Compliance

Responsibility on all levels

At Sweco, compliance means more than simply following laws and regulations. Ethical behaviour in the company’s own operations and in client projects reflects Sweco’s values, prevents risks and has a positive impact on society.

Establishing and maintaining integrity, transparency and trust in the company is essential for Sweco’s long-term success, wherever in the world the company operates. Sweco’s decentralised approach, with all employees responsible for their own business relationships, sets high standards for personal awareness of business ethics. Employees and business partners are responsible for complying with laws, regulations and Sweco’s own business ethics policies.

Code of Conduct and other policies

With 22,000 employees working on 150,000 projects throughout the world, it is essential that Sweco and its business partners conduct business based on the same principles and with the utmost integrity. Sweco’s Code of Conduct applies to all Sweco Group employees and covers environment, business ethics, employee development, human rights, labour law, data protection and personal data management. The Code is based on international standards such as the UN Global Compact, to which Sweco is a signatory, UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Bill of Human Rights, the ILO core conventions, and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. All employees are required to complete annual training on the Code of Conduct and confirm compliance with their signature.

Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct

At Sweco, we are committed to sustainability, ethics, human rights, and environmental responsibility. All suppliers and business partners are expected to adhere to the same principles in their own operations and, in turn, towards their suppliers and business partners. Our Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct sets out minimum requirements and understanding and complying with it is mandatory for everyone working for or in any other way providing products, services or works to Sweco.

Read our Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct

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Careful selection of business partners and projects

In addition to requiring Sweco’s business partners to comply with the Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct, Sweco also uses a specific corporate responsibility programme – the Sweco Business Partner Programme – to evaluate its business partners. The programme includes guidelines in areas such as anti-corruption and human rights, as well as a training programme that Sweco’s consultants and partners participate in together. It also includes requirements for ethics assessments of projects and business partners, which applies Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) as one parameter. The higher the risk is deemed to be, the stricter the assessment.

Taxes and distributed value

In addition to the solutions and values Sweco experts create with clients in projects, taxes and fees are considered part of sustainable business operations that contribute to society. Sweco pays taxes in accordance with local tax laws and regulations in the countries where the company operates. Sweco aspires to a high standard of tax management and provides transparent financial reports based on OECD principles, meaning that Group results are taxed where value is created. The tax policy serves as Sweco’s framework for tax manage-ment and is reviewed annually. For 2024, Sweco paid SEK 617 million (525) in company tax. In addition to company tax, Sweco contributes additional value related to salaries, pensions and employee benefits, dividends to shareholders, payments to suppliers, and taxes. Social fees, exclusive of pension costs, totalled SEK 2,791 million (2,570) in 2024.

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IT and cyber security

Sweco works continuously to strengthen the company’s systematic management of and processes for information security. This work is designed to safeguard information and IT infrastructure against existing and potential threats and risks, thereby ensuring confidenti-ality, integrity, availability and continuity in Sweco’s operations and client projects. Sweco’s information security management system is certified in accordance with ISO 27001. This certification helps to improve information management and compliance, reduce the risk of incidents and disruptions, and enhance Sweco’s credibility among clients and partners. ISO certification has so far been obtained by Sweco’s business areas in Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and some areas in Sweden (Digital Services, IT); the certification process is underway in Finland, Sweden, the UK and Ireland.

Suppliers

Sweco’s procurements broadly cover the following categories: sub-consultants, office space and IT, travel and employee costs other than salaries and remuneration. Although Sweco’s supply chain is limited and its most significant sustainability impact occurs in client projects and collaborations with other parties, Sweco expects all of its suppliers to comply not only with laws and regulations in the countries where they operate, but also with the principles in Sweco’s Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct. Suppliers are required to sign the Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct, which covers areas including health and safety, environmental management, business ethics, compliance, human rights and workers’ rights. Management and evaluation of supplier relations and procurement also take place at the business area level based on local policies and procedures. Sweco ensures regulation of sustainability requirements in its supplier and contract management through contractual commitments from the company’s suppliers. Sweco’s goal is to use ongoing dialogue to continuously improve the review and management of its supply chain and establish processes and tools to further develop sustainability performance.

Human rights

Sweco supports and respects human rights, as defined by international conventions. Sweco’s Code of Conduct and Supplier & Business Partner Code of Conduct also serve as the company’s group-wide human rights policy. Sweco has zero tolerance for human rights violations, child labour and inhumane working conditions. Sweco also does not permit discrimination or denial of employees’ collective bargaining rights. The company actively promotes equal rights and opportunities in the workplace, within Sweco and in contacts with clients and other stakeholders. The risk of human rights violations within Sweco’s own operations is deemed to be relatively minor. Human rights violations are mainly of concern in export projects conducted outside of Europe, with the risk of violation varying based on e.g. type of project, geographic location and the business partners Sweco works with. Human rights criteria are included in the tender review process for screening major Sweco projects, in the assessment of potential business partners and in the merger and acquisition process. No suspected violations of human rights were reported in 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024.

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The Sweco Ethics Line

Sweco has a zero-tolerance policy regarding violations of law, business ethics policies, and human rights. Sweco focuses on enforcing this policy by proactively providing training and information, and by reactively picking up on and managing incidents. The Sweco Ethics Line, one of the company’s whistleblowing channels, can be used by employees and external parties for anonymous reporting of suspected misconduct. Any illegal or unethical behaviour, including human rights violations, can be reported anonymously via the Sweco Ethics Line, which is operated by an external provider. Sweco also has internal reporting channels available to employees. All reported incidents are promptly investigated, regardless of the reporting channel used. Investigations are managed as locally as possible.