A foundation for progress: the making of Fibox’s first VSME report

For Fibox, the first VSME sustainability report marks an important step in the company’s sustainability journey. It is the first time Fibox has brought its sustainability data, practices and governance into one publicly available report – creating a clearer picture of where the company stands today and a foundation for where it wants to go next.

For Jonas Rorarius, Global ESG Manager at Fibox, the process was as much about discovery as it was about reporting. Working through the different environmental, social and governance topics gave him a much clearer understanding of Fibox’s current position and helped identify the areas where the company can focus its efforts in the years ahead.

“I think the highlight or benefit was really understanding the different ESG topics through the data we have today,” Jonas says. “That gave me a better understanding about where the focus areas should actually be in the following years.”

Building the first foundation

The VSME framework provides a structured way for companies to communicate their sustainability performance across environmental, social and governance topics. For Fibox, there was no previous sustainability report to build on, so much of the process started from the ground up.

Some elements were already familiar. Fibox had been collecting greenhouse gas data for several years, giving the company an established approach in that area. The rest of the reporting process required a new level of coordination: identifying the nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative data points required by the framework, finding the right sources for each one and developing a consistent way to collect and consolidate the information.

The work brought together people from different functions and locations across Fibox. Standardized data requests and Excel templates were used to collect information, while a data management tool was being developed to support the process. There was still considerable manual work involved, from calculations and consolidation to checking the information with the relevant people before it could be included in the report.

The numbers were only one part of the work. The report also needed narratives explaining what Fibox does, how its sustainability work is governed and how different practices are implemented across the company. Much of that material did not previously exist in a form that could simply be transferred into a report.

“The report itself is not only data. Then you must write the text around it,” Jonas explains. Creating those narratives and making sure they accurately reflected the company took a significant amount of time.

Bringing the bigger picture into focus

One of the realities that became particularly clear during the process was the diversity of Fibox’s locations. While the company has common high-level policies and governance structures, practices and data availability can vary between sites. Creating one report meant finding a way to bring those different perspectives together while maintaining a meaningful and accurate overall picture.

The process also highlighted opportunities to improve the quality and level of detail in some areas. Certain locations already had highly detailed information available, while other data could not always be broken down to the same level. Rather than simply presenting a challenge, this gave Fibox a clearer understanding of where future development can have the greatest impact: “The good news is that now we know where the gaps are and it's easier for us to improve going forward,” Jonas says.

That sense of perspective became one of the most valuable outcomes of the first report. Fibox has been carrying out sustainability-related activities in different parts of the organization for years. The reporting process made it possible to bring those activities together and see them as part of one broader picture.

“We are doing a lot of things in different ways at different locations,” Jonas says. “The challenge has been that we haven't been looking at the overall picture. So now we can put all those actions that have been done into a single report.”

From insight to strategy

The report has also helped Fibox move from understanding its current position towards defining its future direction. Working through the ESG topics and the data behind them gave Jonas a clearer view of the areas that deserve attention in the coming years. The findings from the reporting process were then used to help develop Fibox’s sustainability strategy and roadmap.

The process has brought greater visibility to sustainability across the organization, too. The completed report went through management and owner approval and was presented to the boards of the companies. For employees, it provided the first common overview of Fibox’s sustainability work, performance and data.

There is something powerful in creating that shared picture. Information that has previously been spread across different functions and locations becomes easier to understand, discuss and develop. The report does not just describe where Fibox is; it helps the company see more clearly where it can go next.

More than just a report

The first VSME report was created to increase transparency for customers and other stakeholders, giving them a clearer view of Fibox’s sustainability work and the data behind it. Its value, however, does not end when the report is published.

The information collected for the report is already being used in other parts of Fibox’s communication. The company has updated its sustainability website and company brochure, using the work done during the reporting process to explain its sustainability approach more clearly.

For Jonas, this wider use is an important part of the report’s value. “Don't think that the sustainability report itself is only about reporting,” he says. “You can utilize that information for many different things.”

The report has consequently become more than a standalone publication. It provides transparency to stakeholders, gives employees a clearer picture of the company and creates a shared source of information that Fibox can continue to build on.

The next report will tell a different story

The biggest difference between the first report and the ones that follow is simple: Fibox now has a baseline. The first reporting cycle was about establishing the foundations, identifying the data points, finding the right information, creating the processes and understanding where the challenges were. The next cycle can build on that experience rather than starting again from the beginning.

That changes the story the report can tell. With the baseline established, there will be more opportunities to focus on what Fibox has actually done to improve its sustainability performance and what progress can be demonstrated over time.

“Now we have the baseline,” Jonas says. “The process will be easier to execute next time, which means I can focus more on improving the data collection process and developing stronger narratives about what we have actually achieved.”

Fibox plans to continue publishing its sustainability report annually, while using the information internally to follow key performance indicators, set targets and review progress more systematically. The ambition is for sustainability management to become part of the company’s everyday way of working, rather than a once-a-year exercise.

The first VSME report has therefore given Fibox more than a complete reporting exercise. It has created a shared starting point: a clearer understanding of where the company is today, a stronger basis for deciding where to focus and a way to track the journey ahead. The first report tells the story of where Fibox stands today. Future reports can demonstrate how Fibox is progressing against that baseline and where further improvements are being made.