Kesko.fi Responsibility

Marja-Liisa Manka: Getting ourselves into a good mood – by blundering, if nothing else

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:27:52 GMT

There is a constant flow of bad news through the media about crises, restructurings, stress and bullying. It can even make us believe that we cannot influence our destinies in any way, because Somebody Else is leading us like a navigator. This, in...

Mothers received 10,000 roses in Kesko's Mother's Day celebration

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:56:24 GMT

Kesko President and CEO Matti Halmesmäki spoke to mothers at the event.

"Finland was just selected as the best place out of 170 countries to be a mother. Everyday life for families with children in Finland is not always easy, as financial pressures often stress them in particular. Society should ensure good conditions for families, because they represent our future," Halmesmäki said.

The Mother's Day celebration was held at the Odotus sculpture in Kaivopuisto, Helsinki for the fourth time. The Odotus sculpture was completed for the Mother's Day in 2010 by sculptor and Professor of Art Pekka Jylhä.

A thousand people celebrated in Kaivopuisto.

The world changes, one purchase at a time

The Fair Trade presentation at the event was given by Executive Director Janne Sivonen. Fair Trade products, such as roses, improve the living conditions of farmers and labourers at large farms in developing countries as well as the health of the environment.

"Mothers play a central role in fighting against poverty in developing countries. The bracelets provide additional income for Kenyan women, who use them to buy things like school uniforms for their children," Janne Sivonen said.

"The world changes, one purchase at a time. Even though one purchase won't save the world, the small streams join to form a large river. When Finnish mothers are given Fair Trade roses, it provides concrete benefits in Kenya. The thanks go to the consumers who choose Fair Trade in everyday decisions," Sivonen said.

Executive Director Sivonen thanked Kesko for acting as an important pioneer in Fair Trade. Flower sales in K-food stores generated EUR 169,000 of Fair Trade premium to Kenya in 2012.

Kesko President and CEO Matti Halmesmäki handed out roses to mothers.

Songs of spring, roses for mothers

The YL Male Voice Choir quartet presented songs appropriate for the spring and the Finlandia hymn at the event. At the end of the event, the audience joined in with the choir to sing Suvivirsi, a summer hymn. The celebration culminated in giving 10,000 Pirkka Fair Trade roses to mothers and grandmothers. Roses were handed out by President and CEO Matti Halmesmäki, Senior Vice President Matti Mettälä, Fair Trade Finland's Executive Director Janne Sivonen and the -00 boys football team from the Laajasalo Palloseura football club.

In addition, another 10,000 Pirkka Fair Trade roses brought joy to new mothers at hospital maternity wards in Hyvinkää, Turku, Tampere, Lahti, Seinäjoki, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Oulu, Espoo and Helsinki.

Flowers were handed out by the -00 junior team of Laajasalon Palloseura football club.

The Laajasalon Palloseura football club 00-boys and their parents pictured here.

People enjoyed the beautiful spring weather

Susanna and Joni Kupiainen stopped at the event while walking in the park. The family was celebrating their first Mother's Day: Elina, 4 months old, was sleeping in the pram.

"We walked past and noticed that something was happening. I googled it right away and we decided to stick around and wait for the event to start. After all, we get to enjoy this beautiful and sunny spring day," Susanna and Joni said.

"We haven't formed any Mother's Day traditions yet, but maybe this will turn into one," the family said, smiling.

Family Kupiainen celebrated their first Mother's Day.

Marjatta and Aki Kaivola travelled to Helsinki from Hämeenlinna.

"As we were already in Helsinki, we decided to come listen to the singing," Marjatta and Aki said. This was the first time the Kaivola family had attended Mother's Day celebrations at the Odotus sculpture.

Marjatta and Aki Kaivola arrived in Helsinki from Hämeenlinna.

A total of 10,000 Pirkka Fair Trade roses were given to mothers in Kaivopuisto. Another 10,000 were handed out at maternity wards in Hyvinkää, Turku, Tampere, Lahti, Seinäjoki, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Oulu, Espoo and Helsinki.

