solution partner with a high positive impact, not just in the climate area, but on the development of society as a whole. Knowit has a unique possibility to use its expertise in innovation and digitalization to provide clients and society with solutions to meet the largest global challenge of our time, climate change, which also creates new and unique business opportunities for Knowit. By integrating sustainability and climate in the Company’s business strategy, values, vision, and ultimately in the value offer to clients, Knowit can contribute to a positive impact on global sustainability.

Cutting-edge security solutions

Target: Protect client data.

Result: See picture. Managing large amounts of data in the cloud leads to increased complexity when it comes to security issues. Here, Knowit is at the cutting edge, and delivers both cloud services and security services regarding implementation and operation. The same holds true for AI applications, where technology and law are closely connected. Knowit delivers both the technical solution and support for managing security and privacy. The new regulations GDPR and PSD2, with caused large challenges for many of Knowit’s clients during 2019, have remained a large challenge in 2020 and 2021 too. Knowit has supported them in understanding what the regulations mean for them and what is required to achieve compliance – with a focus on privacy matters, the needs of the operations, and societal benefits.

Activities: Knowit’s management system for information security is based on ISO 27001. Within Knowit, we have one subsidiary in Sweden and one in Norway specialized in information security and offering consultancy services in this field. Resources and competence from these subsidiaries are used in Knowit’s internal work on information security. During the summer of 2020, parts of Knowit’s Norwegian operations were certified in accordance with ISO 27001 and in 2021 work began to prepare for a general ISO 27001 certificate.

Empowered & Enabled

Target: Implement a Key performance indicator (KPI) in Knowit that measures Empowered & Enabled. The term refers to if the Company’s employees feel strengthened and fully equipped to contribute to a sustainable future themselves, in line with the “Makers of a sustainable future” concept, in their roles, assignments, and fields of responsibility. Ultimately, the goal is to enable for the UN SDGs.

Result: See picture.

Activities: To follow up on the ongoing work with strengthening and motivating Knowit employees to contribute to the sustainability work of their clients, the Company has implemented and developed Cybercom’s work from 2020 with a KPI called Empowered & Enabled. With the aim of reinforcing the general sustainability work and connecting Knowit’s vision more closely to its business and client offers, the Company will during 2022 implement a Sustainability Task Force, a dedicated work group for sustainability matters. The employees who were employed at Cybercom before the merger in 2021 have taken a sustainability course developed in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. During the fall of 2021, Knowit has worked to adapt and developed this, so that all Knowit employees can take this course, which covers sustainability in business models, technical development, and digitalization, in addition to the environmental aspects. The new sustainability course will be introduced during 2022.

The Grow program

Target: The goal behind the GROW program is to motivate women and non-binary people and create the conditions for developed networking. The idea is to build a learning community where the participants are equipped with inspiring knowledge and tools for driving both their own and Knowit’s development forward. During the course of the program, a platform for sustainable development, improved insights into oneself, increased gender awareness, and valuable consultancy competence is created. The possibility of growing into a future role model for other women and non-binary employees is given.

Result: Decision on the founding of a Sustainability task force and launch of a sustainability course.

Activities: During the fall of 2021, a group of consultants in the GROW program have, in parallel with their client assignments, worked to map out how all subsidiaries in the Group deal with sustainability in their deals, how employees view sustainability, the width and depth of their knowledge in the field, their understanding of the ambition Makers of a sustainable future, and to what extent sustainability is part of the client offer. The outcome of the group’s work shows that the initiatives that have now been adopted, such as the Sustainability Task Force and a new sustainability course, are in line with employee expectations.

The proportion of net sales contributing to the UN SDGs

Target: By 2030, 80 percent of Knowit’s net sales shall contribute to at least one of the UN sustainable development goals where Knowit can make the largest difference. Among the 17 UN SDGs, Knowit has identified SDGs 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 16.

Result: See picture. Knowit has identified that 67 percent of net sales contribute to at least one of the UN SDGs where Knowit can make the largest difference.

Activities: An example of how Knowit works to develop the business of the future is a new concept in cloud-based services that ensures that the cloud-based services that Knowit creates are measurable from a sustainability perspective. This concept is called Knowit Sustainable Cloud. It will be launched in 2022 and also includes a Sustainability Calculation Toolkit, so any interested company can easily understand how sustainable their current solution is. More information on this can be found at knowit.eu/sustainablecloud.

The new EU Taxonomy

Target: Report in accordance with the new EU taxonomy.

Result: See picture where the result is reported in the table.

Activities: During 2021, Knowit has established a method and toolkit to measure and report in accordance with the new EU taxonomy. For 2021, only the two environmental targets related to limiting climate change and adaptation to climate change are affected. To measure and report how large a share of the Company’s net sales that satisfy the requirements to be eligible in accordance with the new EU taxonomy, information on active projects and their net sales during 2021 have been gathered from Knowit’s ERP system. Based on this information, project managers have in the next step been sent a questionnaire survey, to identify the projects that might be eligible. The project managers of the identified projects have then received supplementary questions, to determine which projects satisfy the requirements to be eligible.

What more do we do to promote sustainability?

We work actively to contribute to the UN Agenda 2030 and the development of society, with a particular focus on positive environmental and climate impact, and increased inclusion. Here you can read what we do and our achievements so far in the different areas of sustainability:

Sustainability reporting with reference to the GRI standards

Our sustainability work is gathered in Knowit's annual report. Here you will find in-depth information about how we work for a healthy workplace, increased gender equality, less carbon dioxide emissions – and much more. You can also contact us with your sustainability questions.

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Joakim Pilborg
Head of Sustainability
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Vision, strategy & sustainability targets

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