Sustainability is not just a strategy. Today, sustainability is part of Consid’s soul. Everything we do must contribute to a better world and to sustainable development.

A socially sustainable society is an equal society where people live a good life with good health, good education and without unfair differences. It is a society where the equal value of people is at the center and where everyone feels involved in the development of the society. Social sustainability is crucial for a democratic society. A socially sustainable society can withstand stress, is adaptable and resilient.

Green growth is about investments in, for example, environmental technology, also from a traditional economic perspective, driving economic development in general and therefore increasing the room for maneuver for sustainable development at all levels. A green economy is an economic system that results in improved human living conditions while reducing environmental risks and ecological pressures. A green economy has low carbon emissions, uses resources efficiently, and is socially inclusive. Circular economy is a concept that shows the importance of reusing natural resources in a sustainable way.

Of all the challenges we face together, climate change is the one that will define this century more than anything else. No nation, no society and no person will be immune to the effects of climate change. High temperatures, higher water levels and extreme weather events compromise critical infrastructure, food production and the ability to live in certain areas. The changing climate is also helping to fuel growing tensions stemming from trade, geopolitical and domestic conflicts.

In September 2015, the UN adopted Agenda 2030 and the global goals for sustainable development. Agenda 2030 is a development agenda consisting of 17 global goals and 169 sub-goals. The agenda takes a holistic approach to sustainable development and emphasizes that the three different perspectives are equally important and mutually dependent on each other.

Both the public and private sectors must accelerate their climate and adaptation work. We must improve the world and ensure that the worst-case scenarios, according to the UN Panel on Climate Change, never become a reality.

There are also positive signs. In the last ten years, we have seen a dramatic increase in renewable energy, we have seen politicians act to limit our use of dirty energy and invest in energy efficiency. At the 2015 climate summit in Paris, world leaders succeeded in signing the first significant global agreement for a low-carbon future.

Consid is one of Sweden’s most important providers of IT and communication services. We are building tomorrow’s infrastructure and we strive to offer services that enable sustainable development of society and the economy. Digitisation offers both risks and opportunities and it is important to take concrete steps towards maximizing the positive consequences of the digital transformation. Implementing climate-positive IT solutions requires bold action, innovation and collaboration. It requires a cross-border exchange of skills between business, civil society, academia and states. Consid is ready for the challenge. Together we can build a sustainable future.

Peter Hellgren,
CEO Consid

Agenda 2030 and Consid

Together with our employees, our customers and our suppliers, we work to contribute to sustainable societal development and the UN’s 17 global goals. Agenda 2030 is the most solid cooperation in sustainable development that the 193 UN countries have ever agreed on. Sustainable development consists of the three dimensions economic, ecological and social sustainability.

All goals are important for sustainable development and it is required that all parts of society open up for the goals to be achieved before the year 2030. At Consid, we have identified ten goals where we can make a special contribution.

Good health and well-being

Good health is a basic prerequisite for people’s ability to reach their full potential and to contribute to the development of society.

At Consid, there are mainly three sub-goals that are relevant: 3.4 “Reducing the number of deaths due to non-communicable diseases and promoting mental health”, 3.5 “Preventing and treating drug abuse” and 3.8 “Support research, development and make vaccines and medicines available to all” .

We also contribute to sub-goal 3.D “Improving early warning systems for global health risks” by providing the technical competence for the new unique database SCAPIS, which gives researchers new insights into cardiovascular disease.

We have a number of policies in place that will strengthen our employees physically and mentally. We also have a warning system for detecting drug abuse.

Through our partnership with War Child, we help promote good mental health in children and adults in some of the world’s worst conflict hotspots.

Good education

Education is a fundamental human right. Despite this, an estimated 774 million people in the world are still unable to read and write, two thirds of whom are women. Research shows that inclusive education of good quality for all is one of the most important foundations for prosperity, health and equality in every society.

Education is the key to prosperity and opens up a world of opportunities that enable each of us to contribute to a sustainable society.

