Although we acknowledge the fact that all the SDGs are important and that the goals are interlinked, we have decided to focus our sustainability agenda on four of the sustainable development goals:

• Decent work and economic growth
• Sustainable cities and communities
• Responsible consumption and production
• Climate action

This is based on an assessment of how Recover best could make an impact based on our current business areas and competency, as well as the global call for immediate action to combat climate change. Our priorities will change over time, and the current choice of goals signals a starting point in Recover’s concerted efforts to support the realization of all the 17 SDGs.

What does this mean to our current business priorities, and how will our sustainability strategy guide management decisions and concrete actions in our businesses?

With more than 2800 employees, Recover has a duty to support and promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Recover will uphold labour standards across our own operations and value chains to ensure that productive employment delivers a fair income.

Our employees are working in dangerous situations every day serving families, businesses and local communities in need of immediate assistance. Workplace security is therefore one of our top priorities and Recover strive to reach zero harm. All Recover employees should come home safe and sound every day.

Recover have zero tolerance for fraud, corruption and any kind of harassment and focus on non-discrimination, equal opportunities and treatment (including for men and women), and freedom to express workplace concerns.

Most of Recover employees are union members and Recover strive to uphold freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. Recover understand that this can contribute to more effective industrial relations and that in value chains, this can also lower social auditing costs. Helping to tackle youth unemployment can also be an important contribution to peace and a more stable business environment.

Decent work is good for society and for business. Companies with non-discriminatory practices and that embrace diversity and inclusion have greater access to skilled, productive talent. They also face a lower risk of reputational damage and legal liability.

For the past 40 years Recover has been on duty 24/7 to serve families, businesses and local communities in need of immediate assistance to save assets of monetary and sentimental value, and to restore everyday life and operations. Through our industrial and environmental services we help to service and maintain important infrastructure in order to ensure the availability of fundamental community- and business services.

Based on our broad knowledge and experience, our people could be valuable contributors in the development, planning and implementation of sustainability strategies and climate risk and resilience initiatives in the cities and communities in the countries we operate.

We aim to actively participate in the dialogue between governments, municipalities, businesses and civil society, in order to effectively coordinate long-term planning, risk mitigation, emergency preparedness, -response and -recovery.

Water damage example:

Recover completes tens of thousands of projects annually. By moving away from the resource intensive model of “take, make, dispose”, to a model based on circular economy principles, our ambition is to significantly increase our resource efficiency and reduce the material footprint of our projects. We will do this by:

• Less material usage through increased drying
• Less waste through smart demolition and repair
• Ensure damaged furniture is reused
• Preventive damage control – Secure low humidity level to minimize the risk of mould
• Use re-lining as much as possible when needing to change sewage pipes

Through our daily dialogue with our customers and end consumers, our people are the face of our business and important Recover ambassadors. This gives us a unique position to influence and nudge customers and consumers to make more conscious and responsible decisions on material use in their projects. Consequently, we believe that Recover in collaboration with our partners, has the potential to lead the way and to accelerate the transition to a more resource efficient society.

With more than a thousand vehicles in our fleet, our vehicles are a major contributor to the company’s carbon footprint. Consequently, the transition to low-emission vehicles has started and will be accelerated as soon as suitable all-electric and hybrid models are available, combining acceptable range and performance with sufficient payload. In parallel, we will continuously strive to educate and motivate our drivers to minimize fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Based on Recover’s extensive experience from the provision of damage control and environmental services in the Nordic region, we know the effects of increased precipitation and a more extreme weather. Climate change is real and presents Recover Nordic with an attractive opportunity to pursue high-impact projects. Our services already have a significant impact on people’s lives, by minimizing disruption and enable a quick return to everyday life after a flooding, fire or other unwanted incidents. This leaves the company in a strong position to increase the positive impact of our business by introducing new services related to the prevention and mitigation of risks associated with a more extreme and unstable climate. We work with our customers and strategic partners to develop new products and solutions to increase the resilience of our communities, as well as reducing the impact and the associated costs of climate change.