“Hållbarhetskollen strengthens both risk management and business opportunities”

Hållbarhetskollen, a collaboration between Handelsbanken and GoClimate, makes it easier for companies to understand and report their sustainability work. Through this free tool, corporate customers can automatically generate sustainability data, track their climate impact, and access better decision-making support in their daily operations. We meet Anna Blomstergren, Head of Sustainability at Handelsbanken Financing, who has been part of driving the initiative, to talk about why support for small and medium-sized enterprises is more important than ever – and how access to reliable sustainability data is reshaping business relationships across Sweden.

What motivated the investment in a solution like Hållbarhetskollen?

For us, the key has been to support our business customers in their climate transition in a way that is both concrete and useful in their everyday operations. We see very clearly that the willingness is there – many companies want to do the right thing – but time and resources are not always sufficient.

By combining our financing solutions with advisory services and digital tools, we can make the transition more manageable. Hållbarhetskollen is a direct result of that ambition. It’s a tool that helps companies understand their impact and make more informed decisions that strengthen their competitiveness.

The reason we launched it now (2024) is largely about timing. Requirements from authorities, customers, and suppliers are increasing rapidly, and our customers need support here and now – not a year from now.

What difference do you think Hållbarhetskollen will make for small and medium-sized enterprises?

For many smaller companies, the biggest challenge is knowing where to start. Hållbarhetskollen provides a clearer picture of where the greatest risks and emissions are within their operations, making it significantly easier to prioritise the right actions.

With easily accessible data, companies can make decisions that are both commercially smart and that reduce their climate impact. At the same time, sustainability reporting becomes far less resource-intensive. Our customers can showcase their sustainability efforts in a transparent way without needing to build entirely new expertise or spend unreasonable time on administration. That frees up time for their core business – which we know is crucial for smaller companies.

Many companies feel that sustainability requirements in the supply chain are increasing rapidly. How do you view the bank’s role here?

This directly affects us as a bank, because it is also a credit risk issue. We always analyse our customers’ business opportunities and the structure of their customer base. If their customers no longer see them as relevant due to sustainability requirements – then the risk for us increases.

Hållbarhetskollen therefore strengthens both risk management and business opportunities. If we see that a company risks losing business because they cannot meet their customers’ sustainability requirements, that’s a risk we want to help reduce. Since we work long-term with our customers, we also gain a deeper understanding of their sustainability work, which in turn strengthens the relationship.

How do you think access to reliable sustainability data will affect business relationships and competitiveness moving forward?

Transparency and reliable data will be absolutely crucial going forward – not only for customers and suppliers, but also for auditors, banks, and investors. With good data, it becomes easier to compare actors, understand what ambitions they have, and see how far they have actually come in their work.

That means companies can demonstrate their progress in a much more credible way, and it gives us as a bank better decision-making support. In the long run, this strengthens both the competitiveness of individual companies and broader development in Sweden.

News!

Over the past year, GoClimate has expanded Hållbarhetskollen with new features that cover the full ESG spectrum. One of the biggest updates is that corporate customers now receive support not only in climate issues (E) but also in social factors (S) and governance (G).

This means users can track more dimensions of their sustainability work and gain a clearer picture of risks, strengths, and areas for improvement. For many smaller companies, this represents a major improvement: instead of having to use several different tools, they can now gather all their sustainability data in one place and access more complete decision-making support.

For both Handelsbanken and GoClimate, the ambition remains the same as before – to lower barriers, raise quality, and provide companies with the knowledge they need to strengthen their competitiveness at a time when sustainability requirements are expanding and tightening. Hållbarhetskollen continues to be a tool that evolves in step with companies’ needs.