Silja Felin, images by Heikki Tuuli

Kesko's work to combat climate change produces results

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:03:28 GMT

The 2012 Corporate Responsibility Report is Kesko's 13th report. This year, more than before, Kesko's report highlights employees and K-retailers who work for responsibility as well as key stakeholders' views in the addresses by a customer, a chamber of commerce, a pension insurance company and a non-governmental organisation. Tax reporting has been expanded: in addition to the income and real estate taxes, indirect taxes collected and remitted by Kesko are also reported.

As many as 70 percent of the energy savings target already achieved

Kesko signed the trading sector energy efficiency agreement in 2008 and made a commitment to improve its annual energy efficiency by 65 GWh through various saving actions by the end of 2016. Kesko's determined work is proceeding faster than expected: by the end of 2012, Kesko had already achieved around 70 percent of this objective.

Energy efficient construction

Pioneering solutions are used in new stores: the BREEAM environmental rating of the Veturi shopping centre in Kouvola is 'very good', the energy efficiency of K-rauta Skanssi in Turku clearly exceeds the required level and the Kodin1 department store for interior decoration and home goods in Raisio is the first passive commercial building in the Nordic countries.

Aim at zero landfill waste

The objectives of Kesko's responsibility programme include directing all the waste generated to recycling and energy recovery. Anttila's logistics centre in Kerava recovers nearly all waste, the recovery rate being around 99%. The K-stores which have adopted the new waste management model have increased their recovery rates to 90%.

Energy savings with refrigeration solutions

Energy-saving solutions in use include lids and doors of K-food stores' refrigeration equipment, recovery of condensation heat, cooling systems using the CO2 technology as well as adjustable and spot lights. Emissions from Keslog's transportation are lowered with economical driving, route planning and two-tier trailers.

Kesko is a significant tax payer

In 2012, the income taxes paid by Kesko to Finland were €70.5 million and to other countries €5.3 million. Kesko paid €3.8 million in real estate tax to Finland and €4.2 million to other operating countries in 2012. Kesko also collects, reports and remits indirect taxes. In 2012, Kesko remitted value added taxes to Finland to the amount of €319.8 million, and €42.0 million to other countries.

A common management model for wellbeing at work

In 2012, Kesko's wellbeing at work programme focused on the development of supervisory work and working communities. Approximately 500 managers and supervisors participated in the training events, the themes of which were performance and development reviews and the models for early intervention. In the personnel survey, the wellbeing at work index increased to 3.81 from 3.75 in the previous year (scale 1−5). In Finland, 51% of all supervisory positions were held by women.

One of our areas of emphasis in 2013 is to improve youth employment and the attractiveness of the K-Group as an employer. Kesko is participating in the Youth Guarantee initiative, which drives youth employment and prevents social exclusion.

Special attention to working conditions in factories in high-risk countries

In 2012, Kesko's Finnish companies' direct purchases from suppliers in risk areas accounted for 1.3% of Kesko's all purchases. At the end of 2012, Kesko's suppliers in high-risk countries had 209 factories or farms within scope of the BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) process. Kesko's aim is to do business only with suppliers that have passed a social responsibility audit.

Responsible selections expand

In the autumn of 2011, a target was set to double the selection of Pirkka organic products to around one hundred by the end of 2012. There were 99 Pirkka organic products in the selection at the year-end, and the new target is to offer 200 Pirkka organic products by 2015. The number of products that meet a responsibility criterion will increase: the target for 2015 is to have 500 Pirkka products that are Fairtrade, MSC certified or UTZ certified products or have environmental labelling.

Responsible actions made visible to customers

In 2012, special attention was paid on how to make responsible actions increasingly visible to customers in stores. During 2013, the K-Group's responsibility work will be visible in stores and marketing under with theme Let's do good. Together.

Kesko's Corporate Responsibility Report for 2012 has been published in Finnish and English in print and online version.

