Sustainability at Götessons

A BIT OF COMMON SENSE FROM DALSTORP

Today, it is a given hygiene factor to take responsibility for your organization and the impact it and its activities has on the surrounding world. Götessons has throughout the years worked with sustainability in mind – without really thinking about it. For us, it was common sense. When it first took off, in the 80s, 90s and00s, the focus was on maintaining a high quality and construction, for the products to last for a long time. Little did we know back then, that such qualities today are important from a sustainability perspective. In order to maintain a high product quality, Götessons always had the approach to work long-term and close with our suppliers. For us, it was common sense. Even today, we have many suppliers who have been involved from the very beginning. Good and long-term relationships with suppliers are for us a way to take responsibility for our value chains.

High product quality, long-term supplier collaborations and our business concept with a pleasant, ergonomic and creative workplace, have made the common sense from Dalstorp the foundation for us to be proud of our products and business today.

WORKING WITH SUSTAINABILITY AT GÖTESSONS

At Götessons, we work with sustainable development in two focus areas: one area concerning the products design and content, and the other area focuses on usage, function and production. Our most important sustainability questions include material selection, responsible supply chains, circular economy, product development and working environment.

A SUSTAINABLE WORKDAY FOR EVERYONE

A sustainable workday for everyone – by this, we mean that it is important for everyone who uses our products, works within our supply chains or is part of our own operations to experience a workplace where they feel comfortable and well every day. This includes developing products that contribute to greater user well-being, ensuring ethical and responsible supply chains that respect human rights, and maintaining high employee satisfaction, a positive working environment and workplace safety within our organisation. This is at the heart of our business and the reason we exist as a company – to contribute to a more sustainable workday.

Here, we focus on the product itself, including material choices, design, construction and components. Everything should be carefully considered, controlled and produced in accordance with relevant sustainability criteria. High product quality, safety and quality testing, smart design, no hazardous substances and sustainable material choices – these are all important to us.

USING OUR PRODUCTS

Our products and their functionality are at the heart of our business. At Götessons, we have many years of experience in furnishing spaces with products that create environments where people feel comfortable and thrive. People are spending more and more time indoors. We live, eat, sleep, work and socialise indoors. There are many factors to consider when creating a healthy indoor environment, and we also believe that these spaces should be pleasant and welcoming. Many of the elements that contribute to healthy buildings are not built into the structure itself but are introduced through furniture and interior design.

It is important that our products are safe and contribute to a positive working environment. Our products are tested in accordance with relevant standards for the different categories of furniture and interior solutions. Among other things, we carry out tests for tipping risks, surface finishes, fire safety and acoustics. Our products must meet customer requirements, and we strive to stay close to the market, keeping up with evolving needs and trends to meet market demands in the best possible way. We place great importance on ergonomics and ensuring that end users get the most out of their products, while the products themselves help create a better working environment.

Would you like to learn more about how to design spaces for a sustainable workday? Explore our knowledge hub here.

Our Supply Chains

To ensure good working conditions throughout our supply chain, we build close, long-term relationships with our suppliers. This allows us to maintain good oversight and regular communication, while staying up to date with changes in legislation and certifications. We set clear requirements through, among other things, our Code of Conduct. We also welcome the opportunity to exchange sustainability ideas with our suppliers and work together to find solutions to shared challenges. Through long-standing partnerships that continue to develop, we have also been able to focus on a smaller number of suppliers. This means fewer and more efficient shipments, as multiple products can be delivered from the same location. Working in this way also enables us to ensure that the products reaching our end customers meet our requirements and are delivered on time.

A Workday at Götessons

Our employees are our most valuable resource. Job satisfaction, well-being, equality and development are, and have always been, our highest priorities. We value our employees' commitment and initiatives for continuous improvement, as well as a healthy work-life balance. We have a social committee that organises monthly activities for our employees, and we encourage employee involvement in various forums focusing on the working environment and health.

At Götessons, we believe that everyone is of equal value, and our workplace is characterised by equal treatment and equality. Within our company, everyone is offered the same opportunities at work, regardless of gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, age or type of employment.

