What is GROW?
GROW is a Danish NGO working towards a more inclusive and accessible labour market. Through talks, presentations and debates, we inspire private and public organisations to take social responsibility through inclusive hiring – and we make the impact measurable using The Social Sustainability Calculator.
Denmark is facing a labour shortage while many people remain outside the workforce. Social employment creates value for individuals, businesses and society through increased wellbeing, tax revenues and savings in public expenditure.
We believe everyone has something to contribute – even if they cannot work a full work week. Flexible arrangements such as flex jobs enable more people to enter the labour market while helping companies free up time for highly skilled employees.
Our vision is a labour market where everyone can contribute and develop both professionally and personally. People are strengthened through education and workplace communities – including apprentices, students and people on the edge of the labour market.
GROW was founded in 2021 by Torben Larsen, CEO and co-owner of Give Steel A/S, who has received several CSR awards as well as the Confederation of Danish Industry’s Social Responsibility Award for his contributions to society.
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How the Social Sustainability Calculator works
GROW developed the Social Sustainability Calculator to help organisations calculate and document their social bottom line — a key component of the “S” in ESG. The tool makes it possible to clearly demonstrate the societal value created through social employment, and you don’t need any legal or rate knowledge to use the calculator.
With the calculator, you can:
- Quantify the effect of CSR employment, such as apprentices, students, interns or people on the edge of the labour market.
- Calculate tangible public-sector savings such as increased tax revenue, reduced public benefit payments and lower costs related to social challenges.
- Use the results directly in ESG reporting, management reports or as documentation for customers, financial institutions and business partners.
The calculator supports organisation-specific social reporting under the CSRD framework (S3 – affected society) and helps ensure alignment between policy, action and documentation.
It has been validated by Deloitte auditing and consulting company.
The calculator is based on four core elements:
- The organisation’s own data on CSR-related hiring
- Public tax revenue
- Saved public benefits
- Reduced expenses related to selected social challenges
No company data is stored or shared. Information is used solely for anonymised reporting of the number of companies, CSR employments and total social value created.
CSR Diploma and GROW’s Social Percentage
Organisations using The Social Sustainability Calculator receive a CSR diploma from GROW as visible proof of their social responsibility and contribution to a more inclusive labour market.
The diploma displays GROW’s social percentage, showing the share of employees hired under special conditions (CSR employment) relative to the company’s total workforce. The percentage is visualised as a speedometer, making the result easy to understand.
The diploma is accompanied by a data sheet containing the organisation’s inputs and the key figures behind both the social bottom line and the social percentage. These documents can be used for documentation, stakeholder dialogue or auditor validation and provides a reliable basis for ESG reporting and communication with customers, partners and investors.
The purpose of the diploma and social percentage is to motivate companies to hire more people on the edge of the labour market and demonstrate that social sustainability both creates economic value and strengthens social cohesion.
Social Sustainability adds value
CSR employment makes a real difference – for employees, companies and society. By employing apprentices, students or people on the edge of the labour market, companies can:
- Create development opportunities through meaningful work and education.
- Make a difference in people’s lives by offering CSR employment and professional and personal development.
- Strengthen Danish business and welfare alike.
- Document the economic and social value of their efforts in ESG reports.
- Highlight CSR initiatives to customers, partners and financial institutions requesting ESG data.
- Motivate greater social responsibility so more companies employ people on the edge of the labour market.
The documented economic impact is significant, with an average societal gain of approximately DKK 160,000 for every person brought into employment. At GROW, we help companies make social responsibility measurable, visible and credible. This makes it easier to see the impact of CSR employment – and inspire even more social initiatives.
Become a GROW ambassador
Companies, educational institutions and private individuals can become GROW ambassadors – free of charge. The ambassador role involves inspiring others to take social responsibility by sharing experiences and positive results.
By using or recommending The Social Sustainability Calculator, you help highlight the social bottom line and contribute to reducing the number of people without education or employment in Denmark. Calculations from ambassadors are included anonymously in GROW’s collective counter, which shows the total social value ambassadors create.
Partner with GROW
GROW collaborates with public and private organisations, semi-public institutions, knowledge centres and individuals to promote social responsibility, share insights and encourage the use of the Social Sustainability Calculator.
If you are interested in becoming a partner, please contact us via the website form and join us in strengthening social sustainability in Denmark.
Book a talk
GROW offers talks on social sustainability and the use of The Social Sustainability Calculator. These presentations provide insight into the value of social employment through practical and inspiring real-life examples.
All talks are tailored to the audience and purpose and can be delivered online or in person for audiences of at least 20 participants. GROW can also be booked as keynote speakers, for panel debates, podcasts, masterclasses and ESG programmes
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How can we help you?
Our advisors are ready to assist you — with no obligation.
Call us at +45 76 40 65 33 or complete the contact form below, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