Fair Play scholarships for grade nine comprehensive school pupils

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:30:47 GMT

Kesko grants a €50 Kesko Fair Play scholarship for distribution to one grade nine pupil in every comprehensive school class in Finland. The scholarship is a reward to pupils who have promoted peace and tolerance at school and motivation in schoolwork and a positive atmosphere in their schools with their exemplary behaviour.

Participation in the scholarship distribution is voluntary for schools and classes. The Kesko Fair Play scholarship total can amount to €200,000 if all schools and classes distribute the scholarships.

There are around 60,500 grade nine comprehensive school pupils in Finland. Kesko’s Fair Play scholarships are intended to be distributed to one pupil in every grade nine comprehensive school class at the school year closing ceremony in the spring. The scholarship recipients are selected jointly by headmasters and class teachers.

Scholarships are part of Kesko’s responsibility work

- We want the scholarships to spur and encourage youths and teachers to draw young people’s attention to the power of our own example in building peace for schoolwork and a positive working atmosphere. The grade nine pupils’ end of school year ceremony is a turning point in the lives of many young people. I hope every youth has positive experiences of the joy of learning and going to school, says Kesko’s President and CEO Matti Halmesmäki.

- The Kesko Fair Play scholarships are part of Kesko’s long-term responsibility work and our objective is to support young people’s success and prevent their social exclusion. We also take part in the Youth Guarantee initiative launched this year. We hope the scholarships will also make parents pay attention to building peace in schoolwork, says President and CEO Halmesmäki.

The Kesko Fair Play scholarship is a €50 voucher accepted at, for example, Intersport, Budget Sport, Kookenkä, Anttila, Asko, Sotka, K-rauta, Rautia, K-citymarket and the other K-Group stores. Within the next few days, the headmaster of every comprehensive school in Finland will receive a letter with instructions for scholarship application.

Energy savings with property maintenance

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:10:03 GMT

"Kesko was one of the first big Finnish companies to outsource their property service activities at the beginning of the 2000s", says Jari Pihlajamaa, Kesko Food's Manager for Engineering.

Maintenance creates the desired conditions for properties as energy-efficiently as possible while also saving costs.

Annual energy savings of one million euro

The energy theme was highlighted as early as 2004. The theme year generated savings of around one million euro to Kesko.

"Some 3–4 years ago, YIT arranged 'an energy rally' in 259 properties. YIT carefully checked the technical functioning of the sites and had liquid analyses of heating and refrigeration networks carried out. The purpose was to eliminate operational problems of the systems. With the help of the rallies, significant savings were achieved in energy consumption," praises Pihlajamaa.

The process of committing the trading sector in energy efficiency started in 2010, with retailers participating.

"Training retailers in energy efficiency can be provided by YIT's respective managers. When visiting stores, managers advise retailers how to save energy in their operations."

Energy efficiency is important for Kesko both for ensuring profitability of business and saving the environment. Kesko is an energy intensive company which consumes about one percent of all the electricity used in Finland.

The K-Group has signed the trading sector energy efficiency agreement and made a commitment to save 65 GWh of electricity by the end of 2016. This amount corresponds to the annual energy consumption of around 3,250 one-family houses with electric heating.

The electricity purchased by Kesko for the K-Group has been carbon dioxide free since 2008.

Optimal conditions

The agreement model based on cost liability encourages both parties to save energy without negative impact on property conditions or usability, however.

"One of the basic ideas is that we want to buy conditions, not a long list of individual actions. And we do not want to talk about minimising costs. It is easy to cut costs, but nothing good comes out of it alone. We have to find an optimal cost level together," says Jari Pihlajamaa.

Optimising property maintenance and the cost level requires that the data received is detailed and up-to-date. A significant proportion of store sites are under property surveillance and their conditions and building service systems are under constant monitoring.

The total area of properties under YIT's responsibility is around one million square metres.

"It has been of major importance for us that we do not stubbornly stick to old practices if a new method produces a better outcome. A good atmosphere also produces ideas for changes. They can be small and simple, but for such a large quantity of properties like ours they may be duplicated – and so small things become big things," Pihlajamaa sums up.

