Sustainability Efforts in Bonnier’s Subsidiaries

Bonnier is a decentralized group. Our subsidiaries Adlibris, Bonnier Books, Bonnier Capital, Bonnier Fastigheter, Bonnier News and SF Studios have their own sustainability targets connected to each respective company’s area of business.

The companies cover a wide range of industries, from real estate development, film production and investment operations, to journalism, book publishing and sales of books and digital services. Setting detailed targets and managing them on an everyday basis is done best as close as possible to the business operations.

Every business has unique challenges as well as opportunities to identify positive ways to have an impact, both within climate and social sustainability issues. Read more about each company below.

Three interviews on sustainability

Sara Björnberg, Head of Sustainable Development, Bonnier Fastigheter

“The key to successful sustainable development work is cooperation, no one can reverse the trends alone.”

Steffen Bollermann, CSR Manager, Bonnier Books

“Driving climate issues within a company is dependent on support from the Board, CEO and executive management – and how employees implement the issue in daily work life.”

Lotta Edling, Publishing Director, Bonnier News

“Within the distribution operations, we are moving rapidly away from fossil fuels to fossil-free and emissions-free transport.”

Adlibris

Adlibris aims to inspire people to discover new worlds through reading. Reading is not just a source of great pleasure, it is good for people and society as well. Reading has many positive effects, such as increasing people’s empathy and general knowledge while also reducing stress. Non-fiction provides new knowledge and skills, fiction new perspectives and experiences. People who read support a sustainable society, which is why Adlibris wants to inspire more reading. To encourage children to read, Adlibris runs Den stora läsutmaningen (the big reading challenge – read more in Swedish here) together with children’s book publishers Bonnier Carlsen, Natur & Kultur and Rabén & Sjögren. The goal is to increase “reading working out” among children and contribute to making reading a daily habit. To promote a more sustainable society where free speech is a given, Adlibris supports Swedish PEN’s work on freedom of expression with an annual contribution. Read more about Swedish PEN’s work here.

How do you inspire people to read while also reducing the impact books have on the climate? Adlibris wants its climate impact efforts to be in the forefront, reduce its own emissions while getting others on board and contribute to reducing the entire industry’s carbon footprint.

Adlibris’ goal is to reduce its climate impact by half by 2030 compared with 2020, and climate compensate for its emissions as well. Adlibris’ focus is on reducing and eliminating its emissions, and when this isn’t possible to compensate for them.

Bonnier Books

It all started with books. The publishers within Bonnier Books are custodians of Bonnier’s 200-year-old heritage and manage and support projects focused on reading and free speech. They publish relevant works by authors, even if they are criticized for their opinions. As book publishers, they stand behind authors’ – and everyone else’s – right to freedom of speech. A long-term perspective is part of Bonnier Books’ DNA, while courage and innovation go hand-in-hand with sustainability as well as publishing.

Bonnier Books is a group within the Group, with a strong presence in seven countries and with a multitude of publishers and imprints serving the various markets. In spring 2021, Bonnier Books launched its platform, The Open Book, to address Bonnier Books’ total sustainability impact in the entire value chain. The platform functions as a framework to strengthen sustainability initiatives in all operations and addresses as well important industry issues such as freedom of expression, material supply, supplier assessment and diversity. Group-wide issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable production methods are primarily managed jointly, while companies within Bonnier Books are encouraged to take their own initiatives relevant to their operations and impact.

Bonnier Capital

Bonnier Capital focuses on investing in companies that promote a positive effect on the environment and society. Investments are made based on the Group’s core values and Bonnier’s role in society, with the possibility to both set the direction as well as drive the development of society. The ambition is to contribute to sustainable development.

Bonnier Capital actively looks for companies that enable the transformation needed to reach the climate goals in line with the Paris Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This is done by identifying companies with sustainable business models that thoroughly manage the environmental, social and governance-related aspects of their operations.

