2009

CSR – corporate social responsibility

Sustainability Report

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 Contents

What is CSR? 2

Company facts 4

Editorial 5

Taking social responsibility 6

Environmental responsibility 8

Economic sustainability 12

Working with other interested parties 14

Good working environment 16

Indicators 18

Definitions 22

What is Eurhonet?
European Housing Network, Eurhonet, is a network of almost 30 public
housing companies from England, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.
Within Eurhonet, there is a strong will to work towards a sustainable
society where the impact on our shared environment is minimized
through awareness and the implementation of active measures.

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What is CSR?
The social responsibility of the companies - or CSR - is extensive.
Corporate Social Responsibility, for which the English shortening CSR
stands, is basically about taking responsibility, not only for the impacts
the company has on society which are positive, but also for those
which are negative. It is about how we voluntarily integrate social and
environmental considerations into our activities in collaboration with other
interested parties, all based on perspectives linked to social responsibility,
environmental responsibility, economic sustainability and an ethical
approach to our employees.

CSR is about being proactive, credible and transparent in issues affecting

people and the environment. We publish this report to show to some of
the examples related to sustainability issues that our company is working
on.

CSR Report can, in principle, be translated as Sustainability Report.

We have chosen the English name because the report is produced in
cooperation with other European companies within the network Eurhonet.

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Company facts

ÖrebroBostäder AB (ÖBO) is Örebro’s municipal Our vision:

housing company, founded in 1946. Since 1995, the Home for you
company has been a subsidiary of Örebro Rådhus AB.
ÖBO is the largest landlord in Örebro. The fact is that Our business idea:
one of every three people in Örebro lives in an Örebro
To offer a wide variety of attractive residential proper-
property! We have houses, terraced houses, blocks of
ties in good surroundings.
flats, and commercial properties, situated centrally as
well as in the suburbs and some of the smaller places
within the Municipality of Örebro.

ÖBO facts, 31 December 2009

389 employees
EUR 134.4 million in turnover
23,148 flats
40,642 tenants
1,032 commercial premises

Our objective is that ÖBO shall

be characterised by:
Security
Individual values
Value for money
Integration and diversity
Vibrant suburbs
Environmental responsibility
Aesthetics

Influence and involvement

Proud and committed employees

Map of Örebro
ÖBO’s housing stock

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Editorial

We can now offer you, for the second consecutive year, ÖBO’s CSR
report. As a public housing company, ÖBO exists for the benefit of
society on a commercial basis and should be run in a manner that
is sustainable in the long-term. That is an important and inspiring
challenge for us. I am proud of what we stand for, and also of all our
employees who, in an exemplary manner, carry out their work based
on social responsibility and the concept of sustainability.
Our social responsibility permeates through the entire company,
in what we do and in the decisions taken within the organisation.
Part of this involves taking major responsibility for environmental
and climate issues, and we will dramatically increase our renovation
and rebuilding rates in order to ensure high and stable property
values in the long-term. As part of the CSR, we are now renovating
our largest housing estates. In 2009, among other things, we created
a master plan for the redevelopment of our largest district over the
next 10-15 years. We will create diversity and individuality in each
of the different residential areas by means of varying the forms of
housing, creating new meeting places, and increasing empowerment.
We will always strive to create the best conditions for our employ-
ees to be able to develop in their jobs. This ensures that in the long
run we can perform our work well, as well as creating good relation-
ships and good cooperation with other interested parties.
We have developed the model for this report in cooperation with
Eurhonet. This means that we can compare our CSR work with
other companies in the housing sector, both in Sweden and in Eu-
rope. Thanks to CSR cooperation we will have increased knowledge
and better opportunities to find new methods and ideas, to develop
the company’s operations further, and at the same time to influence
the world around us into taking social responsibility.
Please take a look at this year’s CSR report!

Yours sincerely
Ulf Rohlén
Managing Director, ÖrebroBostäder AB

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1
Taking social
responsibility

The home and its surroundings have a major impact on people’s

ability to live a good life. Through CSR, we are helping to create
good conditions in which to live and a safe environment for
everyone who lives and works in Örebro.

Home for you! Based on that vision, ÖBO would like
to make it possible for people in different situations,
and with different needs and preconditions, to shape
their own homes. For us at ÖBO this means that, in a
responsive and flexible manner, we see, understand and
meet our tenants’ individual requirements for housing
and services – all based on changes over time.
People are different. One person might like to live
centrally, another in the countryside. Another might
prefer a patio, while a fourth would rather live high
up. We have homes in various sizes and in different
price ranges. Some people would like to live simply
and cheaply, while others want to spend more on their
homes. Some live in large families, while others are
living alone. Some are young, some are old. Everyone
has different needs, depending on who they are and the
period of their life cycle they are in.
Every customer is unique, so our range of properties
must be varied in order to meet their different needs.
This is consistent with our mission statement of being
able to “offer a wide variety of attractive residential
properties in good surroundings”.
Our rental system, “Hyrestorget” (the Rental Mar-
ketplace) is a public, open and accessible way to rent
out our homes. It is available on the Internet, but pe-
ople are equally welcome to call us or come into the of-
fice to get help with finding suitable housing. The rules
we apply to rental housing are the same for everyone.
More than just a roof over your head
Living somewhere means more than just having a roof
over your head there. It is about being able to feel at
home, about forging your own home, about feeling
good in your surroundings. Security and comfort are
two pillars of this, and we are working in different ways
to enable as many people as possible to feel at home.
Regarding security, we are working on a broad front.
We mainly focus on prevention, but will add extra ef-
fort and input when and where necessary. We believe in
the personal contact between the tenants themselves, as
well as between the tenants and ÖBO. We work with
home visits, safety walks, clear rules and procedures re-
garding disturbance, and we focus actively on strengthe-
ning the social community in the districts.
Prioritising children and young people
ÖBO is pleased to work in cooperation with asso-
ciations, schools and youth centres in order to reach
children and young people. We want to help create the
opportunities for meaningful leisure time and good
schooling that children have. We support activities in
our districts for children and young people during the
evenings, weekends and school holidays. This might
mean, for example, football tournaments, swimming
during the summer, dance and theatre groups, or vari-
ous kinds of excursion.