K-food stores donated a record number of tetanus vaccines to UNICEF

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:56:40 GMT

K-food stores have participated in the annual international vaccine campaign of UNICEF and Pampers for five years. The K-food stores' campaign comprises Pampers, Ariel and Fairy products.

The campaign was implemented in November–December 2012 and the number of tetanus vaccines donated reached more than 1,260,000. K-food stores, Pampers, Ariel and Fairy have donated nearly 6,000,000 vaccines to UNICEF during 2008–2012.

The campaign was set up to collect funds for UNICEF, which uses them to immunise fertile and pregnant women in developing countries against tetanus.

The main message of the campaign was: ”When buying from a K-food store, you can double your donation. 1 Pampers, Ariel or Fairy product = 2 vaccines”.

Pirkka donated food to charity

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:47:57 GMT

- Kesko Food decided to donate the products, because we wanted to prevent wastage. Now the products could be used in time, and we also got the opportunity to support people with limited means, says Sales Director Ari Sääksmäki of Kesko Food.

The first lot was picked up on Monday, 11 March and the products were distributed in Hursti's bread queue on Wednesday, 13 March. The products included easy to use packets of microwave rice, soup ingredients in thai flavour and meal sauces.

Kesko's corporate governance practices the best in Finland for a third successive time

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:29:34 GMT

The international comparison listed companies which significantly exceed the minimum governance standards and report on their operating practices openly and transparently. Kesko was the winner in Finland also in 2011 and 2012.

World Finance awarded the best companies from a total of 49 countries. In addition to Kesko, the awarded companies included Continental AG (Germany), Royal Philips Electronics (the Netherlands), Samsung (South-Korea) and GlaxoSmithKline (Great Britain).

strong commitment to practices of good corporate governance

According to the Kesko Group's General Counsel, Vice President Anne Leppälä-Nilsson, Kesko's strong commitment to internationally high level practices of good corporate governance ― transparent decision-making structures for the benefit of all shareholders and open reporting ― provides a strong basis for sustainable business success.

- Shareholders, investors and other stakeholders value companies in which decision-making and operations are guided by the principles of good corporate governance.

- At Kesko, good corporate governance means responsible actions in decision-making and openness. We want to be pioneers in best corporate governance practices and to provide open and up-to-date information on Kesko's corporate governance principles and decisions for the market and our stakeholders, says Leppälä-Nilsson.

Kesko has received several recognitions for its responsibility work in Finland and internationally. Kesko has, for example, been included on 'the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list nine times in succession (www.global100.org). In 2012, Kesko was again included in the most important sustainability indexes, namely the Dow Jones indexes DJSI World and DJSI Europe, the FTSE4Good index and the Nordic Carbon Disclosure Leadership index.

Further information is available from Anne Leppälä-Nilsson, Vice President, General Counsel, tel. +358 1053 22347.

World Finance (www.worldfinance.com) is an international financial magazine owned by the UK company World News Media.

Kesko and K-stores turned off their lights for Earth Hour

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:08:35 GMT

Earth Hour is a worldwide climate event organised by the WWF in which individuals, corporations and various communities turn off their non-essential lights for one hour on the same day. With this symbolic gesture, everyone can express their concern about the state of the environment and the climate crisis to decision-makers.

The event that started in Australia seven years ago has grown year by year, reaching two billion people around the world last year.

Lights went off in more than a hundred K-stores

Kesko participated in the Earth Hour 2013 by turning off the illuminated signs and pylons in the remote controlled properties and stores for one hour across Finland. Properties switching off their lights included Kesko's main office building in Katajanokka, Helsinki, the central warehouses in Hakkila, Vantaa, and more than 100 stores around Finland.

Proper planning and well-chosen lighting solutions save energy in stores at other times, too. LED lights are used in the new illuminated signs of all K-Group stores. Adjustable and directional light fittings have generated great savings in electricity consumption in Anttila and Kodin1 department stores. Non-essential signs are turned off for night: illuminated signs of K-citymarkets and most K-rauta stores, for instance, are turned off for the darkest hours.

