As a leading SaaS company in financial reporting, budgeting, and analysis, Oxceed has not only digitized financial management for over 20,000 businesses but has also taken significant steps to reduce its own—and its customers’—carbon footprint. In 2024, the company lowered its emissions by over 7 tons of CO₂e, a reduction of 16.1% compared to the previous year.
Smart Initiatives for a Sustainable Future
Oxceed’s journey toward lower emissions began with an insightful climate assessment through GoClimate. By gaining a clear understanding of its carbon footprint, the company quickly identified key areas for improvement—business travel being a natural focus. Implementing a “train-first policy” and setting stricter requirements for alternative travel options for customer meetings, conferences, and other trips led to a swift reduction in travel-related emissions. In addition, Oxceed has stepped up its recycling efforts and ensured that vegetarian options dominate all company food purchases.
Engagement-Driven Climate Action
One key realization for Oxceed was the complexity of systematically working with emission reductions. However, with the right support and tools, it became a manageable challenge.
“With GoClimate’s help, we’ve learned how to interpret the numbers, put them into context, and—most importantly—act on them. It’s a challenge, but also incredibly rewarding!” says Elif Schmidt, CEO of Oxceed.
At the same time, the internal engagement has been a pleasant surprise. Despite initial concerns that change might be slow, the team quickly embraced the new routines and showed a strong commitment to making a difference.
Future Goals and Customer Impact
Looking ahead to 2025, Oxceed is taking its efforts even further by establishing a dedicated project group responsible for internal follow-ups, new action plans, and overseeing the newly implemented climate budgeting module in Oxceed. By intensifying efforts at every level, the company is eager to continue reducing its climate impact.
These sustainability initiatives also align with the climate impact analysis Oxceed offers its customers through GoClimate. The feature has been well received, and Oxceed is currently analyzing 2024 customer data to assess how much the service has helped clients reduce their emissions.
Oxceed’s journey proves that technology, financial management, and sustainability can go hand in hand. By acting on insights, challenging traditional ways of working, and engaging both employees and customers, the company is paving the way for a more sustainable future—one report at a time.
Mia Border, a landscape architect at Edge and one of the firm’s driving forces in sustainability.
The landscape architects and engineers at Swedish firmEdge aims to encourage its employees to be mindful of their carbon footprint when traveling. Therefore, everyone receives a bonus when they choose environmentally friendly modes of transport, a benefit that has been utilized by over three-quarters of the staff.
“In a time of climate crisis, it’s necessary to act. Through our environmental bonus, we want to encourage and facilitate our employees to live more climate-smart, which also brings health benefits,” says Mia Border, a landscape architect at Edge and one of the firm’s driving forces in sustainability.
In the Lokstallsområdet area in Kirseberg, Malmö, one finds Edge, a company dedicated to designing the landscapes and urban spaces of the future. Known for their strong focus on sustainability, Edge’s philosophy is rooted in leaving each place they work with in better condition than they found it.
Mia Border shares insights about Edge’s vision: ‘Our work revolves around conscious choices for a sustainable future, where we combine vision with goodwill to benefit both individuals and society.’
Edge stands out with its comprehensive sustainability strategy, reflected not only in their projects but also in their corporate culture. They have implemented a comprehensive environmental policy for business travel, prioritizing train, bus, and carpooling over flights. Additionally, they have introduced unique climate benefits for their employees. These include reimbursement for business travel by bicycle and a special environmental bonus. This bonus rewards employees who choose environmentally friendly modes of transport and has been used by over three-quarters of the staff.
Want to encourage employees to live more climate friendly
Border explains the purpose behind the environmental bonus: “In a time of climate crisis, it’s necessary to act. Through our environmental bonus, we want to encourage and facilitate our employees to live more climate-smart, which also brings health benefits.”
It’s not just Edge’s projects that reflect their focus on sustainability, but also their internal culture and policies. Their efforts to reduce the company’s carbon footprint have not only led to a stronger team spirit among the staff but also to appreciation and recognition within the industry. The employees take pride in being part of a company that takes concrete steps towards a sustainable future, and this commitment permeates the entire organization.
Despite the financial and administrative costs that come with offering these climate benefits, Edge sees them as essential to driving society towards a sustainable future. Through their commitment to sustainability, both in their projects and internal policies, Edge stands as a shining example of how companies can play an active role in creating a more sustainable world.
Undersåkers Snickeri, a versatile construction company in Jämtland, is actively working to simplify the construction of sustainable houses. The company offers a range of services that extend from renovation and fine carpentry to new construction and design of low-energy houses.
By prioritizing simple material choices and awareness of their CO2 footprint, Undersåkers Snickeri aims to show the construction industry how small decisions can contribute to significant positive changes for the planet.