6
ÖBO for the seniors
There are around 750 flats for seniors (over-55s) at
ÖBO. The company works actively on well-being,
social and security issues for our senior tenants. Among
other things during 2009, the health club chain Friskis
& Svettis arranged “senior aerobics” sessions in ÖBO’s
communal meeting rooms, something which was
much-appreciated.
Help with homework
In the Vivalla district we continued and strengthened
our support and involvement in the Line 14 project
during the year. This project aims to make young
people growing up in the Vivalla and Baronbackarna
areas of Örebro interested in, and curious about, higher
education. Line 14 is a collaboration involving the Uni-
versity of Örebro and the Municipality of Örebro, and
within the project such things as field trips, workshops
on education, and assistance with homework for young
people at Vivalla School are arranged.
Promotion of social community
ÖBO organised several district days and festivals during
2009. These events are aimed at enabling the city’s resi-
dents to meet in the right circumstances to strengthen
the sense of community between people. There were
over 3,000 visitors to some of these, showing how
popular the concept is. The V.OX Festival that was held
between Varberga and Oxhagen is one example that
attracted many visitors and led people from different
parts of the city into meeting each other.
Cultural Bridges
Regarding events, we would also really like to reach resi-
dents and other involved parties across district bounda-
ries. Cultural Bridges in Garphyttan is an example of such
an event. It was one of our local housing managers who
started the event, but many others got involved. Cultural
Bridges set up a market day which included exhibitions,
cultural events, musical entertainment and opportunities
to try food from different cultures. Free buses ran between
Garphyttan and Örebro during the day, allowing more
people to take part. There was great interest in this event.
For the entire city
That more and more people work across district lines
is something that characterised the work with tenant
influence during 2009. In addition to Cultural Bridges
in Garphyttan there were more examples of collaboration
across district boundaries, such as the “Blodomloppet”
fun run which this year went across three major districts
in the west of the city. When Friskis & Svettis organised
aerobics in the park in Baronbackarna for five weeks
during the summer, the residents of nearby districts were
also invited to join in. The promotion of social cohe-
sion is now under way at all levels, from local courtyard
through local district to entire city.
Guarantee of accommodation for students
There are more and more students; the University of Öre-
bro is growing. The city’s 14,000 students are good for
the hustle and bustle of the city, and their skills make it
possible for local businesses to grow in terms of both size
and variation in the long-term. We are determined that
those who choose to study in Örebro shall have a good
and safe place to start. Therefore, ÖBO offers housing to
all students moving to Örebro.
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Environmental
responsibility
With today’s greenhouse gas emissions and the
disrespectful use of the earth’s resources, we are causing
serious changes to our climate. A radical change is needed
in the way we use the earth’s resources, where we take
responsibility for our common environment.
ÖBO would like to reduce our contribution to climate
change and, wherever possible, use materials and pro-
ducts that are greener and in the long-term sustainable
for both new construction and renovation work.
ÖBO would like to help in both large and small
ways to break the current trends by mobilising the
company’s power of development, by placing demands
on our cooperative partners, by motivating and training
our employees, and by encouraging the involvement of
our tenants. The company’s size gives us good opportu-
nities to contribute to sustainable development and we
want to systematically exploit them.
Minus 20 per cent in 2015
The first step towards our goal is to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by 2015, compared
to the level of 2005. This will be achieved primarily th-
rough the reduced use of energy for electricity, heating
and transport. The target means a total reduction of
9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, of which a further 800
tonnes was achieved during 2009. Our carbon dioxide
emissions have now fallen by eight per cent since 2005,
meaning that we will soon be halfway towards our goal.
The hunt for energy thieves
We have a systematic approach to finding energy thieves
8
who use energy unnecessarily. We initiated a process in
2009 to remove all thermal heating of garages. During
the year we turned off the heat in about half of our
heated garages, replacing the facility with engine heaters
controlled by both time and temperature. In this way,
only the car is heated and not the whole garage. For
tenants, this involves setting a timer for when the car
will next be used and then, depending on the actual
temperature, the timer will start at the right moment
for the engine to become warm at the predetermined
time.
Phasing out underground heating
For many years ÖBO has had underground-heated en-
trances, staircases and squares. We have shutdown many
of these consumers of energy during the past year. More
will be shutdown next year. For those days of the year
when it really is winter, with snow and slippery surfaces
everywhere as a result, we have instead turned to the use
of additional manpower to shovel the snow away and
to grit the entrances and other locations that need to be
accessible.
Active tenants
ÖBO will always be pleased if tenants can help in the
hunt for energy thieves, and we therefore encourage
them in various ways to contact us if they find anything
that wastes energy. This might be, for example, let-
ting us know that a stairwell light is shining day and
night, or that the door to a heated garage is not closing
properly. It is often the tenants who see and report un-
necessary lighting, or indeed other energy thieves in the
district where they live.
Cooperation with others
ÖBO and SABO have together produced a pamphlet
on our experiences here called “Energy Thieves - a
practical guide on energy conservation”. It contains
ten specific energy-saving tips including among other
things the use of new technology, terrestrial heating,
LED lighting, lifts, motion-activated lighting, and the
installation of engine heaters controlled by both time
and temperature. We are increasing our ability to be
proactive in environmental work by working openly
and actively comparing ourselves with, and learning
from, other businesses.
Awards and nominations
ÖBO’s environmental work has received positive at-
tention, and in 2009 we were nominated for and won
several environmental awards.
In connection with the Energy and Housing Exhibi-
tion in Alingsås in 2009, a contest was launched among
all the housing companies in Sweden on how best to
try to find energy savings in their own housing stock.
ÖBO’s proposal to localise unnecessarily high energy
