Skanska UK and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK announce new sustainability partnership

29 March 2022

Skanska UK and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK announce a new sustainability partnership, addressing the urgent action required to build a more resilient future.

The UK Government has set out an ambitious plan for a green recovery, dependent on both public and private investment. The Ten-point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution spans across energy, buildings, transport, and innovation, where industry plays a central role.

The partnership will bring together businesses, policymakers and academia to find tangible ways to tackle carbon emissions and share knowledge and innovation, that will support living beyond our lifetime.

“Much like Sweden, the UK is leading the way in the green transition, both in creating public policies and in serving as a greenhouse for innovation. For us, it is only natural to facilitate knowledge-sharing and innovation amongst businesses, policymakers and other stakeholders to meet and share experiences across our two countries,” says Peter Sandberg, Chief Executive at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK.

In 2019, Skanska UK announced its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2045. Not only does this include its own direct emissions but it also includes those generated from its whole supply chain on projects.

Since then, Skanska has achieved significant milestones. This includes converting fully to low-emission, high-performance HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fuel to power all site plant and equipment, and an electric vehicle first policy for its fleet of company cars. To help the wider industry, Skanska has also produced reports on the use of low-carbon materials as an alternative to using concrete and created data tools to track and target carbon emissions.

Skanska is no stranger to forging alliances across borders and industries. In 2019, Skanska and IKEA introduced their joint venture BoKlok to the UK, to build sustainable and high-quality homes that make home ownership accessible to more people. BoKlok is now on track to complete its first development in the UK.

“As a UK construction company with Scandinavian heritage we have shared values and business perspectives with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, making this an ideal partnership. Businesses cannot work in isolation to solve the climate crisis. This partnership provides a platform to bring leading players together to co-create tangible solutions that can be adopted across diverse industries,” says Gregor Craig, Skanska UK’s President and CEO.

With Skanska as its sustainability partner, the Swedish Chamber is hosting its annual sustainability summit ‘Impact’ on 27 May 2022. Thought leaders from both Sweden and the UK will share learning and discuss ways in which industry and government can tackle the climate emergency, and together reach the United Nations sustainable development goals. In addition to this, Skanska and the Swedish Chamber will host a series of roundtable discussions and other events over the course of the next year.

About Skanska

Skanska Group uses knowledge and foresight to shape the way people live, work and connect. More than 135 years in the making, we’re one of the world’s largest development and construction companies, with 2021 revenue totalling SEK 148 billion (around £12.5 billion). We operate across select markets in the Nordics, Europe and the United States.  

Together with our customers and the collective expertise of our 30,000 teammates, we create innovative and sustainable solutions that support healthy living beyond our lifetime. 

Skanska in the UK 

Established in the UK in 2000, Skanska has more than 3,300 local experts delivering projects across sectors including real estate, defence, education, highways, rail and water. Our work today includes: 

• Connecting communities across the UK, with major highways improvement schemes including A428 and M42 Junction 6 
• Improving the rail network by building a low-carbon, high-capacity railway that increases reliability and enables faster journeys, with the London tunnels section of the UK’s new high-speed railway, HS2 
• Creating inspiring places to work including Blossom Street in London and Unity Place in Swindon 
• Taking care of critical facilities for major organisations, including the Ministry of Defence and City of Edinburgh Council 
• Providing sustainable homes for the many, with developments in Bristol and Worthing. (Delivered by BoKlok, a 50/50 joint venture with IKEA)