Finland world class in corporate responsibility – Kesko ranked as the most sustainable grocery trade company in the world for the sixth time
Finland world class in corporate responsibility – Kesko ranked as the most sustainable grocery trade company in the world for the sixth time
21.01.2020
Kesko and five other Finnish companies have been included on the Global 100 list of the most sustainable companies in the world, announced today at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Operational transparency is extremely important when we want to develop sustainable operations and reduce emissions on a global scale. The fact that we have been on the Global 100 list for 16 years shows that we engage in target-oriented long-term sustainability efforts to promote transparency in sourcing and to mitigate climate change. It is important that trading sector companies openly disclose the origin of the products they purchase and how sustainable the production of those products is,” says Mikko Helander, Kesko’s President and CEO.
Overall, Finnish and European companies fared well in corporate sustainability, with 49 of the 100 list companies being European. In addition to Kesko, Finnish companies on this year’s Global 100 list include Neste Corporation, Outotec Oyj, UPM-Kymmene Corporation, Kone Corporation and Metso Corporation.
Companies on the Global 100 list are assessed on indicators related to environmental and social responsibility and good corporate governance.
Climate actions in our stores: 100% renewable energy and a carbon footprint calculator for our customers
K Group has long focused its responsibility efforts on actions to mitigate climate change.
“K Group is reducing its emissions through the use of renewable energy, energy-efficiency at its stores, and efficient logistics. All electricity purchased by Kesko for K-stores and other Kesko properties in Finland is produced with renewable energy. There are 34 solar power plants located on the rooftops of K-stores, with nearly 42,000 solar panels, and Kesko is the biggest producer and user of solar power in Finland,” says Helander.
In 2019, we began developing an operating model for a carbon neutral grocery store at three K-food stores. A new energy recycling model for K-food stores can reduce heat consumption by as much as 95% and turn the store property almost carbon neutral in terms of energy.
K Group is also encouraging its customers to make more environmentally friendly choices. At the end of 2019, we introduced a carbon footprint calculator to our K-Ostokset service. It offers customers information on the carbon footprint of their food purchases at product category level.