K2A winner of this year’s Symbiosis – an award for responsible business
The real estate company K2A Knaust & Andersson Fastigheter AB is one of the winners of Symbiosis – an award for Swedish companies that successfully combine responsible and profitable growth. In its motivation, the jury highlighted in particular K2A’s responsible profile in an ever-current industry.
“We are very proud to receive this award and hope it will mean more people recognise the link between sustainability, a long-term approach and profitability – even in the real estate sector. For us, it is a matter of course that residential real estate companies of the future must be able to build new homes to address the housing shortage without exacerbating the climate crisis,” says Johan Knaust, CEO of K2A.
The annual Symbiosis award is given to three Swedish companies that combine profitability with consideration for people and the planet and thereby demonstrate that business benefit and responsibility can effectively coexist. One of the winners of this year’s prize, which is being awarded for the second time, is K2A – the green real estate company – which constructs and manages Nordic Swan Ecolabelled rental apartments in timber.
“It is very gratifying to congratulate K2A as one of this year’s winners. Given the size of the real estate industry and its importance and impact on society, there is a great need for positive examples of how to create profitable growth without comprising consideration for the wider world. K2A is noteworthy as a company to keep track of in the future,” says Jakob Birgersson, the chairman of the jury and Managing Partner of the management consultant company Cupole.
The selection process for Symbiosis rests on comprehensive analysis that initially includes more than one million Swedish companies. The range of companies is narrowed down using the responsibility factors of People, Planet and Profit, and the successful companies are chosen by a highly reputed jury comprising Sara Resvik, CEO of Backing Minds, Kia Orback Pettersson, with assignments that include Chairman of the Board of ÅWL Arkitekter, Mattias Holmström, Partner at Altor, Carina Lundberg Markow, with a background in responsible investments at Folksam, Paul Stormoen, CEO of last year’s winner OX2, and the chairman of the jury, Jakob Birgersson.
The jury’s motivation of its choice of K2A reads “Like a window into the future, K2A shows how a responsible profile can build both housing and growth in an ever-current industry”.
The other winners of this year’s award were the tech company Centiro and the food group Midsona. The Symbiosis award is presented by the Swedish management consultant company Cupole, which wants to highlight the importance of responsible business and the annual award celebrates companies that have proven themselves in this respect.
Johan Knaust, CEO, +46 707 40 04 50, johan.knaust@k2a.se
Pontus Ekerljung, Public Relations Manager, +46 730 24 36 00, pontus.ekerljung@k2a.se
Helena Wickström, Project Manager for Cupole Symbiosis, helena.wickstrom@cupole.se
K2A Knaust & Andersson Fastigheter AB (publ) – the green real estate company – focuses on the long-term management of self-produced rental apartments and social service properties. The company's main markets are Stockholm, Mälardalen and several university/college cities across Sweden. Visit www.k2a.se for more information. K2A’s Series B share (K2A B) and preference share (K2A PREF) are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