We spoke with Olle Sundemo, CEO at Undersåkers Snickeri, about the company’s sustainability work. Olle talks about how Anders and Tore, two of the company’s craftsmen, focus on renovating and restoring kitchens, windows, doors, and furniture that would otherwise be thrown away. The company heats its premises with wood shavings and waste material and minimizes its waste by only having a small trash can for plastic and metal. To further reduce their climate impact, they have switched from diesel cars to electric cars, optimized their logistics to reduce transportation, and strive to minimize non-recyclable waste. They also focus on replacing materials with a high CO2 footprint with more environmentally friendly alternatives and inspire other craftsmen to do the same.
Construction industry stands for 21 % of Sweden’s emissions
“Working sustainably requires daring to try new alternatives and exploring groundbreaking solutions,” says Olle Sundemo.
One of the company’s main products, wood fiber insulation, is entirely based on recycled material and has the potential to make a huge difference for the climate. By using wood fiber in their climate shells, the energy requirement is minimized while carbon dioxide is sequestered. Undersåkers Snickeri is proud of this solution, which replaces the use of wood chips for energy and instead contributes to better insulation and reduced energy needs.
The goal for Undersåkers Snickeri is to lead the construction industry towards a norm where low-energy houses built from natural materials become the standard. By continuously seeking new ways to replace environmentally harmful materials with eco-friendly alternatives, they hope to inspire other craftsmen to follow their example.
“We want to continue delivering complete solutions and material deliveries for low-energy houses made of natural materials to our customers. We also want to be an obvious partner in sustainable construction projects throughout Scandinavia and actively contribute to ensuring that all houses built in Jämtland have a minimal climate impact,” concludes Olle Sundemo.
Evident Life is a young and completely digital life insurance company with a business idea that focuses on digital innovation, data-driven operations, and preventive health measures. From the beginning, sustainability has been a cornerstone in their development, something they have actively integrated into every phase of their growth.
CEO Michaela Bruneheim shares that their goal was to “do it right from the start” by minimizing their carbon footprint and maintaining environmentally and socially sustainable business practices.
Evident Life is committed to several of the UN’s global sustainability goals, especially goals 3, 5, 8, and 12. This includes measures such as encouraging employees to use bicycles, walking and public transport, and in their digital business model, they continuously strive for energy-efficient technology. Their digital focus also leads to significantly less paper consumption, which they see as a distinct advantage compared to competitors.
Gender equality is also a core aspect of their operations, with an aim for balance in gender distribution both operationally and at the board level. Flexibility in working hours and location is part of their corporate culture, which they see as crucial to maintaining a healthy balance in life for their employees, which in turn contributes to the company’s long-term success and sustainability.
Evident Life conducts an annual climate analysis with GoClimate, where they evaluate and take responsibility for their emissions by financing climate projects, chosen through a democratic process among the employees. This method of climate financing is not only effective but also engaging, as it allows employees to participate in the choice of projects and see the direct effects of their contributions, which Bruneheim describes as a meaningful way to contribute to a better planet.
“It feels rewarding to be able to make our small contribution to making the planet a little better”, says Michaela Bruneheim.
Sebastian Holmström, works as Sustainability Manager at Inrego.
Inrego wants to change buying behavior and promote circular IT as a competitive advantage.
Laptops, computers, mobile phones, and other IT products can be reused just like cars, boats, or bicycles.
“After 28 years in the industry, we know that a reconditioned product lasts just as long as a new one, so we offer the same warranty as for new products.” says Sebastian Holmström, Sustainability Manager at Inrego.
“It is important for us to show that there is a difference between reused products that have not been worked properly on and reconditioned products that have been upgraded and are sold with a warranty.”
Sustainability plays a crucial role in being an attractive employer
Sebastian has experienced that the market for reused electronics is thriving since a few years back, for several reasons – not least because of how sustainable business practices strengthen the brand.
“We see that circular IT has become a competitive advantage, where sustainable IT management is crucial to attract young talent to the company. Sustainability plays a crucial role in being an attractive employer, and the demand for reused products has increased significantly for this reason.”
Is it finally time to swap to green electricity? This is how much of a difference it will make!
Swapping your standard electricity plan for a green one is perhaps the most impactful one-time action you can take to reduce your personal carbon footprint. This post explains why and how to do so with tips specifically for the UK, the US and Sweden, but the principles are the same pretty much everywhere.
Before we start – green energy is often disclosed as having zero emissions, but in this post and generally throughout our calculations, we assume 15 g CO2e per kWh to account for maintenance and grid operations – just to be on the safe side.
