Embracing biodiversity: A call to action within Husqvarna Group

Today, on the United Nations International Day for Biodiversity, we come together to emphasize the critical role of biodiversity. While numerous biodiversity initiatives are underway across Husqvarna Group, this effort is not a single act - we are all part of the plan to halting and reversing nature loss.

Biodiversity is not only essential for a thriving ecosystem but is also directly impacting our well-being. From clean water and climate stability to food security, biodiversity underpins our quality of life. It serves as the backbone of the global economy, underscoring our reliance on nature, and the vital services it provides.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by COP15 in December 2022, is a historic agreement where 196 nations commit to halting and reversing nature loss by 2030. This year's International Biodiversity Day theme, "Be part of the plan," calls on all stakeholders to support the framework's implementation.

Our commitment to sustainable leadership

As a global player with influence over green spaces like gardens, parks, and forests, we recognize our significant impact on biodiversity. Daily decisions throughout our value chain can shape the outcomes on nature and wildlife.

Our products have an impact when they are incorporated into our customers' environments. By offering not just products, but also services, insights, and actionable data, we empower our customers to enhance biodiversity in their environments. That's why we're dedicated to deepening our understanding of the topic, and several initiatives are already ongoing across our Group. We see both large-scale strategic projects, that you can read about below, and smaller local initiatives, such as tree-planting in Sao Carlos, Brazil, a biodiversity day with the local community, schools and employees in Aycliffe, England, establishing insect hotels in Jonsered, Sweden, and conducting guided biodiversity garden tours in Ulm, Germany.

"As a large organization and industry leader, we have a responsibility to protect biodiversity globally. Our joint initiatives underscore our commitment as a team and will undoubtedly shape the future of our business," says Åsa Larsson, Group Sustainability.

Biodiversity in action at Husqvarna Group:

Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index, HUGSI

The HUGSI journey began in 2019 with a clear vision: to foster greener, healthier, and more sustainable urban environments. This AI-powered satellite solution is designed to analyze urban green spaces and monitor their evolution over time and equip cities with nature metrics and indicators for evaluating green spaces' effectiveness. By quantifying the benefits of green spaces, we prevent their undervaluation. In 2023, HUGSI launched a new biodiversity alert feature that will allow cities to pinpoint areas to protect and further develop to boost urban biodiversity.

Husqvarna International Biodiversity Advisory Board

The Husqvarna International Biodiversity Advisory Board was formed in 2023 and consists of a team of senior academic representatives providing expert advice to our Group on biodiversity-related topics, with a focus on urban and suburban areas. The team keeps us up to date about relevant national and international developments, helps us validate the biodiversity impacts of our ideas and solutions, and provides expert opinions to various teams within our organization. They also foster collaboration and partnerships with other stakeholders.

The safety of our small animals

The safety of hedgehogs and other small animals are important to us. We have set a goal for ourselves to make sure that our robotic mowers can be operated without accidents, emissions and noise. To ensure that we meet this requirement, we work closely with scientists in the development of our products. A study from the University of Oxford on the danger of robotic lawn mowers to hedgehogs highlights the vast differences in safety levels between robotic mowers. Our robotics lawnmowers performed well in the test, and we welcome such scientific research on the topic as it makes an important contribution to the further development and sustainability of products.

Rewilding Mode

In 2023, we released a new feature to our Husqvarna robotic lawnmowers - rewilding mode. This innovative feature uses GPS wizardry to set aside 10% of your lawn for biodiversity. That means leaving a part of the lawn unmown, so the pollinators, like the bees, butterflies, and beetles have a place to work and live. That may not sound like much, but if 10% of every European lawn were left to grow, that area would be four times the size of Europe's largest nature reserve.

By embracing these initiatives, we strengthen our commitment to biodiversity and sustainable leadership.

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