Finance & Sustainability: Driving true value partnership

Release Time：10 Apr,2026

<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="/ueditor/php/upload/image/20260410/1775810273919503.png" title="1775810273919503.png" alt="1.png"/></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A growth?focused Finance and Sustainability partnership to drive resilient business performance, measurable sustainability impact, and long?term value.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">For SKF, uniting finance and sustainability strengthens how we invest, collaborate across the value chain, and develop circular, energy-efficient solutions that boost customer productivity and resilience. It also enhances our competitiveness and speeds our progress toward our climate goals. We asked Susanne Larsson, CFO and Chief Sustainability Officer at SKF, how the integrated mandate enables SKF to deliver greater impact, meet growing stakeholder expectations, and enhance the value we create for our people, our customers, and the society.&nbsp; &nbsp; Tell us about your combined mandate - leading both Finance and Sustainability, and why is this integration important for SKF? In many companies, CFOs are taking a much bigger role in sustainability because it’s no longer just about reporting or compliance. It’s an important business consideration tied to competitiveness, investment decisions, risk, and ultimately revenue. And when CFOs look at it from a financial lens, we realize how much value sustainability can unlock. For SKF, sustainability is integral in our purpose and core - reducing friction. It is part of how we design products, how we partner with customers, and how we drive efficiency and circularity across our operations. It’s why our capital allocation and investment strategy directly support our commitments to decarbonize operations by 2030 and reach net?zero across our whole supply chain by 2050. These goals require the kind of disciplined financial steering that sits within Finance. This is also fully aligned with our strategy to reignite growth, developing value?driven offerings, innovating where it matters, and collaborating with customers on circular solutions that deliver measurable, lasting value. The way I see it, Sustainability is strongly connected to our business and our long?term climate ambition, creating a resilient and profitable company now and in the future! What is the biggest misconception about the connection between financial management and sustainability in industrial companies? A common misconception is that sustainability and financial performance are somehow in conflict. At SKF, we see the opposite. Our 125?year history is built on reducing friction. When we help customers reduce friction through our energy?efficient solutions like ceramic hybrid bearings, magnetic bearings, circular offerings like RecondOil and Remanufacturing, we reduce emissions, extend asset life, and create financial value. And our R&amp;D team’s work with green steel, green lubricants, and low?emission materials, show that sustainability can strengthen competitiveness. For SKF, sustainability is not a trade?off. It is a value driver - commercially, operationally, and strategically and is essential to achieving our net?zero commitment. We’ve set aside SEK 3 billion (2023–2028) for sustainability, banned fossil?fuel?based machinery, and require all sites to eliminate fossil gas by 2029. Every investment case includes reference energy prices, allowing us to compare energy?saving alternatives. So, sustainability is becoming a core filter for how we invest, innovate, and grow sales, so that we improve our long-term resilience as a purpose-driven company.&nbsp; Why is credible sustainability performance so important for SKF’s competitiveness, and how does it influence our financial decisions? Expectations are rising across customers, regulators, and investors. Customers want solutions that help them reduce emissions; regulators require stricter and audit?ready reporting; and investors expect transparent, verified data on climate impact and our net?zero commitments. SKF has been fully CSRD compliant since 2025 and we disclose that in our Annual Report. &nbsp;As sustainability reporting sits within Finance, we apply our governance, controls, and assurance to the non?financials. And as per Deloitte, our auditor, SKF is leading the way. Sustainability also directly shapes our financial decisions. Our transition towards renewable electricity and phasing out fossil?fuel heating help lower emissions and deliver energy savings, and these factors are now built into investment considerations. Sustainability risks such as extreme weather or energy price volatility affect future cash flows, supply chains, and resilience. We’ve strengthened our governance with the Audit Committee now called the Audit &amp; Sustainability Committee. External benchmarks like EcoVadis Gold and CDP A drive our continued progress. And as a purpose?driven company, ESG guides our operations and long-term value creation. Good governance ensures integrity, while our focus on people prioritizes safety, inclusion, and human rights. Our environmental efforts reduce emissions, drive circularity, and use resources responsibly. We will continue integration of credible sustainability performance into financial planning and decision?making for managing risks, meeting net?zero commitments and building long?term competitiveness for SKF. What are the top three &#39;must-win&#39; actions to accelerate our impact? There are the three areas where we must deliver with clarity and speed: ? Work even closer with customers. Help them become more circular, productive, efficient, and resilient through sustainable solutions. ? Maintain strong momentum towards 2030. Keep decarbonizing operations, expand renewables, and invest in energy?efficient technologies, prioritized through our investment?ready approach. ? Integrate sustainability deeper into daily operations and responsible business practices. Use smarter material, reduce waste, and build supplier transparency so we can realize net?zero supply chain by 2050. Together, these actions drive measurable progress, improve competitiveness, and support customers in reaching their sustainability goals. If you had one message for the entire team regarding our shared responsibility for 2026, what would it be? In 2026, we level up sustainability further. Finance and Sustainability work hand?in?hand - reducing operating costs, strengthening our supply chain, and managing long?term risk. &nbsp;We are well-positioned to reignite growth through sustainable, circular solutions, and I am super excited to be part of leading our way into the future!</span></p>