Novotek and Sustainability
The purpose of our sustainability report is to clearly communicate and demonstrate our sustainability efforts and how important it is for our operations.
Sustainability for Us
The world faces a range of global challenges, and Novotek aims to contribute to a more sustainable future. The foundation of our sustainability work is to be an attractive employer and a responsible business partner, contributing to the development of sustainable solutions. Technology, innovation, and digitalization are crucial elements in creating a more sustainable future. Since our inception in 1986, Novotek has ensured that industrial data from production and processes can be used and displayed where needed quickly and efficiently.
Tools and methods have evolved over the years, and the solutions we work with today make our customers more efficient, more flexible, and much more sustainable.
UN Global Goals
and Our Stakeholders
The relevance and complexity of sustainability have become increasingly clear, making it a challenge for us as a company to identify the focus areas where our efforts and expertise can make the greatest difference. Based on our operations, areas of expertise, and future outlook, we have identified the focus areas presented.
Our stakeholders and their key matters and expectations were taken into account, along with an assessment of the UN’s global goals in relation to our operations and the opportunities for influence.
On this page:
Click on each heading to go directly to the section.
Three Dimensions of Sustainability: Social, Economic and Environmental
Good Health and Well-being
We have a significant responsibility regarding our employees, where our goal should be able to offer a well-functioning and stimulating work environment. Our staff is our most important resource for further development, and therefore, good health is a crucial area for us. The opportunity for everyone to find a balance between work and leisure is central to us and something we actively promote.
Quality Education
We want to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning and individual development. New innovations and technological solutions are central to our business and always start with people’s efforts to improve the environment. Offering skills development and opportunities for our employees is important to us, to both attract new talent and retain existing talents for a long time.
Gender Equality
We strive to be gender equal in all parts of our operations. Gender equality is a challenge in the industry at large, and it is positive that we have hired several female engineers during the year.
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Our solutions generate more sustainable factories and operations at all levels. We strive, by building long-term customer relationships, to support our customers and help them develop sustainable solutions.
Climate Action
Our own operational direct impact is relatively small, but that does not mean it is insignificant, and we actively work to reduce it. We also have an indirect impact that is more significant, where our solutions can help customer reduce their.
Peace, justice and strong institutions
We live and work in a part of the world where sustainable business is relatively easy to achieve. We actively work to uphold a high ethical standard in our business dealings and in all interactions with our stakeholders.
Employees;
Health and Work Environment
We have a significant responsibility regarding our employees, where our goal are be able to offer a well-functioning work environment. Creating good health is an important area for us.
Novotek strives for long relationships with its employees and low turnover. The goal is for all employees to have a physically and psychologically well-functioning work environment. Work environment efforts are conducted locally in all offices, and local employee handbooks are established. Follow-up is done on how employees experience the work environment, in addition to ongoing check-ins, employee surveys are conducted locally.
Novotek aims to minimize long-term sick leave and avoid sick leave due to workplace conditions. Follow-up is done on sick leave rates, and to contribute to health and well-being, employees are offered health examinations and various types of wellness activities.
During the year, a “well-being” initiative has been launched, where an ambassador has been appointed in each country to jointly drive activities and initiatives to promote well-being.
- Number of employees at the end of the period: 186
- Total sick leave: 2.5%
- Employee turnover: 6%
- Percentage of female employees in the entire organization: 21%
- Percentage of female employees among newly recruited: 36%
- Percentage of women on the board: 40%
- Percentage of women in the management team: 20%
Competence and Development
Novotek is a knowledge company, which means that the company’s success largely depends on the ability to attract and retain employees with the right skills. The right skills include both knowledge skills, social competence and the ability to focus on the customer. It is therefore important for Novotek to offer employees attractive conditions and personal development opportunities. Creating an individual development plan together with one’s manager is an important part of today’s onboarding program.
An important factor in attracting and retaining employees is to offer interesting tasks at the forefront of technology. Employees develop through their assignments and collaboration with colleagues with different experiences and areas of expertise, but also through assignments and projects with new technology where we learn together with our customers and partners.
To provide energy and inspiration to employees, an internal Hackathon has also been arranged during the year, where ideas are developed further to then be integrated into customer projects.