K-citymarket Koivukylä in Vantaa was one of the stores switching off lights on Saturday 23 March at 20:30.

Kesko aims to curb climate change

Kesko regularly monitors and measures the environmental impacts of its operations, and the results are announced annually in our Corporate Responsibility Report. We have also recorded our key objectives related to the mitigation of climate change in our responsibility programme.

Responsibiolity is important for Kesko and our long-term work for curbing climate change has also brought us international recognition: for two years in succession, Kesko has been selected as the best in its sector in the CDP's Nordic Carbon Disclosure Leadership index.

Kari Luoto: Consumers must be able to trust country-of-origin labels for food products

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:26:27 GMT

Country-of-origin labels for food products have been a major topic of discussion at the beginning of the year. It is important that consumers be able to trust product information. Finnish grocery stores work continuously to promote openness also i...

Kesko and K-stores active in Youth Guarantee initiative

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:48:42 GMT

"Kesko and K-retailers will participate in this important initiative with enthusiasm and an active attitude. The K-Group is one of the biggest employers in Finland, retail store jobs are very suitable for young people and a K-store is the first place of work for many of them. The initiative is also extremely suitable for our responsibility programme. We take an open-minded approach when looking for new means to pave the way of young people to employment," says President and CEO Matti Halmesmäki.

Kesko will implement the initiative in cooperation with the authorities and the K-Retailers' Association and other organisations. A tailored programme will be built for the K-Group to employ young people in K-stores and Kesko. Kesko's Board of Directors granted 100,000 euros for the start up of the programme.

The youth guarantee, which entered into force at the beginning of 2013, guarantees that each person under 25 years of age, and recent graduates under 30 years of age, will be offered work, a work trial, or a study, workshop or labour market rehabilitation place within three months of registering as an unemployed jobseeker. The youth guarantee also includes an educational guarantee, which guarantees a study place for each young person finishing basic education.

Kesko's responsibility programme updated

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:51:36 GMT

Updating the responsibility programme was begun in late 2011. In 2012, stakeholder expectations and wishes were extensively examined using management and retailer interviews, benchmark surveys and stakeholder workshops.

The updated responsibility programme, to be adopted by all Kesko divisions, sets objectives for, for example, the following:

– responsible purchasing and sales
– sustainable choices and services for customers
– welfare in the workplace
– mitigation of climate change
– sustainable use of natural resources
– stakeholder inclusion.

The main results of the responsibility programme are presented annually in Kesko's Corporate Responsibility Report.

Responsible actions visible for customers

- We want to make our high quality responsibility work and its results increasingly better known to customers and visible in stores. We now have a long-term, Group level responsibility programme, which sets objectives up to 2020.

- Starting from late spring, the K-responsibility concept can be seen in our stores and marketing; first in K-food stores and later on, as the plans are implemented, also in the building and home improvement stores and the home and speciality goods stores, says Senior Vice President Matti Mettälä, responsible for Human Resources and Stakeholder Relations.

Responsibility programme and its key objectives

The commitments included in the updated responsibility programme and its key objectives are presented in the following:

Kesko Food's stand on Finnwatch's report on private label products

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:59:59 GMT

We are very sorry about the defects described in Finnwatch's report and take them seriously. Corporate responsibility - responsible operations in relation to stakeholders - is an integral part of Kesko's values, operations, management and day-to-day work. Human rights and employees' rights are in a key position in product sourcing.

For several years, we have been making efforts to include our direct suppliers in risk countries in social responsibility audits. We will guide our suppliers and their partners in the adoption of BSCI audits. Through BSCI audits, we promote the improvement of suppliers' employees' working conditions and compliance with laws, international labour conventions and Kesko's ethical purchasing principles based on them.

We have started to plan measures with which we will also guide indirect purchases to be included in social responsibility audits. This objective cannot be achieved in a short time, but every improvement is a step towards socially sustainable development.

