Economic sustainability
Our business ethics
It is of the utmost importance for us to do business in a responsible and legal way. That is why we have an internal and an external code of conduct. The internal code of conduct applies to all employees in the AJ Group and contains guidelines that clearly describe how our operations are to be conducted.
The external code of conduct includes requirements and guidelines on social responsibility, sustainable development and business ethics as well as the requirements set by the UN Global Compact, the Rio Declaration, the ILO Conventions on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the UN Convention against Corruption.
Bribery and corruption interfere with free competition and contravene legislation. As a company, we are at the greatest risk of exposure to corruption when purchasing from new suppliers. Our employees have a shared responsibility to ensure that the codes of conduct are followed and to report any suspicion of misconduct. We have a whistle-blower procedure that can be used to make an anonymous report.
Valuable investment in forests
We choose to invest part of our surplus in forests, which are owned by the AJ Group. Investing money in forests is classified as a financially sustainable investment. The forest is certified and controlled according to FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest) criteria. With these certifications, we can be sure that we are promoting biological diversity, cultural values and decent working conditions in the forest.
Forest land is valuable for the climate thanks to its ability to capture greenhouse gases. The AJ Group has forests in Sweden and Latvia that together sequestered nearly 33,000 tons of CO₂ in 2021, according to calculations made on annual growth and the substitution effect on annual felling.
The major environmental benefits of the forest occur when carbon is stored in the forest or through substitution, which is when forest fuel is used to produce energy or as an alternative to plastic, steel and concrete. This generates a significant reduction in fossil fuel emissions.