bills and then use an infrared camera there won and was
rewarded accordingly.
This year, ÖBO also won SABO’s award for Energy
Challenger 2009. Jonas Tannerstad accepted the award
during the energy days that SABO organised in Jönkö-
ping. The justification behind the award was:
“Jonas is an innovative driving force, pushing develop-
ment forward in the property business and really having
the ability to inspire those around him. Jonas has developed
new ways of thinking and new strategies for visualising
the use of energy by the employees. Through his substan-
tial knowledge he has also made demands for technical
solutions that are not yet on the market, something which
forces the entire industry forward. Jonas is a real Energy
Challenger!”
ÖBO’s work has also attracted the attention of the
Municipality of Örebro, and ÖBO was one of three
finalists nominated for the Municipality of Örebro’s
Environment Prize for 2009. The justification for being
a finalist for the Environment Award was:
“This is for the company’s clear climate targets to reduce
carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2015, its long-term and
dedicated work on energy efficiency, and its hunt for energy
thieves! ÖBO is working long-term with environmental,
energy and climate-related improvements throughout its
operations by taking responsibility as a property adminis-
trator, as well as by involving its tenants and employees in
the job. The company website’s environmental information
is a fine example”.
ÖBO affects the market
ÖBO collaborates constructively with its product supp-
liers. Thanks to our size and expertise on the technical
front, we can place demands on companies and work
with them to develop products and innovative envi-
ronmental technology solutions. One example is the
development of individual metering systems, where the
work has led to recommendations of how such systems
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2
Miljöansvar
should be built by SABO’s members in the future. In
the long run, this will affect the entire market for indi-
vidual metering systems.
Most energy-efficient at ÖBO
The construction of 24 flats began in the autumn of
2009 in the Pärllöken area of Ladugårdsängen in Öre-
bro. These will be the most energy-efficient buildings
we have constructed. Energy consumption will be less
than 25 kWh/m², which means a reduction of 80 per
cent compared to current guidelines (110 kWh/m²).
Advanced floor heating that works well in both sum-
mer and winter, efficient wall materials that give a more
consistent heat, new LED lighting, extra-insulated
glass, energy-efficient lifts, heat recovery systems and
individual metering are just some of the energy-saving
solutions that will contribute to the reduction in energy
use. We see Pärllöken as an important step for the
future, and we hope and believe that we can learn a lot
from this pilot project with regard to our housing in the
future.
Durability is the best policy
When we carry out innovative and sometimes se-
emingly costly investments in new construction and
renovation work, we invest in durable and maintenan-
ce-free materials for our properties. We get back the
increased costs of investment in the form of reduced
costs for maintenance, administration and repairs. This
is positive from the economic perspective of the owners,
but also from the perspective of our tenants who receive
lower monthly costs and higher quality. And from the
environmental point of view, everyone benefits in the
long-run.
Reducing emissions from transport
We want to reduce our transportation and our fuel con-
sumption, as well as the pollution that they cause. Our
strategy is to both reduce the number of vehicles and
10
to purchase environmentally-friendly vehicles. All cars
purchased by the company are gas-powered.
During the year, all employees who drive cars at
work were offered the chance to go on an eco-driving
course. This is a course where drivers learn about how
improved driving techniques affect the climate, and also
how to apply them. The average result for those that
went on the course was a 20 per cent reduction in fuel
consumption after one hour of training.
Climate compensation
Flying has a relatively large effect on the environment
per trip, so ÖBO therefore compensates for all flights.
The compensation is calculated according to the so-
called Gold Standard Project within the CDM system.
In practice, this means that we give financial support to
projects that produce renewable energy in China and
India. In 2009, ÖBO’s air travel led to the emission of
around 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Lower peaks in
consumption.
ÖBO conducted a project in conjunction with the
district heating supplier during the year to reduce heat
requirements when the outside temperature is very low.
It is at these peak times that the district heating plant
must burn the most fossil fuels. Lowering these require-
ment peaks is positive for the environment. What hap-
pens is that the flow of hot water for domestic heating
is reduced during the times when many people use large
amounts of hot water. The house does not cool down,
because the reductions are only for short periods, and
the overall energy requirement for heating and hot
water is held more constant.
Healthy indoor environment
To ensure a good indoor environment we are, among
other things, carrying out radon measurements in our
buildings. Radon measurement is an extensive project
that takes a lot of time. Measurements have now been
carried and on the whole the figures are good: In these
flats where elevated levels of radon exist, have we im-
plemented measures promptly, and the results of these
are now being evaluated with the help of new measure-
ments.
Improved waste management
We continued our efforts during 2009 to improve waste
management within our housing stock. In Norrby, we
replaced the old garbage room with semi-underground
containers, in combination with recycling containers.
This has improved the level of waste management, as
well as the overall health and safety of the refuse col-
lectors and road safety in the area.
ÖBO switches off for the climate
ÖBO participated in the worldwide manifestation
Earth Hour during the year. For one hour on the eve-
ning of 28 March, ÖBO’s tenants were encouraged to
turn off all the lights for the benefit of the environment.
Furthermore, there was a competition between ÖBO’s
large centrally-located properties, the tower blocks in
Krämaren, to see which of them could be the darkest
during the hour.
Keep Örebro clean and tidy
The 2009 Environmental Campaign was a collabora-
tion between ÖBO and the Municipality of Örebro.
After the previous year’s Be Kind to the Climate
Campaign, we chose to work more locally in 2009. The
campaign is a multi-year project in which the residents
of Örebro are being urged to keep their city clean and
tidy by throwing litter where it belongs.
We also use our own channels of information for
various environmental campaigns. We encourage our
tenants to sort their waste, and we try to get them
involved in reducing energy consumption and doing
other things that help protect the climate and environ-
ment.

