Framing Sustainability A case study of Sveaskog´s Annual Reports of 2010 and 2020

Abstract

This study aims to shed light on how the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 changed the way sustainability is framed within the Swedish state-owned forestry company Sveaskog. In this study, we analyze two annual reports by Sveaskog from 2010 and 2020 to understand how the SDGs have changed Sveaskog’s framing of sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line theory is used as a framework for the study, which emphasizes economic, environmental and social values of sustainability. We use a framing analysis through a qualitative document analysis perspective to compare the reports. Thereafter, our results are presented in tables to visualize differences in how Sveaskog frames sustainability. Our results indicate how Sveaskog’s framing of sustainability has changed over ten years and the SDGs are a contributing factor to the new framings from 2020, which emphasizes the importance of economic profits and environmental conservation at the same time. In 2010, economic sustainability was more visible in the report. Sveaskog claimed that their business model contributed to an economic and environmental sustainability, while their business model remained similar over the ten years. The study contributes to the research of sustainability framing’s significance. It also contributes to creating an understanding of how a large, state-owned company adopts the SDGs into their internal policies.