Handelsbanken: TCO Certified makes our work easier

We don’t have the resources to follow up on all the suppliers we place requirements on, so we wanted something to fall back on in our discussions with our external suppliers. Hence, the range of sustainability requirements offered by TCO Certified is very valuable to us, as well as the independent verification included in the certification.

For Handelsbanken, it’s important that we’re constantly looking for ways to minimize our environmental impact and, in conjunction with our suppliers, actively seek to encourage sustainable manufacturing methods. We want to be a responsible social player: to take responsibility for how the bank directly and indirectly affects the society on financial, social and environmental levels.

These endeavors are deeply rooted in our corporate culture and working methods. All our IT suppliers must sign our code of conduct, and we’ve also developed a procurement policy that details the requirements that we place on all our suppliers. TCO Certified now makes it easier for us to purchase products that meet our requirements.

Items in our business that have the greatest impact on the environment and on human rights are printers, computers, cell phones, monitors and accessories. These are purchased in relatively large volumes and in addition, require proper product lifecycle management. Examples of requirements we place on these products include ease of repair and long service life. As products are usually manufactured in low-income countries, we prefer that the supplier owns the factories where the equipment is manufactured.

Handelsbanken’s sustainability policies, which determine the focus of sustainability efforts within the Group, are approved by the bank’s board. Handelsbanken also has an advisory body for sustainability issues, consisting of representatives from varous departments within the bank. The chairman of the advisory body is responsible for ensuring that the bank identifies and prioritizes those sustainability issues that are relevant to the Group. Handelsbanken also has a central unit which has operational responsibility to enforce and systematize sustainability efforts. A sustainability policy has been developed for the entire Handelsbanken Group.

Procuring IT products in a sustainable way:

• Establish a clear purchasing policy, including specifying TCO Certified for hardware.
• Take advantage of TCO Development to learn more about sustainability criteria, independent verification, and the overall process involved in TCO certification.
• Have an open and constructive dialogue with your suppliers.

We have regular meetings with the environmental and sustainability managers at our external suppliers. It’s about making suppliers understand the importance of sustainability issues for the bank, and that we can choose to terminate the cooperation unless the supplier delivers on its promises.

TCO Certified facilitates our purchasing process so that we can purchase more socially and environmentally sustainable IT products. Their certification gives us the security we need to ensure that the products from our external suppliers meet the bank’s requirements.

Robert Bleiweiss, Area Manager IT Workplace/IT Services, Handelsbanken

TCO Certified includes social and environmental sustainability criteria for IT products. This includes independent verification, as well as monitoring that requirements are met, both in relation to the final product and manufacturing.

Contact us for information and free support free on how to use TCO Certified in sustainable IT purchasing.