On-Going Operational Development
Environmental reputation is increasingly important
as a competitive factor
A good environmental reputation is a facet of Aspo's intellectual capital, and one that is conferring an increasingly important competitive edge. Ongoing operational improvement is a core principle of Aspo’s environmental policy. Aspo wants to address critical environmental issues beyond the minimum requirements of laws and regulations. We conduct environmental impact evaluations and product life cycle and risk analyses to predict and prevent any harmful impact on the environment.
The Group’s environmental policy serves as a foundation on which each business develops its own practices. Each Group company handles its own environmental issues, with the managing director usually holding primary responsibility.
Aspo aims to use technologies that have minimum environmental impact and to avoid hazardous consequences. Our employees are trained and encouraged to work in an environmentally responsible way. We promote environmental issues by, for example, encouraging our personnel to use public transport and switching to more fuel-economic company cars. Aspo also takes part in a variety of social responsibility projects. All these projects have at least one thing in common – they concern Aspo’s operations in the Baltic Sea region. For instance, Aspo has cooperated with the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association and the John Nurminen Foundation’s Clean Baltic Sea project.
Aspo is prepared for – and is constantly seeking ways to be even better prepared for – changes in environmental issues. We have drawn up detailed action and communication plans for exceptional situations. Aspo also seeks to participate in both national and international environmental projects.
Tangible actions throughout the Group
The Aspo Group’s headquarters in Helsinki are located in the Lintulahdenvuori office building, which has been granted a platinum LEED environmental certificate. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a global environmental certification for the design, construction, use, and maintenance of buildings.
It is estimated that eco-efficient buildings consume 30–50 percent less energy than ordinary buildings. Their carbon dioxide emissions are lower. Furthermore, eco-efficient construction and use reduce waste volumes. Eco-efficiency also leads to lower building operating costs.
The plot of Aspo’s office building was once polluted. The remediation and use of this plot fixed a gap in the urban fabric, improving its cohesion. This is an excellent location for an office building, as it has good access to public transport. Metro, streetcar, and bus stops are close by.
The offices rely on district cooling and the water fixtures have been designed to minimize water consumption. The building gets plenty of sunlight and thus requires less artificial illumination than an ordinary office building, saving on energy.
ESL Shipping’s operations and all its vessels are certified in accordance with the International Maritime Organization’s International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM). ESL Shipping also has ISO 14001 environmental certification. Well-equipped ships also enhance safety: all of our ships are ice-strengthened. What’s more, ESL Shipping’s experienced personnel are very familiar with the ports, channels, and conditions of the Baltic Sea.
ESL Shipping’s m/s Pasila is the first Finnish cargo ship to have a ballast water cleaning system installed. The system prevents foreign flora and fauna from moving from one water area to another, and thus protects the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. These systems will also be installed in our other ships and the new large ships we ordered in 2010.
Ships are the most ecological alternative for transporting large cargos. The carbon dioxide emissions of a large cargo ship, in relation to the size of the cargo and the length of the voyage, are 30 percent less than those of heavy articulated vehicles and under three percent of aircraft emissions.
Leipurin pays particular attention to the quality and safety of food ingredients and the environmental impact of its operations. All raw material suppliers are ISO 9001: 2000 certified. Certification has also committed the company to continually improving its operations. We take environmental issues into account when choosing our suppliers, too.
Telko’s good environmental reputation is a key factor in its success. Strict quality standards ensure that we can effectively protect both the company’s reputation and the brands of our principals and customers.
Telko adheres to industry regulations and recommendations in all of its operations, whether it’s a question of the environment, products, or personnel. Telko is ISO 9001 certified. The company has also committed itself to the chemical industry-oriented version of the Responsible Care – Vastuu huomisesta program. This program is committed to continual, voluntary improvements to environmental and health- and safety-related issues. Commitment has been verified by an external ESAD II assessment. Telko is also the first security- and quality-assessed chemical industry company in Russia. In addition, Telko has signed the Ethical and Business Principles of the European Association of Chemical Distributors FECC.
Kaukomarkkinat provides equipment and services that improve energy efficiency. Its products can use renewable energy such as biofuels and inexhaustible energy such as solar energy. Environmental issues play a highly important role for the company’s principals: their commitment to sustainable development is evident in all their operations, all the way from product design and manufacture to recycling.