First operational commitments to sustainable development published

Ministry of the Environment
Publication date 3.4.2014 8.23 | Published in English on 14.9.2020 at 14.58
Type:News item

The first operational commitments to sustainable development were published on the 12th of March in Helsinki. Companies and organisations committed themselves to reducing waste and energy consumption, hiring and training young people, and reducing their ecological footprints, among other things.

The following companies and organisations have now made their commitments: Outotec, Energiateollisuus ry, S Group, Kanniston Leipomo, Ahlstrom, the Regional Council of Northern Karelia, the City of Oulu, Kanttia 2 Ltd Architecture Bureau, Sitra, the Educational Municipal Federation of Savo, the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Tekes, Vapo, the Martha Organisation, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Solved – The Cleantech Company, Kepa, Äänekoski Federation of Municipalities for Vocational Education, and the Ministry of the Environment. At the same time, all the day care centres, schools and educational institutions in Finland were challenged to take part and make their own commitments.

By establishing their operational commitments, the different operators will do their part to implement society’s commitment to sustainable development, “The Finland we want by 2050”, which the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development approved in December. The commitments will be recorded on a web-based database, where their progress will also be monitored with the help of indicators.

“This is an internationally unique way of carrying out and implementing sustainable development. The cooperatively developed framework assures both business life and regular citizens that others are also working towards the same goals. Anyone can take action in order to start promoting our shared goals and bridging the current sustainability gap, which concerns not only our economy, but the carrying capacity of nature and social sustainability as well,” said the Chairperson of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, Minister of Finance Jutta Urpilainen, at the launch event.

Companies, municipalities, organisations, schools, the authorities and the science community were encouraged at the launch event to take part in promoting the shared objectives: equal prospects for well-being, a participatory society for citizens, sustainable work, sustainable local communities, a carbon-neutral society, an economy that is resource-wise, lifestyles that respect the carrying capacity of nature, and decision-making that respects nature.

“The commitments are both visionary and concrete. When those making the commitments focus on practical issues, they send a message to their interest groups and customers about their responsibility and ambitions, and they show that they are doing their part in building the Finland we want to see become reality by 2050. In this way, sustainable development is built from both the ground up and from the top down,” summarised the Vice-Chairperson of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, Minister of the Environment Ville Niinistö.

More information

Mr Sauli Rouhinen, Secretary General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 (0) 295 250 253, [email protected]

Ms Marja Innanen, Deputy Secretary General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 (0) 295 250 101, [email protected]