We all use electricity at home, let’s make it green!
UNITED KINGDOM
Average electricity consumption in the UK for a 1 or 2 bedroom house/flat is 2,000 kWh, for a 3 or 4 bedroom house 3,100 kWh and for a 5+ bedroom house it’s 4,600 kWh. This considers only general electricity use, and not gas consumption for heating and hot water. Using “regular” electricity in the UK which has an emission factor of 255,6 g CO2e per kWh, this result in CO2 footprints of: 511 kg CO2e for a 1 or 2 bedroom house/flat, 792 kg CO2e for a 3 or 4 bedroom house and 1176 kg CO2e for a 5+ bedroom house.
Comparing that to renewable energy, the CO2 footprints would instead be 30 kg CO2e for a 1 or 2 bedroom house/flat, 46,5 kg CO2e for a 3 or 4 bedroom house and 69 kg CO2e for a 5+ bedroom house. That’s amazing!
The market for green energy in the UK is similar to that of Sweden. The big companies often offer green plans, but there are also smaller suppliers which can give even better packages and other added benefits. Since homeowners in the UK often have electricity and gas from the same provider, it is worth considering the overall benefits of also changing to a supplier that offers green(er) gas.
T3.com is one of the the UK’s leading consumer lifestyle websites, and they have an up-to-date guide on the best green energy suppliers, as well as a guide on how to switch and a price comparison. Check out the suppliers HERE
In the EU, according to the Directive 2003/54/EC, electricity providers have to disclose source of the electricity (how it is produced), and the environmental impact, at least the CO2 emissions and nuclear waste. So you as a consumer can feel confident that you know the difference between the options!
USA
The average household in the US consumes 10.972 kWh annually, noting that there is great variability between states. Given that the average emission factor for electricity in the US is 456 g CO2 per kWh (again, with great variability between states), this standard home is responsible for emitting 4998 kg of CO2 per year! That’s almost five tonnes! Changing electricity provider to a green energy plan can make a huge difference here, and if you want to reduce your carbon footprint this action probably has the highest return on effort invested.
How? The first step is to check if your current provider offers a renewable/green energy plan that you could transfer to. Some power companies supply this as an alternative, it’s often referred to as “green pricing”.
If you want to change provider, you’ll have to find one that supplies green electricity in your area. The Center for Resource Solutions offers a database for Green-e certified renewable energy. Search for “Residential Renewable Energy”, you can also filter the results by state. Another alternative is CleanChoice Energy, also available in several states. If that doesn’t give you any good options, try a google search for your state/city and renewable energy providers.
Given the structure of the energy market in the US, not everyone can actually choose their energy provider (it depends on the state regulations). If you are still willing to go the extra mile for green electricity, you can purchase green certificates or “Renewable Energy Certificates” (REC). This means that you pay the price difference between the market price for regular electricity and the price for producing green/renewable energy, and you therefore contribute to financing sustainable energy even if you can’t have it served in your own home. The Green-e database allows you to search for “Residential Renewable Energy Certificate”, and if you can’t find anything there – Google is your friend.
Again, given the massive difference it can have on your carbon footprint, it is worth investing some time in! Especially given that once you’ve made the switch, you don’t have to do anything else!
We support a renewable energy project in Indonesia, but what about buying renewable energy at home too?
SWEDEN
In Sweden, an apartment uses on average 2000 kWh of electricity per year, and a house uses 6000 kWh for general electricity use. For heating and hot water, an apartment uses on average 10000 kWh and a house uses on average 15000 kWh.
For “regular” energy, the CO2 emissions per kWh is 338,52 g. This means that for general electricity use, an apartment causes emissions of 677 kg CO2 and a house 2031 kg CO2. If the home is also heated with electricity, the apartment causes emissions of 4062 kg and the house 7109 kg.
For green energy, the emission factor varies depending on the source, but a safe value to use is 15 g of CO2 per kWh. This means that for general electricity use, an apartment causes emissions of 30 kg CO2 and a house 90 kg CO2. If the home is also heated with electricity, the apartment causes emissions of 180 kg and the house 315 kg. This is a massive difference! The price difference is less than 10%. What are you waiting for?
How to move ahead: First check which provider you currently have. This is specified on your electricity bill (paper or digital), or you can check where the money goes on your bank statement. If you want to stay with the same provider, see if they have a green electricity option. Otherwise, you can do a Google search and see if you find a provider that is more appealing – either with price or with other factors, like sustainability. There are services like https://www.elskling.se/ where you can compare prices and filter for green electricity.
This is perhaps the easiest step to make a significant difference to your carbon footprint. Let us now in the comments if you’ve made the change and what tips you have for others!
