Sustainability

Employee wellbeing

At Swedbank, our employees are at the heart of our operations. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where every individual feels valued and respected.

Our goals are:

• Sustainable Employee Index of >=80.
• Zero tolerance towards harassment, victimization, and discrimination to ensure a safe and inclusive work environment.
• Sick days of <=2%.
• Higher diversity within Swedbank Group at all levels.
• A 40/60 gender balance at the highest management levels.
• A 40/60 gender balance in higher job grades.
• Equal salaries on equal jobs to close the gender pay gap.

Work with suppliers

Swedbank has many suppliers. This means responsibility, but also an opportunity to influence suppliers with specifications and high expectations to sustainability.

In collaboration with partners and various service providers, we always pay attention to sustainability aspects. We strive to work only with service providers that adhere to the highest standards of business ethics and sustainability.

Swedbank’s Supplier Code of Conduct that is signed by all service providers stipulates that each company must treat its employees responsibly, provide them with equal opportunities, and meet the requirements of environmental sustainability, while also ensuring transparency and avoiding corruption.

Green office

Our headquarters bears the Green Office label and adhere to eligible practices. We also strive to implement solutions that are as sustainable as possible when planning our new main building.

To promote sustainability, we contribute to several initiatives that save energy in our offices, improve waste management, reduce the ingress of chemicals in wastewater, and facilitate greener employee mobility. To achieve that, we have partnered up with R8 Technologies, Longopac, and Net Group, among others. We also raise awareness among our employees at inspiration mornings and seminars.

Our target is to reduce Swedbank’s direct greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent in 2019–2030 (scope 1, 2 and 3).

Back to School – e-lessons and educational materials for teaching life skills

The objective of Back to School (Tagasi Kooli) is to bring more real-life experience and knowledge to schools and strengthen the cooperation between schools and the rest of society. Back to School creates high-quality learning materials, including e-lessons for teachers to teach life skills in classes. For example, in 2024 we created 52 e-lessons on financial literacy – an essential life skill. We have been a strategic partner and a true fan of the Back to School initiative since 2012.

Teach for All Estonia – excellent education for every child

In 2006, Swedbank and the Good Deed Foundation (Heateo SA) founded the Teach for All Estonia (Noored Kooli) foundation, so that every child in Estonia would have access to a great education. Every year, 50 capable and active people from various walks of life are selected to join the programme. For two years, participants teach at schools across Estonia and have a direct impact on the development of each student. At the same time, participants attend a teaching and leadership course that helps them become outstanding leaders both in classrooms as well as in the society.

kood/Jõhvi – unlock your potential in tech

kood/Jõhvi is a top-tier international programming school designed for adults of all ages seeking for opportunities to learn, develop, upskill, or take a career turn. In 2023, we became kood/Jõhvi’s partner to help them develop a programme that benefits future programmers and employers the most.

Prototron – a prototyping fund that brings cool ideas to life

It’s hard to imagine a world with no computers or lamps. At one point, they were just ideas, until they were turned into prototypes that ended up changing the world.

To give life to excellent ideas, we joined forces with Tallinn University of Technology and Tehnopol in 2012 and created Estonia’s first prototyping fund Prototron. Prototron provides financial support to entrepreneurs with their first functional product sample or the prototype. Prototron has already helped several innovative companies, including Lingvist, coModule, Sprayprinter, Qminder, and Lumebot. So far, we have funded more than 102 projects with more than 1.3 million euros.

Empowering Women – a programme for new businesswomen

Empowering Women is a programme that aims to educate and encourage women who are considering founding a company outside major Estonian cities. Statistics show that fewer women than men take up business, and we strive to change that together with our partner Garage48. The programme will equip women with basic knowledge and contacts needed to start a business. In addition, tutors and Estonian businesswomen share their experience and advice on how to apply for funding.

sTARTUp Day – bringing the start-up community together

We like passionate people who are willing to do what it takes to bring their ideas into reality. sTARTUp Day is the biggest business festival in the Baltics, bringing over 4,000 start-uppers, CEOs, investors, students, specialists, and enthusiasts from all over the world together to innovate, pitch and discuss topics of business, start-up companies, innovation, and future technologies. We are happy and proud to have been die-hard fans of sTARTUp Day from the very start and among the co-organisers of the festival since 2019!

I Love to Help – donating money to charity organisations

In 2008, Swedbank and the Good Deed Foundation joined forces to launch a donation platform I Love to Help (Ma armastan aidata) that has grown into the biggest donating platform in Estonia. We aim to promote a charity culture in Estonia by bringing reliable initiatives and influential charity organisations on a single platform, where donors can learn about projects and initiatives to support.

All organisations in the environment are strong and reliable – to ensure that your donation will reach those in need. Donating is simple – just pick a project that’s close to your heart.

Let’s Donate Time – volunteering with colleagues

For almost a decade, we have invited employers across Estonia to join the charity initiative Let’s Donate Time (Annetame Aega) and give their employees a paid day off, so that they could volunteer at organisations, communities, and other initiatives in need.

Employees of Swedbank Estonia have two paid days off per year for professional and team volunteering activities. Among other projects, Swedbankers have participated in clean-up events, opened charity cafés, worked with youngsters, pensioners, and our four-legged friends. We do over a hundred good deeds every summer, involving more than 1,100 bank employees.

Estonian Health Trails – in the name of more healthy years

Have you felt the clarity and energy after a brisk jog in the woods? We have, so we want more people in Estonia to be able to exercise whenever they feel like it for free. This is why we joined forces with Merko and Enefit and have been supporting and developing Estonian Health Trails since 2005. Currently, there are 129 natural trails spanning more than 1,100 km.