By supporting “Läxhjälpen”, we contribute to the achievement of sub-goal 4.6 “All people should be able to read, write and count”.

By supporting the child rights organization War Child, we contribute to the sub-goals 4.1 “Free and equivalent primary school and upper secondary education of good quality”, 4.3 “Equal access to vocational education and higher education of good quality” and 4.6 “All people should be able to read, write and count” is achieved.

In addition, we contribute, via War Child, to the achievement of sub-goal 4.A “Creating inclusive and safe educational environments”.

But we also want to help reduce the skills crisis in the IT industry here in Sweden. We also want to increase competence in IT in general in our society and among our politicians.

Equality

Equality between women and men is a prerequisite for sustainable and peaceful development. Gender equality is about a fair distribution of power, influence and resources. All forms of violence, discrimination and harmful practices against women and girls affect both the individual and society as a whole. It has been proven time and time again that political, economic and social equality between women and men contributes to all dimensions of sustainable development.

The most important sub-goal where we can contribute are: 5.1 “Eliminate discrimination against women and girls”, 5.4 “Value unpaid care work and promote shared responsibility in the household”, 5.5 “Ensure full participation for women in leadership and decision-making” and sub-goal 5. B Strengthen the role of women through technology and sub-goal 5.C “Create laws and action plans for gender equality”.

Our work with gender equality issues aims to achieve our vision of always striving for diversity both in the recruitment process and for existing employees. Consid shall be an equal company where all employees and subcontracted staff are treated equally. Everyone, regardless of gender, marital status, ethnicity, sexual orientation, transgender identity, religion, political opinion, age or disability must have equal opportunities and our approach must be characterized by respect for each other’s differences and opinions. A gender-equal work environment is a prerequisite for everyone to be able to perform their best.

But we want to do more. We want to work for an equal IT industry. We do this through our gender equality platform.

Decent working conditions and economic growth

Today, more than half of the world’s workers are in precarious employment, often with poor pay and limited access to both education and social security. In the next 20 years, the global workforce is also expected to increase by 800 million people, which requires great efforts to create new jobs that are also sustainable for people and the environment.

Decent working conditions promote sustainable economic growth and are a positive force for the entire planet. We must protect the rights of workers. By creating good conditions for innovation and entrepreneurship and ensuring decent working conditions for all, sustainable economic growth that includes the whole of society benefits.

Sustainable industry, innovations and infrastructure

A functioning and stable infrastructure is the basis for all successful societies. To meet future challenges that we humans and our planet face, our industries and infrastructures must be made more inclusive and sustainable.

Innovation and technological progress are the key to finding sustainable solutions to both economic and environmental challenges. It also helps to create new markets and jobs that can contribute to efficient and equal use of resources. Investing in sustainable industries, research, environmentally friendly technology and innovation are all important ways to create the conditions for sustainable development.

At Consid, we contribute to sub-goal 9.1 “Creating sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructures”, 9.4 “Upgrading all industry and infrastructure for increased sustainability”, 9.B “Supporting diversification and technological development in domestic industry” and 9.C “Access to information and communication technology for all”.

Reduced inequality

The basis for a sustainable society is a fair distribution of resources and economic, social and political influence in society. The goal of global goals is Leave No One Behind and goal 10 highlights the importance of working for a society where no one is left out of development.

An equal society is based on the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all, regardless of e.g. gender, ethnicity, religion, functional variation, age and other position. Although many countries have had a positive economic development with reduced poverty in recent decades, the gaps have widened both within and between countries. Equality reduces the risk of conflicts and promotes the opportunity for all people to participate in and influence the development of society.

Sustainable cities and communities

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and the proportion is expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050. Growing cities can create new opportunities for economic growth, but can also contribute to increased social gaps and strains on ecosystems. The rapid and large influx into cities places new demands that need to be met in an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable way.

Sustainable urban development includes sustainable construction and sustainable planning of housing, infrastructure, public places, transport, recycling and safer chemical handling, which in turn requires new technology and cooperation between several sectors. Inclusive and innovative urban planning is needed to make cities safe and sustainable for the future.

