A Skr15bn (€1.6bn) Swedish state pension fund has cracked down on 30 companies that failed to meet its criteria for socially responsible investing, including one that forced female staff to take pregnancy tests.

The companies, which have all been removed from the A-P Fonden 7 investment universe, include one of Sweden's best known firms, Esselte, the office equipment manufacturer. One of Esselte's manufacturing franchises in Mexico was forcing women working there to carry out preganancy test.