ÖBO’s Environmental Convention

ÖBO conducted an environmental convention for all
of it staff during the spring of 2009 aimed at increasing
knowledge and awareness of climate and environmental
issues among all of the company’s employees. Among
other things, the program included presentations on
ÖBO’s energy usage, wind power, solar cells, terrestrial
heating, hidden consumers of energy, individual me-
tering of water, electricity and laundry rooms, water-
saving equipment and reducing the carbon footprint
from transportation. It was a useful and instructive
convention for relaying climate knowledge, and inspira-
tional for everyone within the organisation to take more
environmental responsibility.

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Economic
sustainability
ÖBO sees real estate as a long-term investment. Through good
and responsible property management, in combination with stable
economic development within the company, the right conditions are
created to ensure sustainable and attractive homes for many years.
A prerequisite for all CSR work is a fundamentally
good, stable long-term economy. Additionally, com-
mitment, knowledge and a certain amount of courage
are needed in order to develop new methods of working
and improving operations from the sustainability per-
spective. However, in order to take social responsibility,
one must sometimes make more expensive investments
and implement some controversial renewal projects. We
believe that these investments will pay for themselves
in the long-term in the form of reduced maintenance
costs, a lower number of acute injuries, lower energy
consumption, lower water consumption, fewer people
moving in and out, and reduced vandalism.
12
ÖBO should provide good environments in which to
live and ensure the properties’ economic value by means
of long-term property management. During 2009,
ÖBO put a lot of resources into investment and main-
tenance. A comparison with our average costs over the
past ten years shows that we increased our maintenance
operations by EUR 4.2 million during 2009. This
means that ÖBO has also contributed by creating many
jobs in the city at a time of cutbacks and rising unem-
ployment generally. During the year we carried out
renovation work in Björkallén and parts of Varberga,
and we also constructed new properties in the district of
Kaprisen and in Örnsköldsparken.
Maintenance of housing stock
Much of the housing stock is facing a need for major
renovation and we know that it will require substantial
financial and organisational efforts in the coming years.
2009 was just the beginning, and new money is being
invested as 2010 gets underway. We have an investment
and maintenance cost of around EUR 1.900-2.000 per
flat per year, a figure which easily stands comparison.
New homes
ÖBO is planning to build almost 700 new flats over the
next two years in various locations within the munici-
pality. The ambition is that construction will start on
277 of them in 2010. Some of the districts where we
will be starting or finishing projects are Södra Sörby,
Rynningeåsen, Adolfsberg, Norr, Örnsköldsparken, and
in the City Centre.
Many exciting buildings
In the portfolio of new properties are many exciting,
innovative buildings that will be attractive to the resi-
dents of Örebro. The current building strategy is in line
with ÖBO’s business idea of building a wide variety of
attractive homes. We build for young and old, centrally
and on the outskirts of the city. We build high and low,
close to nature and in the heart of the city. And, last but
not least, we build in a manner that is climate smart.
A mustering of strength
The company has not seen such a large volume of
production since the early 1990s. Our efforts in an
uncertain economic situation demonstrate a willingness
to use financial muscle to ensure that the municipal
housing companies’ responsibilities are also observed
during bad times.
Renewal of Vivalla
A long-term master plan was designed during the
autumn to renovate, modernise and develop Vivalla as a
district, and to create diversity and individuality in the
individual residential areas there. The renewal process
will be built on a lot of input and participation from
the residents.
Continued low vacancy rate
There continues to be great demand for housing within
the Municipality of Örebro, meaning that ÖBO conti-
nues to have a low vacancy rate. This is, of course, ad-
vantageous from an economic point of view, as it means
that our turnover is higher and the subsequent increase
in revenue can be put towards the investments we are
now facing. We are perceived by many as an attractive
landlord because we create good living environments
and general well-being.
Building prize to ÖBO
Vibrant suburbs is a catchphrase at ÖBO. The Com-
mercial Property Division at ÖBO works constantly
to bring our suburban centres to life, so that they can
provide good services and popular meeting places.
During the year, ÖBO was awarded the Municipality of
Örebro’s building prize for the renovation of the Rosta
Centre. “For the successful regeneration of a living
central function” was one of the reasons given to justify
the award.
The Rosta district, also known as “The Star Houses”,
is an interesting cultural environment. It was built in
1948-1952, and became famous among architects and
people with an architectural interest from all over the
world. People flocked here to see the unique way of
building a vibrant residential area.
“Vibrant suburbs are important, and I hope that the
renovation of the Centre will mean that people can start to
flock to Rosta again,” said Ulf Rohlén, Managing Director
of ÖBO, as the company accepted the prize. He added that
he and his staff were, of course, proud and delighted to
have been awarded the prize.
13
4
Working with
other interested
parties

