Intrum AB (publ)
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2020, 2021)
Reporting Period: 2020
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:6196 tCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:59 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:3532 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:2604 tCO2e/year
ESG Focus Areas
- Ethical collection
- Sound economy for our clients
- Attracting and retaining talents, including employee well-being
- Reduced environmental footprint
- Diversity and inclusion
- Data security
- Anti-corruption
- Responsible selection of clients and portfolios
- Sound transactions
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced total reported CO2e emissions from 6,808 tonnes to 6,196 tonnes
Social Achievements
- Employee turnover initiated by employees decreased to 13 percent
- Employee engagement index increased to 79/100
- Share of women in the Group Management Team increased from 18 percent in 2019 to 27 percent in 2020
- Share of women in the organisation as a whole increased from 62 percent in 2019 to 63 percent in 2020
Governance Achievements
- Adhered to the Swedish Code of Corporate Governance in its entirety
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Achieve climate neutrality before 2030
Medium-term Goals:
- Return Cash RoIC >10%
- Cash EPS growth >10% p.a.
- Net debt /Cash EBITDA 2.5–3.5
- Culture Index >80
- Client Satisfaction Index >75
- Climate footprint –20%
Short-term Goals:
- Increase average satisfaction index among clients over 75/100 by 2023
- Increase the employee engagement index from 79 to durably above 80 by 2023
- Achieve a more balanced gender distribution throughout the company (40/60) by 2023
Environmental Challenges
- Covid-19 pandemic impacting operations with up to 75% of employees working remotely and low volume of new case inflow
- Extended payment periods and delayed sales processes of portfolios with overdue receivables negatively affecting earnings
- Varying systems between countries implying coordination needs for multinational clients
- Risk of conflicts of interest in identifying solutions generating mutual value for clients and customers
Mitigation Strategies
- Transitioning to remote working for three quarters of employees
- Launching the ONE Intrum transformation programme to harmonize and simplify systems, processes, and working methods
- Streamlining processes into a shared platform and globalizing parts of case management
- Tailoring specific solutions for different industries to meet needs for flexible solutions
- Developing specific guidelines for responsive treatment of customers
- Implementing internal rules to guide employees when adopting difficult ethical stances
- Developing a European Code of Conduct for data protection in the debt collection industry
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- All suppliers must sign the Code of Conduct
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Standards Core, UN Global Compact
Third-party Assurance: EY (limited assurance)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 5
- Goal 8
- Goal 13
Intrum's contribution to the goals is described on pages 22-34.
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:5,510 tCO2e
Scope 1 Emissions:81 tCO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:3,262 tCO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:2,168 tCO2e
ESG Focus Areas
- Ethical collection
- Being a trusted and respected actor
- Growing by making a difference
- Climate Action
- Gender equality
- Decent work and economic growth
Environmental Achievements
- Total reported emissions decreased from 6,866 tonnes to 5,510 tonnes (-20%)
Social Achievements
- Implemented detailed guidelines, “Treating Customers Fairly Instruction”, applied throughout operations.
- Completed first human rights due diligence in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
- Client satisfaction index rose from 75 to 77.
- Employee Engagement Index increased from 79 to 81.
Governance Achievements
- Declared support for the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
- Began reporting to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
- Financed UN-certified projects creating positive climate value corresponding to the company’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.
- Strong ESG ratings from Sustainalytics and MSCI.
Climate Goals & Targets
Medium-term Goals:
- Achieve climate neutrality before 2030, cutting total emissions by at least 20% compared with 2019.
Short-term Goals:
- Client satisfaction index consistently at 75 or above by 2023.
- Employee Engagement Index consistently above 80 by 2023.
- More balanced gender distribution at all levels within the company, with women making up at least 40 per cent of staff at management level by 2023.
Environmental Challenges
- Pandemic-related uncertainty and its impact on the economy and the labour market.
- Increased polarization of European consumers and financial gap between different groups.
- Rising inflation and its impact on the ability to pay.
- Increased competition and price pressure in the credit management industry.
- Rapid technological development and emergence of new market players.
- Varying laws and regulations across different countries and sectors.
- Risks associated with portfolio investments, including overestimation of collection ability and underestimation of collection costs.
- Information security risks and data protection.
- Political and regulatory risks.
- IT security risks.
- Employee risks, including dependency on key individuals.
- Corruption risks, including money laundering.
- Reputational risks.
- Epidemic and pandemic risks.
- Climate risks, including physical risks and transition risks.
Mitigation Strategies
- ONE Intrum transformation program to create a simpler, more digital and scalable business model.
- Expansion of global front offices in Athens, Bucharest, and Malaga.
- Increased digitization and automation of processes.
- Development of sector-specific credit management solutions.
- Implementation of detailed guidelines, “Treating Customers Fairly Instruction”.
- Proactive involvement in discussions on the EU directive on non-performing loans.
- Continuous monitoring of regulatory developments.
- Strict credit limits and analyses of borrower’s credit status for payment guarantees.
- Regular checks and monitoring of systems, security training, risk assessments, centralized logging, auditing and prevention of intrusion for IT security.
- Skills development and health promotion measures for employees.
- Succession planning activities and automation of working methods.
- Competitive compensation and benefit package.
- Zero tolerance of corruption and bribery, with internal instructions and training.
- Regular information and training on risks inherent in operations.
- Documented process for risk analysis and approval of new products, services, etc.
- Continuity plans for all countries and units.
- Cooperation with local authorities and following their recommendations.
- Local environmental plans to reduce environmental and climate footprint.
- Assessment of climate risks in relation to collateral when acquiring portfolios of secure assets.
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Cooperation with companies that share Intrum’s values of good business ethics.
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Wildfires and flooding affecting asset values and insurance premiums.
Transition Risks
- Emerging regulations on carbon pricing and other compliance requirements.
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Standards Core, UN Global Compact
Third-party Assurance: Deloitte (limited assurance)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 5: Gender equality
- Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
- Goal 13: Climate action
Intrum's initiatives contribute to these goals through ethical collection practices, employee well-being programs, and climate change mitigation efforts.