Kesko is the only Finnish company for the ninth time on the Global 100 list

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:02:14 GMT

For the ninth time, Kesko was included on 'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list, which was announced at the meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on 23 January. Kesko came in the 50^th place on the 2013 list.

Companies were assessed on 12 sustainable performance indicators in the areas of economic, social and environmental responsibility, including the consumption of energy and water, waste produced and carbon dioxide emissions in relation to net sales. Indicators affecting the assessment of social responsibility included the percentages of men and women on the Board of Directors and the Corporate Management Board, bases of remuneration, and employee turnover.

'The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World' list is prepared by Corporate Knights, which acts in cooperation with Legg Mason's Global Currents Investment Management and Phoenix Global Advisors LLC.

The 2013 list is available at http://www.global100.org/annual-lists/2013-global-100-list.html

Kesko into the bronze class in RobecoSAM's Sustainability Yearbook

Kesko was classified into the bronze class in the Food & Drug Retailers sector in the Sustainability Yearbook 2013.

RobecoSAM assesses sustainability performance of more than 2,000 companies annually and has been publishing the Sustainability Yearbook for 10 years. Only the companies which are, on the basis of RobecoSAM's assessment, classified among the best 15% in the world in their sectors are accepted to be included in the Sustainability Yearbook.

The Sustainability Yearbook 2013 can be downloaded at www.robecosam.com/yearbook.

Responsible purchases from high-risk countries

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:53:24 GMT

Kesko's operations include the food, building and home improvement, home and speciality goods, and car and machinery trades. Hundreds of Kesko buyers in different divisions make purchasing decisions every day. It is important that all buyers have common rules and sufficient information on responsible purchasing. Customers must be able to rely on the fact that the products available at stores are researched, safe and responsibly produced.

Special attention to working conditions in factories in high-risk countries

In its operations, Kesko pays special attention to the human rights issues and working conditions throughout its purchasing chain. When assessing suppliers in the so-called high-risk countries (many African and Asian countries, for example), international assessment systems - BSCI auditing and SA8000 certification - are used.

Assessments alone are not enough to improve working conditions, but they increase awareness and provide concrete examples and models on how to take up possible drawbacks and make changes.

Kesko's objective is to do business in high-risk countries with the suppliers who have passed the audit. Currently, Kesko's suppliers in those countries have around 240 factories in the BSCI process.

"When we at KCM-Anttila's Purchasing choose a new product to be included in our selections, we try to pick a supplier known to look after its employees' working conditions and the production process. As for social responsibility, the factory may, for example, use BSCI auditing as a tool to verify the matter," says Helena Frilander, Responsibility Manager for K-citymarket/Anttila.

In 2011, Kesko's purchases from Finnish suppliers totalled €5,406 million and from other countries €2,613 million. Direct purchases by Kesko's Finnish companies from suppliers in high-risk countries were €143 million, accounting for 1.8% of Kesko's total purchases.

Guidance in responsible purchasing

Kesko's purchasing principles guide Kesko's responsible purchasing. Kesko provides regular training in the practices of responsible purchasing for its buyers. Purchasing activities are also supported by different policy statements, such as Kesko Food's palm oil policy and Kesko's stand on the sandblasting of jeans, both drawn up in 2011.

The guide 'Principles and Practice of Socially Responsible Trading' has been prepared to assist Kesko's buyers and suppliers in purchasing from high-risk countries. It has been in use for several years, and the new, updated guide was published in September 2012.

The guide provides basic information on Kesko and its purchasing principles. It also describes the BSCI process step by step.

"The guide is published on Kesko's website, so it can be easily used anywhere across the world. You can also print it and take it with you. The aim is that the guide will provide all our suppliers in high-risk countries with the information they need on Kesko's purchasing principles. Common rules here make it easier for our buyers to do their job and also speed up the purchasing process," says Helena Frilander.

Read the updated guide here.

Join us in the Christmas Spirit Campaign

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:51:10 GMT

The funds raised in the collection, which has been organised since 1997, will be used in €70 vouchers delivered to low-income families, or families in difficult situations in life for buying food supplies from K-stores before Christmas.