Together with Riksbyggen, Consid organised the world’s most important hackathon – Considition – with a focus on sustainable cities. We work together with Riksbyggen in several long-term projects that aim to work for sustainable cities.

We have also helped the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to develop the app “Fire risk outside”. It will help to predict fires that will increase with climate change.

Sustainable consumption and production

Our planet has provided us with an abundance of natural resources, but we humans have not used it responsibly and are now consuming far beyond what our planet can handle. Achieving sustainable development requires that we reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources.

Sustainable consumption means not only environmental benefits but also social and economic benefits such as increased competitiveness, growth in both the local and global markets, increased employment, improved health and reduced poverty. The transition to sustainable consumption and production of goods is a necessity to reduce our negative impact on the climate, the environment and human health.

We buy almost all of our technology from the company Dustin, which works responsibly and consciously with sustainability.

During the exercise period 2020, we submitted proposals for an exercise that would make it mandatory to take sustainability considerations into account in all public procurement. The motion was named “Requirements for environmental and social sustainability in all public procurement”.

Combat climate change

Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilisation. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and as a result we risk reaching an average global warming in excess of two degrees, which would have serious consequences for ecosystems, ocean acidification, human safety, food production, water supply, health and increased risk of natural disasters.

The effects are already visible and will be catastrophic unless we act now. Through education, innovation and compliance with our climate commitments, we can make the necessary changes to protect the planet. These changes also provide great opportunities to modernise our infrastructure, which will create new jobs and promote prosperity around the world.

Consid is a service company and thus has relatively low carbon dioxide emissions. Together with the Stockholm-based environmental consulting company Zeromission, we have mapped all emissions and are working to reduce these and find future-oriented climate-smart solutions. We already measure today, and report, all our climate impact with the help of international standards.

All of Consid’s offices have Bixia as their electricity supplier. Bixia supports local and small-scale electricity producers and ensures that there are more of them around the country so that renewable electricity can be produced where it is consumed. Bixia buys electricity, mainly from local producers of solar, wind and hydropower. The locally produced electricity is then sold on to private and corporate customers in Sweden.

We are also a member of the UN’s Global Compact initiative, which aims to create international principles on human rights, labor law issues, the environment and anti-corruption aimed at companies. The principles are based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Fundamental Conventions on Human Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration and the UN Convention against Corruption.

Consid also participates in the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), which helps companies set climate goals in line with scientific models developed in IPCC AR5 and by the IEA. The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, UN Global Compact, WRI and WWF.

Implementation and partnership

The world today is more interconnected than ever before and global goals can only be realised through global partnership and cooperation. The implementation of the objectives requires global solidarity, capacity building and the mobilisation of economic resources to ensure that no country or group is left out of the development.

International investment and coordinated policies are needed to ensure innovative technological development, fair trade, reliable follow-up and support in humanitarian crises. The exchange of knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources are all important components for achieving the goals, in particular for meeting the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable countries. Goal 17 is a toolbox for how global goals can become a reality.

The use of renewable and fossil-free energy sources does not affect the environment in the same way as the use of fossil energy sources, such as coal and oil. Solar, wind and hydropower provide lower emissions of carbon dioxide from a life cycle perspective than electricity produced from fossil energy sources. Sweden has good conditions for renewable energy production.

Sweden’s electricity production is today 98 percent fossil-free, a little over half comes from renewable energy sources. We export a lot of fossil-free electricity, so that dependence on coal and oil can be reduced in other countries. Many countries still use fossil fuels in electricity production because it is easily accessible and cheap.

Consid buys all electricity from Bixia because the company ensures that we get both renewable and locally produced electricity. They do this, among other things, by buying green electricity from as many local electricity producers as possible. Since the locally produced electricity is also one hundred percent renewable, it is without a doubt the best alternative for the climate. Today, Bixia has local electricity producers all over Sweden.