As a public housing company, ÖBO should be of benefit to its

owners, customers and society. In agreement with our interested
parties, we are developing the business in a responsible and
businesslike manner that is beneficial to everyone.

One of the owner directives at ÖBO is to create Laundry Room Exhibition in Vivalla
involvement and tenant influence. Efforts to increase Based on a historical perspective, ÖBO generated
tenant influence show a return in two ways: firstly, the interest, passed on information and showed how to
company benefits through reduced costs, and secondly do the washing and how a laundry room should be
there is social benefit. From the perspective of social used. The Laundry Room Exhibition was a successful
benefit, it is often the case that getting commitment concept that we are certain to see again, perhaps even
and participation in the residential areas creates a in other districts, during 2010.
breeding ground for greater community involvement
in general. But for most people, it is more about The web
being able to participate in shaping their own homes,
Via a web-based survey tool, we have prepared new
strengthening the feeling of being at home, pride, well-
avenues for dialogue with our tenants. Today we have
being, and the desire to keep everything around them
six customer panels on the go in different districts,
neat and tidy.
the latest being the student panel. A survey among
students at the University of Örebro gave us indica-
Culture
tions about how students prioritize and think about
In the Vivalla district we were supported in dialogue their own housing.
work by an artist/cultural worker during the year.
This was a completely new approach and, as a result, Cooperation with the mosque
we reached a lot more customers than we usually do,
As part of ÖBO’s work with integration, we had col-
and also some new customer groups. Among other
laboration with Örebro Mosque during the autumn
things, residents of the district helped with their own
of 2009. Members of ÖBO’s staff were on-site in the
artistic work in the creation of a tiled wall at Vivalla
mosque once a week for conversations about hou-
Centre. No less than 150 contributions were received,
sing. We did this as part of trying to improve con-
and many of these are now on a very visible wall. It is
tact with, and knowledge of, some of the customer
a concrete and tangible form of participation, and we
groups we cannot easily reach otherwise. We discus-
have learnt that sometimes it can be invaluable to in-
sed and had dialogue on issues such as rental rules,
troduce entirely new skills and methods in our efforts
energy issues, waste sorting, fire protection, and so
to achieve dialogue.