During the year, work has begun on an internal “learning portal” where employees can share knowledge, experiences, and news. The aim is to develop professionally and improve the work environment for both oneself and colleagues by sharing knowledge and experience.
Diversity and Gender Equality
Increasing diversity in the company is one of Novotek’s long-term goals. A workplace characterized by diversity often leads to creativity, higher profitability, and also makes us more attractive as an employer. We work to ensure that all employees have the same rights and opportunities regardless of gender, ethnicity, nationality, religious belief, disability, sexual orientation, or age. Our ambition is to recruit widely and work for an inclusive and open environment where everyone feels welcome and involved.
We currently do not have a policy governing diversity and gender equality but plan to develop one in the coming years.
Novotek operates in an industry where the majority are men, and therefore we work hard to make women choose Novotek as an employer. In 2023, the proportion of female employees was 21 percent, and 36 percent of the employees recruited during 2023 were women. To strengthen our work with more gender equality, Novotek has had an internal network for women, WIN (Women in Novotek), for several years. The network aims to strengthen and support women in their professional roles within our organization.
Novotek sees digitalization as a prerequisite for contributing to solutions to meet future needs and challenges. Novotek assists both large and small companies, guiding our customers to develop solutions becoming more sustainable and profitable.
Innovation and technological progress are key to finding sustainable solutions for both economic and environmental challenges.
Innovation is critical in all digital transformation journeys, and as pioneers in this field, Novotek is at the forefront of technology as well as approaches and methodologies.
During the year, we have also expanded our collaboration with universities and colleges in several countries to stimulate interest and increase knowledge about digitalization and contribute to social development.
Novotek actively works with environmental issues and is currently certified according to ISO 14001:2015 in our Swedish company, externally audited annually. As a group, we have taken inspiration from the requirements here and work towards them.
Novotek’s goal is to continue limiting our environmental impact, both in our own work and in our solutions for our customers. We work with digitalization and solutions that provide customers with opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint.
Our direct environmental impact is relatively small and mainly consists of energy consumption in the form of electricity, district heating, and district cooling for our office premises, company cars, business trips, and purchases of office equipment. During the year, we identified our environmental impact and started work on an environmental policy. We aim to report our emissions according to scope 1 and scope 2 in 2024.
According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a company’s footprint of greenhouse gases is classified into three different scopes.
Scope 1: Emissions from the company’s own or controlled sources, such as company cars.
Scope 2: Emissions from purchased energy, such as electricity.
Scope 3: Other indirect emissions along the value chain, both upstream and downstream, associated with the company’s operations.
It is important for Novotek that all our stakeholders can feel confident that we not only comply with legal requirements but also uphold a high ethical standard in our business dealings.
We use suppliers and partners who share our vision of the future regarding what constitutes a good and sustainable business climate.
During the year, Novotek developed our Code of Conduct based on the UN Global Compact’s 10 principles for sustainable business. It serves as a basis for what Novotek considers to be a good and sustainable business climate and covers areas such as business ethics, anti-corruption, human rights, environment and climate, and health and safety. The code was developed, implemented, and is now included in our onboarding program. The code covers all employees and the board, and we continuously work to ensure that it is applied in all parts of the organization and serves as ethical guidance in all business relationships.
Reports of violations and suspected violations of the code of conduct can be made to the immediate supervisor, and no violations have been reported during the year. Novotek is also reviewing the implementation of a whistleblowing system for 2024, where reports can be made anonymously.
Business Plan, Policies, and Management Systems
Novotek’s business plan, policies, and management systems are important support in our daily operations. The management system should contribute to the business being led and operated in a planned and controlled manner, and activities should be followed up and evaluated to enable improvements. In this way, we can effectively manage sustainability-related risks while developing the business and creating value for employees, customers, and the planet at large.
The management in each country follows up and ensures that the policies we have today are complied with.
Our companies in the UK and Sweden are currently certified according to ISO 9001:2015, externally audited annually. Sweden also has ISO 14001. As a group, we have taken inspiration from the requirements here and work towards them.
One of our companies in the UK is also certified according to ISO 27001:2022. Similarly, here we have taken inspiration from the requirements and work towards them as a group.
Embarking on Our Journey Towards Sustainability!
