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Named by Fortune as a company “changing the world”

8/19/2019 3:54 PM CET
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Fortune magazine has included Skanska in its annual “Change the World” list of companies leveraging their operations to make important social or environmental impacts.

Image: Courtesy of Fortune Magazine

Fortune, a multinational business magazine, included 52 companies in its 2019 Change the World list, also including Apple, Patagonia, Philips and Lloyds Banking Group. Skanska was ranked 20th and is the only engineering/construction company on the list.

Fortune selected companies based on measurable social impact; how that impactful work creates shareholder value; the level of innovation of that work; and how integral the initiative is to a company’s overall strategy. The magazine assembled the list in partnership with the Shared Value Initiative, a global platform for organizations seeking business solutions to social challenges, and FSG, a nonprofit social-impact consulting firm.

This is Skanska’s first year on the global “Change the World” list, which began in 2015. In selecting us, Fortune cited our work upholding “strict standards for environmental sustainability” and highlighted the high levels of sustainability our consortium is delivering with the LaGuardia Airport Terminal B redevelopment in New York City.

“Building for a better society is fundamental to who we are at Skanska, and this prestigious recognition helps validate the important contributions we are making,” says Skanska CEO Anders Danielsson. “I am proud of the role of all our people in making it possible for Skanska to deliver on our purpose every day, enabling us to better support our customers, our communities and our shareholders.”

Says Lena Hök, Skanska Senior Vice President Sustainability: “Making Fortune’s ‘Change the World’ list is a great achievement. We’re able to achieve such recognition thanks to colleagues’ great engagement and dedicated work within all five of our sustainability focus areas, which tie directly into our business. Of course, what is most important is that we strive every day for good sustainable impact. For that, I am utterly thankful for the great commitment to our values and sustainability ambitions I see all around at Skanska. At the end of the day, it is what we do and the impact we have on the society and communities we work in that counts.”

View the entire “Change the World” list on this Fortune webpage.

Focused on sustainability

Through the many important projects we undertake and the innovative, sustainable solutions we use to deliver them, Skanska builds for a better society.

In Lund, Sweden, Skanska is building the European Spallation Source, which aims to be one of the world’s most sustainable research facilities. This effort includes eliminating waste to landfill during construction, requiring new ways of working with materials and suppliers. Also, Skanska has set a long-term partnership with a local school to inspire the next generation toward careers in engineering and science.

In Boston, USA, the elliptical shape of our 121 Seaport office development required 10 percent less cladding and utilized a lighter structure because of decreased wind loads. These reduced material needs led to lower costs and less carbon emissions.

In Trondheim, Norway, Powerhouse Brattørkaia features a sharply angled roof to maximize solar energy generation – the building will produce more energy than it consumes over its lifetime. Also, Skanska developed a special concrete mix with lower emissions than a conventional formula, and the construction site operated with minimal use of fossil fuels.