We have a long-term perspective in everything we do

I am proud of the fantastic work done by Hemsö’s organisation during the year. In this challenging time, it is clearer than ever that our valuegenerating efforts extend beyond the four walls of the buildings. It is about the people who use them and the societal functions they support.

A focus on people

Schools are not only important for all of the children and young people; they are also a workplace. The same applies to our nursing homes, where well-being and security are as important to the staff as to residents and their families. We take account of the needs of the different target groups when we develop and manage new and existing social infrastructure. My colleagues at Hemsö are not only property experts, they also have a deep understanding of the activities conducted in our buildings. They combine specialist expertise in social infrastructure with a focus on our customers and people. And this how we want it to be.

The people who use our properties form the backbone of society. Our job is to strengthen this backbone by creating the right conditions for work, learning, security and development. This is an important driver for us and a prerequisite for being relevant to our tenants. Viewed from that perspective, during the year we completed development projects with a total of 650 new nursing home beds and 3,010 new school places – new sustainable social infrastructure that meets a long-term need.

Sights set on 2040

We have a long-term perspective in everything we do. In 2023, Hemsö set the climate target to achieve net zero value chain emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 2040. The target was also validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Hemsö is the first property company in Sweden to receive this validation.

Sustainability is embedded in our work methods and it is everyone’s responsibility to work with measures to reach our ambitious targets. We can significantly reduce our climate footprint through a greater focus on re-use and re-developments rather than only new developments. A good example is the municipal Lundellska School in Campus Polacksbacken in Uppsala, where the climate footprint was 85 per cent lower than building a completely new school.

Energy efficiency is another top priority. During the year, Hemsö conducted a comprehensive energy project with Turku City Hospital in Finland. This included an upgrade of the existing system to improve energy efficiency and the installation of geothermal heating. The annual reduction of CO₂ emissions is estimated to be more than 300 tonnes. The project will also reduce annual costs by 25 per cent.

Our efforts to reduce emissions will continue in 2024.

Shared goal

Hemsö cannot stop the ongoing wars. Nor can we solve the problems of gang-related crime. However, we can help to increase social sustainability by providing safe and stimulating learning environments, sports facilities and other social infrastructure needed in a well-functioning society.

We can also bring together stakeholders with the same goal as us: municipalities, associations, private enterprise and non-profit organisations. Change begins with one step in the right direction and when more people move in the same direction, we can make a noticeable difference.

Nils Styf, CEO