We are Consid

No Consid without our fantastic, ambitious and committed employees! Together, we have made an incredible journey from the miles-wide forests outside Vetlanda to being 1000 magical colleagues in 25 locations around Sweden. We are completely dependent on our employees thriving and developing so that we as a company can take the next step – thus it is not difficult to understand that we must be a pioneer in our industry and work for a developing, engaging and healthy work environment. Consid operates in an industry that is characterised by rapid change, skills shifts and complex projects. This means that we as employers must be extra careful in preventing ill health and advocating a healthy working life. Even within Consid, entrepreneurship can occasionally take over and the balance between work and leisure becomes suffering in the short term – but the most important thing is that we, together with our employees, work for a long-term healthy working life.

By living by our motto “We build the company we have always wanted to work for and which quality-conscious customers want to work with”, we create conditions to help our customers in the very best way. We want to be a company that always sees solutions, has a positive attitude, shows commitment and creates a real effect. Our corporate culture is our absolute competitive advantage and thus shapes our future growth and profitability.

Corporate culture and work environment

The basis of our corporate culture is our code of conduct and our values: entrepreneurship, commitment and effect. The Code of Conduct was last updated in 2019 and is based on principles of working environment and health, human rights, inclusion, working conditions and responsibility for the environment and society. Our code of conduct aims to ensure that there is clarity regarding expectations of our employees and how we treat each other. In our work environment policy, employees find the basic goals for our work environment and how they can contribute.

Initiatives for participation and collaboration

In order to work together for a healthy and developing work environment, most communication paths and initiatives have been created earlier and during the year. We have an active ethics council that discusses issues of an ethical nature, a whistleblower function and an updated SAM work that helps us as an employer to detect and prevent ill health and receive guidance on where our employees want the company to develop towards. In addition to more traditional environment work, we have taken another step to ensure a good organisational and social work environment by having HR conversations with all consultants around Sweden. This, to capture signals, fine-tune our work environment and find new areas for development.

We create context

2020 was, to say the least, a stressful year due to a lack of social context. At Consid, we are used to meeting other Consid colleagues through all the activities that take place locally or nationally, thereby creating new friends. Instead of seeing problems, we have seen solutions. By initiating digital contexts, we created good conditions for our employees to get through the darkest times of the pandemic. Examples of digital activities included: Our digital gala which was held with all employees and their families in November, “Kontorskampen” – a competition between all offices for 5 weeks in September to October, Considition – our annual hackathon, and much, much more. By taking extra responsibility for creating social contexts, we can create a corporate culture that continues to be characterised by community and commitment. We have also, in addition to creating social contexts, offered professional help via digital psychologists, hired a health coach and offered ergonomics training via HR to ensure well-being during the year.

Challenges

Gender equality is not just about quantitative measurement values ​​as a proportion of women/men within the company or management. It is also about qualitative activities that promote culture and inclusion, which is much more difficult to put a figure on but is clear in terms of experience. You can certainly recall when you have been in a context where you feel that the culture is great. Our corporate culture at Consid is one of our greatest assets, and a strong contributing factor to our growth. We thrive with each other, we have fun together and we encourage and challenge each other.

Like many other companies, we have a larger proportion of women in positions such as HR, finance and communication than in development. It is of course due to larger factors than the culture with us as an individual company, but maybe we can find the key to why so few women choose to work with IT if we look at why so many women choose to work with HR and finance. Are there different notions of what awaits in terms of culture and inclusion between the different professional roles? Think about it and see what you can do to ensure that the IT industry is characterized by an inclusive climate. We will.

Q Rendezvous

Through our gender equality platform Q Rendezvous, we organize different types of meetings and events in all our locations. In 2019, we gathered no less than 1,500 women at our events around the country to exchange experiences with each other. In 2020, we unfortunately had to (due to obvious reasons) stop meet physically, which led us to make digital efforts to continue our female network. We call Q Rendezvous a platform where our goal is to create so much more than events and meetings – we want to create real change and influence both the qualitative and quantitative parts of the gender equality area. For our events, we invite industry colleagues, students and employees to network, build bridges, create role models, collaborate and inspire each other.

