Malmö FF has become the first football club in Europe to be verified according to ISO 26000, the international standard for social responsibility. The verification was carried out by VERIFY Agency, the Sweden-based organization specializing in independent assessments of sustainability work. For Malmö FF, the process was a way to ensure credibility, transparency, and accountability across their operations. But what does such a verification entail – and why are more organizations turning to third-party verificationto strengthen their sustainability work?
️ Watch the video to hear from Malmö FF’s Head of Sustainability, Magdalena Nour, about why the club chose to become verified – and how they work with sustainability in practice.
Third-Party Verification in Practice: Malmö FF and the VERIFY Agency Process
VERIFY Agency was established in 2021 to meet a growing demand for transparent, high-quality sustainability communication. It’s the first organization in the world accredited to verify sustainability claims under ISO 17029 – the international standard that governs how verifications must be conducted. Using ISO 26000 as a framework, VERIFY Agency offers third-party assessments of how well organizations integrate social responsibility into their operations. The company is accredited by SWEDAC, that belongs to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. For businesses, this ensures that each verification is independent, standards-based, and carried out under strict quality assurance.
For Malmö FF, the decision to get verified was both strategic and cultural.
“We’ve been working with social programs and engagement for almost 115 years, since 1910 when we were founded,” says Magdalena Nour, Head of Sustainability at Malmö FF.
“But for the last five years, at least, we’ve been working more focused also on environmental sustainability and to mitigate climate risks. And to do so, we need a governance structure and standards to help us support the work, to show transparency in all the work and to map the gaps..”
“It’s very valuable for us to be able to show, verified by a third partner, what we’re doing good and what we can do even better.”
Inside the ISO 26000 Verification: What the Process Actually Looks Like
ISO 26000 verification involves a comprehensive review of how an organization embeds social responsibility into its operations and governance. At VERIFY Agency, the process is based on a combination of document analysis, stakeholder interviews, and on-site evaluation of internal routines and structures.
“We conducted in-depth interviews with key personnel, analyzed their governance structures, and scrutinized their adherence to established best practices within their industry and in line with ISO 26000,” says Eva Vati, Founder and CEO of VERIFY Agency. “Our aim is always to provide an objective and independent assessment, culminating in a detailed report and, upon successful completion, the official verification.”
In the case of Malmö FF, this meant reviewing internal policies, risk assessments, and sustainability objectives – as well as engaging in structured dialogue with staff and leadership across departments.
Making Responsibility Visible – On and Off the Pitch
At Malmö FF, social responsibility is embedded in the club’s identity. As a membership-owned organization with 14,000 members, the club is governed by a board elected by its supporters. “That accountability made external verification a logical next step” says Head of Sustainability Magdalena Nour.
That philosophy extends to Malmö FF’s core values.
“One of our basic values in Malmö FF is that we should follow rules on and off the pitch,” says Nour. “The result on the pitch is visible and obvious to everyone, but the results off the pitch need to be verified for transparency, accountability and to be very clear to all our members, our partners and other stakeholders.”
This commitment is also reflected in the club’s work with inclusion and gender equality.
“From this season our women’s team is playing in the Premier League and that means that our focus on gender equality and inclusion is bigger than ever,” says Nour. “We have female top managers, we have female managers and of course a lot of colleagues and about 30% of our members, that is our owners, are women.”
Sustainability is not only a matter of policy, but of everyday decisions. One such initiative involved the club’s pitch supplier: instead of continuing to import turf from abroad, Malmö FF initiated a partnership between the Italian supplier and a local partner in Skåne, reducing emissions from transportation while supporting regional innovation and production.
Independent Verification: A Tool for Trust and Improvement
For VERIFY Agency, Malmö FF’s verification highlights the growing role of independent assessment in helping organizations build trust, evaluate their systems, and increase client’s impact on sustainability.
“Malmö FF’s decision to undergo verification is highly significant,” says Eva Vati, Founder and CEO of VERIFY Agency. “It demonstrates their strong commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical operation – all solidified by their adoption of ISO 26000 principles.”
For the organization itself, the process also became a way to clarify next steps and involve more people internally.
“It’s a great learning process where you involve the whole organization and it will be quite obvious where the gaps are,” says Nour. “And when you know where the gaps are, you can make conscious decisions on how to continue your work and improve the overall sustainability work in your organization.”
About Malmö FF
Malmö FF is one of Sweden’s most established football clubs, with over 14,000 members and a long history of community engagement. As a membership-owned organization, the club works actively with social and environmental responsibility as part of its wider operations. Learn more about their sustainability work: mff.se/affarsmassig-hallbarhet-och-verksamhetsstyrning
About Verify Agency
VERIFY Agency is the first company in the world accredited to verify sustainability statements under ISO 17029. Founded in 2021 and accredited by SWEDAC, the agency conducts independent verifications using ISO 26000 as its framework. VERIFY Agency’s vision is to ensure transparency in organizations worldwide. More information: verifyagency.com