Furthermore, Bonnier Capital aims to identify companies that solve local as well as global sustainability challenges, within all three dimensions of sustainability: the economic, the social and the environmental. In line with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the focus is on new business models and technology that contribute to a more equal, sustainable and inclusive society with opportunities to create long-term value and benefit to society.

Among the investments focused specifically on climate transformation are Woshapp, a car-washing service where the car washers bicycle to the customers and hand wash cars in an environmental fashion; Sulapac, which helps companies replace conventional plastic with sustainable, beautiful, functional and bio-based and biodegradable materials; and Carla, an online retailer that helps customers buy electric cars and chargeable hybrids.

Bonnier Fastigheter

Interest in sustainability issues is huge in the real estate industry, among other ways reflected in the strong interest in green leasing agreements and environmentally certified buildings. Social sustainability and climate efforts are two major areas for Bonnier Fastigheter. Since 2020, it has reported its emissions of greenhouse gases based on the GHG Protocol. Between first measurements in 2018 through to 2022, Bonnier Fastigheter reduced its greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1 and 2 by 64 percent, and reduced its use of energy by 20 percent. Bonnier Fastigheter has a goal that 100 percent of its holdings be environmentally certified, with high grades.

Several collaborations are underway with City Missions, both to create public meeting places such as Mötesplats Mariatorget at St Paul’s Church in Stockholm and Uppsala City Mission’s Unga Station, a meeting place for young people in the Gränby neighborhood in Uppsala.

Bonnier’s fundamental beliefs in freedom of expression and an open society are core to the real estate operations as well, and they can function as a guidepost in planning and developing properties and neighborhoods where people will work, live and enjoy life.

Bonnier Fastigheter’s subsidiary Hemmplan develops and maintains city-center properties and public spaces in neighborhoods facing socioeconomic challenges, in order to drive positive development of society, with and for people living and working in the area, so everyone can grow up with the same opportunities in a safe environment where they feel at home.

Hemmaplan has owned properties that are part of Malmö’s Rosengård Centrum since before becoming part of Bonnier Fastigheter. In 2022, the renovation was completed of Rosengård Centrum’s new library, a place where reading comprehension and a democratic public dialog are at the heart. In 2022, Hemmaplan also acquired Gottsunda Centrum in Uppsala, where new shops were opened and public spaces refurbished. A Centrumakademi (you can read more in an article and watch a video in Swedish here) has been started up as well, with the goal of creating jobs for young people via traineeships, internships, vacation work and jobs.

Bonnier News

Freedom of expression and protecting free speech are at the heart of Bonnier News’ operations and the single most important focus area in the company’s sustainability strategy. The war in Ukraine these past years has set the agenda for a large proportion of newspaper reporting, along with the ever-more-important climate coverage.

Bonnier News’ sustainability strategy is based on four focus areas, each connected to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Within the framework of these focus areas, a number of initiatives are underway in many different parts of the business.

Bonnier News’ core values and identity are built around freedom of expression and empowering free speech. They act as defenders of independent journalism and their businesses contribute to an inclusive society where more people can participate.

Business ethics – sustainability integrated into the business. Bonnier News strives for sustainable profitability that over the long term ensures the publication of independent journalism.

Equality and inclusion – the responsibility of the entire organization. Focus on creating an open atmosphere at the workplace, with equality, diversity and inclusion as key factors for success.

Environment – to gradually reduce the carbon footprint. Bonnier News’ direct climate impact is limited and varies, considering the breadth of operations. Based on what is relevant to each business, efforts should be made to reduce the direct impact in the value chain.

SF Studios

Diversity and a fair working environment are focus areas for SF Studios. The company is engaged in different CSR activities such as the #MeToo movement, including Sweden’s own version, #TystnadTagning (silent shoot), as well as children’s initiatives Pippi of Today, My Special Day and Generation Pep.

All SF Studios employees can contribute to a sustainable future. Employees are expected to always consider the environment in their daily work and decision-making processes. The company aims to use environmentally friendly products and services, recycles and sorts waste at its offices as well as at production sites.