The collection is organised by the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare and the Finnish Red Cross in cooperation with the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE and Kesko. The families in need are selected jointly by child health care clinics, social services offices or parishes. Last year's collection raised €1,171,678. This year, the target is set at €1,260,000, i.e. 18,000 vouchers.

This is how you can contribute

1. By donating money to the Christmas Spirit account with Nordea 159630-202020, IBAN FI17 1596 3000 2020 20
2. By phoning number +358 600 16555 (€9.94 + local network charge)
3. By texting HJM to number 16499. The donor is charged €10 for the message.
4. By donating your K-Plussa points to the collection via www.plussa.com website until 31 December 2013. (Register with the Oma K-Plussa service and choose the Christmas Spirit Collection as the charity).
Donate your K-Plussa points here.

Read more at:
Finnish Red Cross website
Christmas Spirit on Facebook (in Finnish)

Kesko and K-retailers support disabled people in finding employment

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:33:49 GMT

The project is aimed to help people with intellectual or developmental disabilities find employment and training jobs at the K-Group stores.

”Throughout their entire 100 year history, K-retailers have been significant bearers of responsibility in their local communities. Therefore, donating the funds raised in the anniversary year to provide employment at K-stores for people with disabilities was a natural choice for us, says Tomi Korpisaari, the Board Chair of the K-Retailers' Association.

The K-Retailers' Association celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2012 and jointly with Kesko, donates €50,000 to the project.

Aiming at a clear operating model

In Finland, there are 23,000 disabled people in working age. No more than around 300 of them have the possibility of paid employment. The majority of disabled people complete basic education after which nearly all participate in rehabilitative instruction and guidance. Many of them also have some vocational training and a qualification.

The anniversary year project of the K-Retailers' Association provides possibilities to improve and develop encounters between employers' and employees. Employers, in other words, K-retailers get motivated and committed employees, whereas employees get opportunities to use their competencies and also to gain new ones.

Another objective is to establish clear operating models for facilitating employment and recruitment in the future in cooperation with municipal employment instructors.

The project also takes account of support for the working community in operating with a new employee, and the availability of help and support in working life issues also after the project.

Jussi Laitinen: Growth may never return

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:29:02 GMT

What will happen when cheap fossil fuels run out? We will soon find out. The growth of the world's oil production came to a halt in 2005, and the production of hard coal and natural gas are declining. Nobody knows where we will get enough energy w...

K-food stores support vaccine campaign

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:42:15 GMT

Double your donation

When you buy a Pampers, Ariel or Fairy product from a K-food store you donate two tetanus vaccines to mothers and newborn babies in developing countries.

For every Pampers pack bought and marked with the UNICEF logo, both Pampers and K-food stores donate €0.054 to UNICEF.

Five facts about the vaccine campaign

1. For the fifth time, K-food stores join the international vaccine campaign run by UNICEF and Pampers, which protects mothers and their children living in developing countries against tetanus.

2. The vaccine campaign of UNICEF and Pampers and their partners is aimed to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus.

3. Still today, over 100 million mothers and their newborns are vulnerable to tetanus. Tetanus is a fatal, contagious disease, which can annually kill thousands of women and newborn babies in developing countries. The disease can be completely prevented through vaccination before or during pregnancy.

4. The funding helps UNICEF to procure life-saving tetanus vaccines for babies and mothers. In 2011, K-food stores donated a sum covering over 600,000 tetanus vaccines to UNICEF.

5. Since 1999, more than 113 million women have been immunised against tetanus under UNICEF's vaccine programme. Maternal and neonatal tetanus has been eliminated from 26 countries, but the disease is still a threat in 33 countries included in the programme.

Information on partners is available at UNICEF.

Kimmo Kaila: Energy from the sun

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:26:46 GMT

The sun is the origin of the world's energy sources. In one day, the sun transmits more energy to the earth's surface than people all over the globe use in a whole year. The only problem for us people is to find the most efficient way to use this ...