Despite proposed relief – Sunpine continues its CSRD work

Sunpine has placed great focus on integrating sustainability aspects into its business strategy in 2024, not least through close collaboration between the company's sustainability and strategy functions. Now the EU is proposing relaxations in the sustainability reporting requirements, but Sunpine is staying the course.

– There is no doubt that sustainability is a clear business opportunity for us – regardless of what the regulations require of us, says Pernilla Kearney, Strategy and Communications Manager at Sunpine.

The EU is to become climate neutral by 2050, and for several years the EU has tightened the sustainability requirements for companies in the Union. Not least, the extensive sustainability reporting requirements in the CSRD have affected how Swedish companies must think about and report their sustainability work. However, it now appears that the regulations are being relaxed, for example, the EU Commission proposes in its Omnibus proposal that the threshold for which companies are covered by the CSRD be raised.

However, for Sunpine it no longer matters how the final regulations are designed. Despite potential relief, Sunpine will continue its work.

– Sustainability is no longer a separate issue for us, but a crucial part of how Sunpine develops our operations and creates business value in the long term. We see it as a strategic shift where sustainability work and business development go hand in hand, says Pernilla Kearney, Strategy and Communications Manager at Sunpine.

From regulations to opportunities

In 2024, Sunpine conducted its first dual materiality analysis within the framework of the CSRD regulations. The analysis provides a deeper understanding of how Sunpine impacts the world around it in terms of environmental and social sustainability – but also how external sustainability factors affect the company's business and profitability.

“Through this process, we have gained a clearer picture of which sustainability issues are most critical for our business. In the process, we have also created cross-functional working groups for our essential sustainability issues, so that they are anchored throughout the organization,” says Eva Wuopio, Sustainability Manager at Sunpine.

The analysis and collaboration across the organization enables sustainability issues to impact all parts of the business – from business development to production and purchasing. Pernilla Kearney sees this as a key to long-term success.

– This is how we build a stable and future-proof business. It's not about choosing between sustainability and profitability, but about how the two can strengthen each other at all levels of the business.

Pernilla Kearney and Eva Wuopio at Sunpine

A journey without a final destination

Every liter of crude tall oil and bio-oil that Sunpine sells reduces global dependence on fossil fuels. That is the foundation of the company's operations. But the sustainability work must not stop there.

– Sustainability is an ongoing process, a journey without a final destination. And to really make progress, we must dare to ask the hard questions. We must be critical, analyze our own impact and see where we can improve, says Eva Wuopio.

Pernilla Kearney fills in:

– Questioning our own sustainability is perhaps Sunpine's most important tool for improving it – and in that process we also strengthen our business.