Q Rendezvous Women Award

To draw attention to a female role model in sports, the 2020 Q Rendezvous Women Award was created together with Gefle IF. Through a nomination round, a prize was awarded to the player who is most clearly characterized by inclusion, leadership and camaraderie.

This year’s eQualizer

At our annual gala in the Blue Hall in Stockholm, we have for the second year in a row awarded the eQualizer of the Year award. The prize is awarded to an individual who in an exemplary manner has pushed the issue of gender equality in the IT industry forward over the past year and thuse plays a significant role when it comes to a development in the right direction in the industry in the future. In 2020, it was Gunilla Von Platen, Vice President of UN Women Sweden, who was awarded the prize.

Leadership development

In 2020, Consid has made an effort to further train our leaders in areas such as abusive discrimination, sexual harassment, ruling techniques and work-related stress. As many as 80 of Consid’s 90 leaders have been trained and discussed the topics in order to gain the right theoretical basis and practical tools to be able to counteract any jargon or behavior that is not accepted in our workplace. Our hope is that we and our employees bring knowledge to our customers and thereby have a positive impact on our common work environment.

Guest lectures

During the ongoing Covid pandemic, Consid had the opportunity to gain additional perspectives on the topics of inclusion, talent development and work-related stress, as three guest lecturers had digital draws. Kajsa Asplund, Researcher in talent development, Johanna Lundin, One of Sweden’s most booked gender equality lecturers, and Carita Håkansson, research group leader in work environment and health at Lund University contributed with their knowledge which has formed the basis for Consid’s future work with inclusion, diversity and equality.

A future need for technical competence

Sweden is already behind in terms of technical expertise to be able to deliver innovative digital solutions that are exported to other parts of the world. Our responsibility to both ensure innovations that help us achieve the 17 global goals, and create the conditions for a continued prosperous Sweden is the basis for us at Consid to be committed to education and inspiration of younger people. We also take education one step beyond our Swedish context and try to help vulnerable children and young people in the world’s most vulnerable areas through digital tools. This is done through the collaboration with the charity War Child.

To maintain Sweden as a catalyst for new digital innovations, we need even more technical expertise. By inspiring more people to choose technical careers and helping the young people who for various reasons need extra support, we can create conditions for a Sweden in the digital forefront. We try to create a common thread throughout the line, which ultimately leads into the technical arena. Our initiatives start at a young age with inspiration and an eye opener for programming and technology. We will continue to do so by supporting “Läxhjälpen foundation” and its young people, where more people will be given the opportunity to reach eligibility for further studies. To ensure that technically interested students get to work, we have created a bridge between student life and working life by offering student events and our trainee program #Consid Nextlevel Academy.

Bring Your Child to Work Day

In a phase to draw attention to the profession and to get even more children and young people interested in our business, Bring Your Child To Work Day was initiated. The initiative means that employees can bring their own children and the children’s friends to a day at the office. It is also a way for us as employers to connect work and leisure. In 2020, we switched to offering a code and Minecraft day digitally that children could attend.

Consid Youth Education

Within the framework of Consid Youth Education, we pave the way for the next generation of IT stars. Consid Youth Education aims to inspire children and young people to an interest in IT and technology. During 2020, Consid did not have the opportunity to hold physical education with middle school classes, but contributed with lectures digitally instead.

“Läxhjälpen”

Läxhjälpen is a non-profit foundation that is located over large parts of Sweden whose purpose is to get high school students to reach high school eligibility. During 2020, we helped the foundation “Läxhjälpen” with hardware, further development of internal systems and lending of premises and office space. In 2020, Consid developed the collaboration with “Läxhjälpen” and also created an internal system for staffing, salary payment and internal communication. The help has been of extra great importance as some schools have been closed and additional responsibility has been placed on children to study in their home environment.

#Consid NextLevel Academy

The #ConsidNextLevelAcademy trainee program will give participants the opportunity to understand the consulting industry and develop their technical skills together with our incredibly competent employees. By having a program that is divided into 3 blocks, with different specializations, we ensure that the right conditions are provided for students to find security and development in their first workplace. In January 2021, our first class of trainees will start in the cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Jönköping.