14
on. Our commitment was appreciated by those visiting
the mosque, while we learned a lot in return.
The gift of customers’ observations
The most important observations we can get are those
from our customers. ÖBO has therefore developed a
systematic approach towards acquiring and making use
of customers’ points of view. Customer comments serve
as a knowledge bank and a source of inspiration when
it comes to developing the business, and they give us
indications of what or where we must improve. Among
other things in 2009, ÖBO developed a text-messaging
facility for the deaf and modified procedures to increase
accessibility. Other useful comments received during
the year were requests for information in more langua-
ges in order to reduce misunderstandings, more durable
surface finishes in the kitchen to reduce wear and tear,
improved reservation systems in the laundry rooms for
the avoidance of conflict, and improved waste sorting
facilities.
ÖBO sponsors
ÖBO is keen to have a good reputation and a positive
corporate image. To create and maintain these, we work
with sponsorship among other things. ÖBO has a spon-
sorship policy which provides guidance regarding the
criteria governing the selection of what we choose to get
involved with. Sponsorship is one way of strengthening
our relationships with the outside world, and it also
gives us the opportunity to support organisations and
activities that reflect, and are consistent with, the core
values for which ÖBO stands.
During 2009, ÖBO sponsored organisations wor-
king for children and young people in our districts,
among other things. We have sponsored activities such
as summer camps, excursions, sports tournaments and
cultural activities. For the city as a whole, ÖBO has
sponsored ÖSK and KIF, as well as musical activities
such as O Holy Night, Allsång, and Länsmusiken.
CSR criteria in the purchasing policy
ÖBO takes its social responsibility very seriously, and
we have the ambition to take even greater responsibility
in the future than we do today. Furthermore, we would
like other companies to see the benefits and the pleasu-
res of running a business in a responsible manner that
benefits not only the company itself, but also society as
a whole.
For example, during the procurement process we try
to adapt our requirements so that even small contrac-
tors and suppliers can get involved if they wish. We
try to influence our contractors to employ people who
actually live in our districts, something we achieve via
projects like, among others, the one called “Jobbpunkt-
väst Örebro”.
Other criteria related to ÖBO’s CSR work, and
which form the basis of our public procurement
processing, can be found in ÖBO’s purchasing policy
manual. Certain product requirements are specified,
depending on the type of procurement. For example,
if the procurement includes chemical products, condi-
tions are placed regarding these. If vehicles are included,
environmental demands are placed on both the vehicles
themselves and their maintenance. The clauses we use
apply to suppliers and subcontractors at all stages in the
process.
15
5
Good working
environment
ÖBO’s employees have a high level of competence and great
commitment. Job satisfaction is high and there is a keenness to
develop. By means of continuous investment in the employees,
the right conditions are created for the good work to continue.
ÖBO values its staff greatly. It is essential for the em-
ployees’ commitment, willingness and ability to do a
good job that they are happy in their work, feel good,
have the skills they need and are actively involved in the
shaping of the overall operation. The employees must
have the right preconditions to work well based on the
needs and preferences of the tenants. There are several
ways to ensure these preconditions, including training,
staff welfare, and good leadership with clear mandates
concerning responsibility and authority.
Core values at ÖBO
In one way or another, everybody at ÖBO works with
something that is related to one of life’s most essential
elements: housing. The judgements we make, the work
we do, the way we act - all of these things actually affect
people’s lives. It is therefore very important to commu-
nicate ÖBO’s core values, both internally and exter-
nally, as the way the employees work strongly affects
both the tenants and the company itself. For ÖBO,
questions about ethics, social responsibility, diversity
and sustainability are extremely important.
Diversity at work
ÖBO worked on “Multiculturalism at work” in 2009.
We have begun a programme containing a number of
steps within this framework, and during 2009 we ob-
16
served and focused on diversity issues. In the autumn,
all the employees were offered the chance to go to the
cinema to see the movie Gran Torino. After the movie,
everyone got involved in discussion questions aimed at
taking the theme further and reflecting on the message.
All of the employees heard Gillis Herlitz lecture on
cultural encounters. Gillis highlighted cultural dif-
ferences, prejudices, different values, ways of thinking
and behaving, and shared his own experiences in such a
way that we could easily take everything in and reflect
on ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in at
work. The next step in “Multiculturalism at work” will
be carried out in early 2010. That will be “The journey
to a new home”, where two tenants come and tell us
how they felt when they came to Sweden, of their ex-
perience of ÖBO, and their initial housing. The aim of
this is to gain greater insight, knowledge and understan-
ding of ourselves and others. It is hoped that this will
ultimately lead to improvements, as well as increased
satisfaction and well-being, among customers as well as
employees.
Skills development at ÖBO
ÖBO must have skilled personnel and therefore regu-
larly invests in training. We increased the budget for the
education and training of our employees to EUR 230
thousand in 2009, which is the equivalent of around
EUR 600 per employee. During the year, the company
offered training in, among other things, rental law,
English, dealing with difficult customers, and clearing
undergrowth. In order to keep costs down, while at the
same time involving as many employees as possible, we
try to keep the courses in Örebro. In addition to the
above-mentioned costs, a total of around 24 hours of
work time per employee was also invested in internal
and external training.
Increased language skills
One of ÖBO’s overall objectives as a company is to
work with diversity. For this reason, we try to recruit
more employees with foreign backgrounds. Many of
our tenants come from other countries and we believe it
is important that ÖBO is able to properly deal with the
language barriers and cultural differences that actually
exist.
Loan to get a driving licence
When we recruit someone for a position that requires a
driving licence, ÖBO offers the new member of staff a
loan to have driving lessons and take their driving test.
This is done so that otherwise highly-qualified candi-
dates will still be able to apply for, and be offered, the
job. This offer is primarily aimed at applicants with a
foreign background, as we know that many people from
other countries do not have a driving licence, but it is
actually available to anyone applying for a permanent
position within the company.
Healthy employees
ÖBO invests in the physical health of its staff. Just over
half of the employees took part in ÖBO’s health and
fitness activities during 2009. This was an increase from
the previous year, which is positive. In addition to this,
we work with and support different groups according
to interest and requirements where, for example, some
are trying to stop smoking and others are trying to lose
weight and find a healthy diet.
Getting out
During the year, all employees were invited to partici-
pate in the activity “Getting out”. This is a health and
fitness challenge for everyone in Örebro who would
like to discover new places and at the same time get
out and exercise. The project also offered participants
the chance to attend lectures on keeping fit, health and
exercise, as well as some basic training in using a map
and a compass.
Personnel club
ÖBO has an active personnel club, which organises
activities for everyone at the company such as trips,
parties, social evenings, fishing days, and so on. This
is done partly for enjoyment and partly to help keep a
good atmosphere at work. The activities are appreciated
among the staff and contribute to the fine sense of com-
munity in the workplace. Several events were organised
last year, including a trip to Galdhöpiggen in Norway,
where a group climbed the highest mountain in Scan-
dinavia, and a fishing day in Kilsbergen which was very
popular. The annual tenpin bowling tournament took
place one evening in March and was, as always, well-
attended. All of these are fine activities that contribute
to a positive atmosphere at work, a feeling of solidarity
within the staff, and thereby, ultimately, happy employ-
ees.
17
 1 Social responsibility
SKY
Indicator Unit 2007 2008 2009 average
Average area per type of residence 1 room + kitchen m² 31 31 31 37
2 rooms + kitchen m² 59 59 59 60
3 rooms + kitchen m² 77 77 77 78
4 rooms + kitchen m² 98 98 98 96
5 rooms + kitchen m² 120 120 120 118
> 1 room + kitchen m² 153 153 153 168
Average rent per type of residence 1 room + kitchen EUR/m² 101 104 110 102
2 rooms + kitchen EUR/m² 78.0 81.2 83.4 92.5
3 rooms + kitchen EUR/m² 74.1 76.3 78.4 89.6
4 rooms + kitchen EUR/m² 71.3 73.1 75.6 88.2
5 rooms + kitchen EUR/m² 67.5 68.8 71.1 87.8
> 5 rooms + kitchen EUR/m² 68.4 69.1 72.2 84.4
Operational cost development* EUR/m² 48.6 49.3 51.9 47.3
Rental development EUR/m² 78.3 81.1 83.3 88.9
% 2.5 2.7 2.7 3.2
Moving within housing stock (excludes students) Total % 17.1 16.3 16 16.4
Internal % 5.9 5.8 5.7 6.8
Company operates a non-discriminatory
hiring policy Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Company works to increase social
cohesion in the districts Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Expenditure on social responsibility EUR/
(now district developers) ** flat 5.9 6.1 10.7 32.1
Costs for the company’s social assistance EUR/
(social assistance group) flat 4.3 4.7 9.8 7.6
Proportion of housing in the company’s stock
suitable for elderly and disabled people % 38.3 38.6 38.6 54.4
The company works with safety and security
issues on an ongoing basis Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
New construction of rental apartments Qty 85 45 16 122
% 0.4 0.2 0.07 1
Property acquisition %
Percentage of local authority residential homes
provided by the municipal housing company % 96.2 61
Evictions due to disturbance or financial reasons Disturbance Qty 0 2 2 2.8
Financial reasons Qty 63 47 50 30

