The Challenge

Garda Group, a leading supplier of 360° security solutions in Northern Europe, is not just focused on safety — they’re passionate about driving sustainable growth within their industry and beyond.

With over 1,850 employees spread across Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Germany, Garda Group has grown rapidly through acquisitions, which has brought both opportunities and challenges.

With different companies, ERPs, and processes coming together, Garda Group faced a challenging task: consolidating and harmonizing spend data scattered across various sources.

They needed this data to:  

• Establish a starting baseline for their emissions and to assess social risks in their supply chain
• Set meaningful sustainability targets
• Meet the requirements of the Transparency Act, as well as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) by 2025
• Continuously improve the accuracy of their emissions reporting by adding more activity data to their baseline

According to Marthe, the Sustainability Advisor at Garda Group, “The biggest challenges to complying with CSRD are data collection and quality. Especially when it comes to Scope 3 emissions. Engaging with our suppliers at an early stage is very important for us to succeed with this.”

When it was time to choose a platform to handle these challenges, Garda Group found what they needed in Ignite. A major draw for them was the ability to collect and consolidate data.
‍

‍

The Solution

To navigate the challenges of data consolidation and compliance, Garda Group turned to Ignite.

With operations across multiple countries and systems, they needed a platform that could bring all their data into one place. This was crucial to get better control over their suppliers and spend, so they could establish a clear baseline for their emissions and social risks. This is something they needed not just for compliance with CSRD and the Transparency Act, but also to set realistic and impactful sustainability goals.

Ignite delivered what Garda Group was looking for. By consolidating their data, Ignite provided a holistic view of their suppliers and spend. This allowed them to look beyond costs, with insights into environmental and social impacts. This perspective has been valuable, especially in supplier negotiations, where they can now make informed decisions that consider emissions and social risks, alongside costs.
‍

One of the biggest benefits of using Ignite has been the ability to calculate Scope 3 emissions based on their spend data. This provided Garda Group a reliable starting point, giving them a clear understanding of their current state. With a baseline in place, they’ve been able to add more activity data to increase the accuracy of their Scope 3 emissions, allowing them to push their sustainability initiatives forward.

"Ignite gives us an efficient understanding of our Scope 3 emissions based on spend," said Marthe.

"This is a great start, and we're confident the data is complete." 

The Impact

Ignite has had a significant impact on Garda Group’s sustainability journey. One of the most notable impacts has been the heightened awareness and knowledge around their carbon emissions and social risks.

By consolidating and collecting the necessary data, Garda Group has established a solid baseline — an essential first step in setting realistic targets and developing effective strategies to reach them.
‍

Ignite has also positioned Garda Group to stay ahead of both current and future sustainability legislation. While their reporting journey is ongoing, having a platform like Ignite in place gives Garda Group an edge as they plan for the future.

"Ignite has been essential in helping us with our commitment to setting science-based targets through SBTi. Ignite gave us a clear understanding of what our emissions are today and where we can make the biggest impact. With this knowledge, we’re able to set targets and develop decarbonization plans to achieve them.”