CDP’s international questionnaire rates Finnish companies’ climate efforts world class – Kesko rises to prestigious A List
“The next decade will be crucial in finding the best ways to curb climate change globally. Meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement requires new solutions for reducing emissions, and involving more companies, cities and countries in the efforts,” says Mikko Helander, Kesko’s President and CEO.
Helander believes that corporate responsibility and sustainability will only grow in importance going forward.
“Kesko and K Group have made sustainability and combatting climate change a strategic focus area. We aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2025 and to cut emissions from our own operations and transports down to zero by 2030.”
One key action on the road to zero emissions is to increase the share of electricity and heat produced with renewable energy. All electricity purchased by Kesko for K-stores and other Kesko properties in Finland has been produced with renewable energy since 2017. Our objective is to increase the share of renewable electricity and heat also in other operating countries and in energy purchases made by the retailers.
Kesko rises to A List in CDP’s climate change questionnaire
Determined efforts to combat climate change saw Kesko rise to the prestigious A List in CDP’s 2020 international climate change questionnaire. Globally, 270 companies made the top A List. Besides Kesko, Finnish companies on the A List included, among others, Kone, Metsä Board and UPM-Kymmene. In total, more than 9,600 companies responded to CDP’s 2020 questionnaire.
CDP is an independent non-profit organisation that annually collects detailed data from companies, on behalf of investors in particular, on their efforts to combat and adapt to climate change and on greenhouse gases. CDP scores are an important tool for both Finnish and international investors who emphasise sustainability.
The A List companies are seen to provide comprehensive disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets.
Challenging our suppliers to reduce emissions
K Group is encouraging its suppliers, the whole supply chain, and customers to also take action to reduce emissions.
Our objective is to have reduction targets set for two-thirds of Kesko’s direct supplier emissions by 2025.
“We have joined the CDP supply chain programme to challenge our suppliers to reduce and report their emissions. This allows us to promote emissions reductions throughout the production chain,” says Matti Kalervo, Kesko’s Vice President of Corporate Responsibility.
K Group is also encouraging its customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their purchases. The data-based K-Ostokset service allows customers to track their grocery store purchases and see how much Finnish products they are buying and what the carbon footprint and nutritional values of their purchases are.
Further information:
Matti Kalervo, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, K Group, tel. +358 50 3064081, matti.kalervo@kesko.fi
K Group media desk (Mon-Fri 9-16), tel. +358 105 350 200, viestinta@kesko.fi
Kesko and K-retailers together form K Group, whose sales total €13 billion. K Group is the third largest retail operator in Northern Europe and it employs approximately 43,000 people. Kesko operates in the grocery trade, the building and technical trade, and the car trade. Its divisions and chains act in close cooperation with retailer entrepreneurs and other partners. Kesko's net sales total €10 billion and it employs approximately 25,000 people. Kesko has more than 1,800 stores engaged in chain operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Poland. Kesko’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. The company's domicile and main premises are in Helsinki. Kesko is the world's most sustainable grocery trade sector company (The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World). www.kesko.fi