Consid Excellerate

We are looking for lifelong learning and therefore we created a completely new business area where our employees can help others to develop technical or leadership skills. Within the business area, our customers, partners and employees can take part in a solid training platform that provides opportunities for further development in the area that is interesting. Right now we have 8 different education areas and have also applied to start our own YH education in software development.

A future need for technical competence

Sweden is already behind in terms of technical expertise to be able to deliver innovative digital solutions that are exported to other parts of the world. Our responsibility to both ensure innovations that help us achieve the 17 global goals, and create the conditions for a continued prosperous Sweden is the basis for us at Consid to be committed to education and inspiration of younger people. We also take education one step beyond our Swedish context and try to help vulnerable children and young people in the world’s most vulnerable areas through digital tools. This is done through the collaboration with the charity War Child.

To maintain Sweden as a catalyst for new digital innovations, we need even more technical expertise. By inspiring more people to choose technical careers and helping the young people who for various reasons need extra support, we at Consid can create conditions for a Sweden in the digital forefront. We try to create a common thread throughout the line, which ultimately leads into the technical arena. Our initiatives start at a young age with inspiration and an eye opener for programming and technology. We will continue to do so by supporting “Läxhjälpen foundation” and its young people, where more people will be given the opportunity to reach eligibility for further studies. To ensure that technically interested students get to work, we have created a bridge between student life and working life by offering student events and our trainee program #ConsidNextlevelAcademy.

Bring Your Child to Work Day

In a phase to draw attention to the profession and to get even more children and young people interested in our business, Bring Your Child To Work Day was initiated. The initiative means that employees can bring their own children and the children’s friends to a day at the office. It is also a way for us as employers to connect work and leisure. In 2020, we switched to offering a code and Minecraft day digitally that children could attend.

Consid Youth Education

Within the framework of Consid Youth Education, we pave the way for the next generation of IT stars. Consid Youth Education aims to inspire children and young people to an interest in IT and technology. During 202, Consid did not have the opportunity to hold physical education with middle school classes, but contributed with lectures digitally instead.

“Läxhjälpen”

“Läxhjälpen” is a non-profit foundation that is located over large parts of Sweden whose purpose is to get high school students to reach high school eligibility. During 2020, we helped the foundation Läxhjälpen with hardware, further development of internal systems and lending of premises and office space. In 2020, Consid developed the collaboration with “Läxhjälpen” and also created an internal system for staffing, salary payment and internal communication. The help has been of extra great importance as some schools have been closed and additional responsibility has been placed on children to study in their home environment.

#Consid NextLevel Academy

The #ConsidNextLevelAcademy trainee program will give participants the opportunity to understand the consulting industry and develop their technical skills together with our incredibly competent employees. By having a program that is divided into 3 blocks, with different specializations, we ensure that the right conditions are provided for students to find security and development in their first workplace. In January 2021, our first class of trainees will start in the cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Jönköping.

Consid Excellerate

We are looking for lifelong learning and therefore we created a completely new business area where our employees can help others to develop technical or leadership skills. Within the business area, our customers, partners and employees can take part in a solid training platform that provides opportunities for further development in the area that is interesting. Right now we have 8 different education areas and have also applied to start our own YH education in software development.

Consid and War Child

At least 160 million children are estimated to live in conflict and war. With digital tools and methods, it is possible to both provide support to children in the emergency situation they are in, but also to work long-term to provide children with psychosocial support, protection and education. Consid has initiated a long-term collaboration with the international children’s rights organization War Child by offering technical expertise to develop new methods and thereby provide targeted digital support to children growing up in war and conflict.

War Child already provides digital educational opportunities, where the innovative and award-winning program “Can’t Wait to Learn” is a shining example. Consid contributes technical expertise, pro bono, through our trainee program #Nextlevel Academy, and partly by lending our CEO Peter Hellgren to the charity’s board.