*operational costs refer to operational, administrative and overall business costs

** internal + external costs

18
2 Environmental responsibility
SKY
Indicator Unit 2007 2008 2009 average
The company works actively with
environmental improvement measures Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Does the company impose environmental
requirements during public procurement Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Amount of energy consumed
by the property portfolio kWh/m² 208 206 202 181.6
Amount of greenhouse gas emitted by stock kg/m² 26.5 26.1 25.6 16.4
CO2 reduction from base year 2005 % 4.1 5.4 7.2 8.65
Proportion of renewable energy company uses % 72 73 73 83.6
Ton CO2/
Carbon dioxide emissions from company vehicles year 377 385 365 141.4
Development of water consumption in stock Total m³/m² 2.33 2.36 2.4 1.75
Hot l/m² 602 617 675 594
Cold l/m² 1 732 1 740 1720 1209
Company engaged in shaping public
opinion regarding environmental concerns Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Amount of waste produced in the stock Compost kg/flat 20 21 21 33
Household waste kg/flat 292 321 321 331
Recyclable
material kg/flat 154 186 196 154

19
 3 Economic sustainability
SKY
Indicator Unit 2007 2008 2009 average
Proportion of renovated flats relative
to existing housing stock ** % 1.4 1.5 1.3 2.85
Unused investment and maintenance costs EUR
(excluding new construction) million 34.5 37.4 45.7 480
EUR/flat 1500 1600 2000 31
The company’s rate of occupancy Dwellings % 99.6 99.6 99.64 99
Company’s investment in new EUR
construction and land acquisition Construction million 10.5 7.9 3.7 212
EUR
Acquisition million 1.1 0 0.9 208
The company follows an established purchasing
policy containing sustainability criteria Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Ja

4 Working with other interested parties

SKY
Indicator Unit 2007 2008 2009 average
The company sets up and carries out regular dialo-
gue with the tenants Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Proportion of the company’s tenants who are satis-
fied with their housing Service index % 81.3 81.6 82.4 82.1
Security index % 78.5 79.6 80.2 78.4
The company is actively working with action plans
for increasing the satisfaction of the residents Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
The company has, and follows, a sponsorship policy Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
The company works to an established code of ethics Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
The company has long-term goals towards which to
navigate, derived from the business plan Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes

20
 5 Good working environment
SKY
Indicator Unit 2007 2008 2009 average
Form of employment/fulltime employee Permanent % 95.5 91 90 90
Seasonal % 4.5 9 10 10
Is there a health and safety at work policy? Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Proportion of employees who are satisfied
with their work – well-being index Well-being index % 81 80.9
EUR/
Education and training for staff * Outcome employee 578.4 327 604 823
Training hours per employee per year Outcome hours 32 40 24 24
Proportion of absence due to: Sickness and stress % 5.68 4.91 3.72 3.4
Work-related
accidents % 8.7 6.5 5.9 4.3
Distribution of average monthly salary EUR/
between gender and category of employees ** Office workers (m) month 2783.3 2906.5 2941.9 3198
EUR/
Office workers (f) month 2332.7 2551 2586.4 2722
Blue-collar EUR/
workers (m) month 1963.1 2031.4 2134.2 2242
Blue-collar EUR/
workers (f) month 1831.5 1867.5 2011.3 2129
Special employment Trainee*** Qty 0 0 1 7.6
Percentage of employees born overseas
in the company, relative to the municipality’s
population % 37 74
Percentage of women in management positions Board % 14.3 14.3 14.3 29.8
Management % 44.4 44.4 50 23.5