SYSTEM FOR WHISTLE BLOWING

KPMG

Götessons Design Group (including Norco Interior, Götesson Industries, SIAS, David Design and Scan Sörli) strives to maintain a good business culture, counteract corruption, non-compliance and promote transparency. So-called whistleblowers play a central role in the governance of business conduct and company policies.

Götessons Design Group's whistle blowing system is a reporting channel that is part of Götesson Design Group’s efforts to prevent and detect misconduct and to protect whistleblowers. Whistleblowers to report misconduct can be current or former employees, suppliers, subcontractors, candidates of employment, volunteers/ trainees, or any other internal or external stakeholders.

Via this reporting channel, whistleblowers can report misconduct or suspected violations with confidentiality and anonymity

Report here or enter the following address in the browser: https://wbreport.kpmg.se/5592036502. You can also call +46 (0)771 401 683

This reporting channel is a secure system provided by the independent part of KPMG AB (“KPMG”). KPMG's Whistleblower Service is completely independent of Götessons Design Group's intranet and websites and can receive reports 24 hours a day, all year around.

The reporting person can choose to report anonymously or disclose personal contact information in order to be contacted for more info. No account registration or personal contact information is required to make a report, but it facilitates the investigation of the case and / or the follow-up of the case. To ensure the anonymity of the reporting person, KPMG AB does not collect IP addresses or metadata. The system also protects the report itself and any information regarding the identity of the person or persons who appear in the report.

The board has since 2021 approved a Whistleblower policy with supporting grievance handling mechanism.

The whistleblower committee within Götessons Design Group:

Helen Swedberg (E-commerce Manager)
Stellan Bygård (ESG-Manager)
Tommy Torwald (Accent Equity)

MATERIALS AND PRODUCT MANUFACTURING

Saying that the greatest challenges also present the greatest opportunities may sound like a cliché, but in our case, it is clearly true. Materials and product manufacturing are the areas where we face the biggest challenges in terms of our environmental impact. The raw materials used in our products are particularly important, as they, together with the production methods, account for a significant part of our environmental footprint. We want to increase our use of recycled materials even further to avoid unnecessarily depleting the Earth's natural resources.

We are already taking several positive steps in this area, as reflected in our product range. The Medley ball features a textile cover made from production offcuts from various fabrics. EcoSund, our sound absorber, is made entirely from PET, 50% of which is recycled, and the entire product is recyclable. Within our textile range, we offer several fabrics made from post-consumer recycled materials and certified with OEKO-TEX and EU Ecolabel. Many of our products are also available with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

Credibility and certifications

We believe in working with proven and independently assessed methods. That is why we offer products certified according to both Möbelfakta and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Möbelfakta sets requirements for quality, environmental performance and social responsibility throughout the entire supply chain. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets strict requirements for the composition and chemical content of materials and products. Visit our product pages to learn more about which products hold Type I environmental certification.

Götessons Industri AB is certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

LINEAR (TODAY) – CIRCULAR (TOMORROW)

Although office furniture is not replaced as frequently as home furnishings, this also happens in workplaces, where furniture is often used for far less time than its actual lifespan allows. An important part of our work is therefore to continuously develop and find new strategies to extend the use of our products before they need to be replaced.

Our furniture must be built to last. A long product lifespan is a key factor in reducing environmental impact. Choosing the right materials is therefore essential and goes hand in hand with high product quality. Furniture should contain as few different types of materials as possible to make recycling and reuse easier. High-quality products should withstand long-term use without breaking. Materials are also influenced by trends and fashion. We need to combine stylish, contemporary products that contribute to creative environments with solutions that prevent furniture from being discarded once increasingly short trend cycles have passed.

That is why Götessons has developed LOOP – a system where we take back products and reupholster them, a process also known as upcycling, before selling them again.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT GOTESSONS’ SUSTAINABILITY WORK?

Mia Marecek, Sustainability Director

Götessons Industri AB, Rönnåsgatan 5B, 523 38 ULRICEHAMN, SWEDEN
Phone: +46 (0)321-68 77 00, Fax: +46 (0)321-68 77 90, info@gotessons.se, www.gotessons.com