Sustainability digitally embedded thanks to Sweco’s Sustainability Compass
Insight alone is not enough to make a real impact in sustainable development, it requires governance, collaboration, and smart systems. That’s why Sweco developed the Sustainability Compass/Duurzaamheidskompas: a digital tool that structurally integrates sustainability and into our operations across all projects. This tool supports our teams in measuring, evaluating, and improving sustainability in projects, directly contributing to the quality and social value of what we design and build.
A single digital methodology for diverse projects
The Sustainability Compass can be used for all types of projects within Sweco, from industrial plants and buildings to infrastructure projects or urban master plans. The digital set-up allows our project teams across disciplines to work with a single, common methodology adapted to scale, context, and content focus. The tool helps to analyse sustainability performance, set ambitions, and develop targeted improvement proposals.
The tool is also linked to a knowledge platform, giving our employees access to background information, thematic inspiration, and guidelines around sustainability.
From analysis to action, together with the customer
The compass acts as both a communication tool and a process accelerator, making sustainability tangible, measurable, and negotiable. For customers, this means more transparency, clearer choices, and a more aligned approach in terms of environmental impact, climate, health, and circularity.
Based on international standards, tailored to Sweco projects
The Sustainability Compass is based on international reference frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), BREEAM, and DGNB. At the same time, it has been adapted to the reality of Sweco projects, with indicators relevant to our areas of expertise. This combination of best practices and customisation ensures that the tool is reliable, concrete, and widely applicable.
Step-by-step implementation with an eye for practical feedback
The tool is being developed in phases. The application was further refined based on the practical experience gained after the first version in 2023. The tool is continuously improved and adapted to the needs of different sectors based on active feedback from sustainability coaches and project teams, which is how we build a flexible and future-oriented system that grows with our projects and social expectations.
A single, digitally supported language for sustainability
The Sustainability Compass is a good example of how Sweco uses digitalisation to achieve social goals. By digitally integrating sustainability into the way we work, we increase the quality of our projects and strengthen our cooperation with clients. This is how we contribute, project by project, to a more sustainable and better-prepared living environment.