* Course fees, excluding travel, hotel, and time off work

** Excluding Managing Director’s salary
*** “Trainee” means, in this case, a work-experience position where the trainee receives some form of financial compensation

Eurhonet comparison 2009

Unit ÖBO Average Best Organization
New construction of rental apartments % 0.07 0.93 3.7 AB Gavlegårdarna
Average energy consumption of THE STOCK kWh/m² 202 176.4 102 GBG Mannheim GE
Average of greenhouse gas emitted by stock kg/m² 25.6 30.8 2.7 AB Gavlegårdarna
Proportion of renovated flats relative
to existing housing stock % 1.3 3.2 9.67 FSM, FR
EUR
Company's investment in new construction million 9.5 24 87 Familjebostäder Sthlm

21
Definitions
Renovation
This refers to flats that were, during the
year, affected by major maintenance work,
renovation, and refurbishment or retrofit
measures. Renovation changes a building,
part of a building, or an installation into a
state that is, from a functionality perspective,
comparable to the condition of new. The
concept of “renovation of flats” includes the
replacement of waste water downpipes, “re-
lining”, improving all seals in the bathrooms
and kitchens, new kitchen cabinets, etc.
Normal maintenance, such as wallpapering,
painting, carpet replacement, the replace-
ment of individual sanitary products, is not
included.
Definition of renewable energy
Renewable energy means a source of energy
that is constantly renewing itself and, as far
as we can tell today, will not run out in the
foreseeable future. Solar energy, biofuels,
hydropower and wind power are all sources
of renewable energy. Stored energy (fossil
fuels) such as oil, coal, gas and uranium are
not renewable energy sources. Electricity can
be considered renewable energy when it is
produced in hydro or biomass power plants,
but not when it is produced in nuclear power
plants or power plants driven by oil or coal.
Other renewable energy sources:
• Solar energy – solar cells, solar heating,
solar panels
• Wind power – wind farms, wind turbines
• Hydropower – salt and wave power, tidal
power, ocean thermal power
• Terrestrial power – heat pumps, under-
ground heating, geothermal heating,
water heat exchangers
• Bioenergy – fuel pellets, biofuel
Operating costs
Operating costs refer to operational, admi-
nistrative and overall business costs.
22
Costs for social responsibility
This refers to the internal costs of suburban
developers, district developers, or similar, as
well as the implementation costs asso-
ciated with our work on increasing tenant
influence, supporting clubs and associations,
helping with homework, and arranging
events aimed at increasing social community
in the suburbs. It also includes external costs
for the Tenants’ Association or other external
organisations.
Social assistance
Within the framework of the social assis-
tance system there are costs for dealing with
social living issues. These might be person-
nel costs for those involved in dealing with
disturbance, or perhaps financial counselling,
evictions, work with social priority and short-
term (trial-basis) contracts linked to the social
living group or equivalent.
The municipality’s
special accommodation
This refers to flats where the municipality is
responsible for the rental contract. Group
housing and sheltered accommodation servi-
ces are not included.
Eviction means the local authorities car-
rying out the eviction of a tenant. The basis
for the eviction is a decision, a judgement or
a court ruling that says the tenant is required
to move. A case where ÖBO has terminated
the contract and the tenant has accepted
this is not defined as an eviction.
Housing accessible for older people
This refers to buildings people can access
without having to negotiate steps, proper-
ties at ground level and residential housing
equipped with a lift. If there is a height diffe-
rence at the entrance to the building, a ramp
or something similar must be provided.
CO2 calculation model
To calculate the CO2 emissions from our
various operations, the following conversion
factors have been used:
Energy carrier Unit Emissions per unit
Electricity KWh 257 g CO2
Oil m 3
2,680 kg CO2
District heating KWh 102.8 g CO2
Petrol litre 2.4 kg
Diesel litre 2.7 kg
Ethanol litre 0.36 kg
Biogas litre 0.0
For air travel, we have used the Tricorona
calculation model of emissions. For cars, fuel
consumption was deemed to be 1.0 litre per
10 km for petrol-driven cars and 0.8 litres
per 10 km for cars powered by diesel.
Sustainability criteria
in procurement
Criteria from the areas of ethical and social
responsibility, as well as finance, are included
here.
The standard tendering form includes
clauses on the right to cancel if a party is
convicted of any offence against the Gender
Equality Act (among others), discrimination
in employment, or of breaking currently app-
licable Environmental Laws or the Health and
Safety at Work Act. As for economic issues,
the tendering party must prove that there
is nothing preventing him from tendering
under the laws of public procurement.
Environmental requirements
in procurement
Environmental requirements in procurement
vary depending on what is being procured.
They could entail requiring our contractors
to use environmentally-friendly vehicles,
or the requirement that specific building
materials are to be used in our buildings. In
cases involving service or maintenance work,
alterations and new construction, there are
for example requirements regarding how
waste is to be dealt with.
SKY average
This means the average level within the SKY
companies 2009 – Bostads AB Vätterhem,
Helsingborgshem, ÖrebroBostäder AB, AB
Stångåstaden, Gavlegårdarna and Familjebo-
städer Stockholm.
23
 EURHONET
European
Housing
Network

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