At Marimekko, we want to be at the forefront of continuously developing more sustainable products and practices. We want to leave no burden for the coming generations and believe that, in the future, timeless and sustainable products will be made in balance with the environment, in line with the principles of the circular economy.
We have launched several projects to reduce emissions substantially within our entire value chain, starting from raw materials – we aim to align our emission targets with those of the Paris Agreement on climate change. As a result of continuous development work and emission offsetting, our own operations, including our printing factory, offices and our own retail stores globally, are already carbon neutral in 2020. Our long-term vision is that our operations leave no trace on the environment.
For years, our aim has been to reduce our own carbon footprint. In 2016–2020, our target has been to halve the scope 1 and 2 emissions of our printing factory and headquarters from the 2010 baseline. The work has progressed well, and in 2019 the emissions from these operations were 306 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which was 78 percent less than in 2010.
In recent years, we have studied the carbon footprint of our different operations in more detail. In 2019 and 2020, we evaluated the carbon footprint of our facilities in Herttoniemi (Helsinki, Finland), our other offices and the stores we operate globally. The footprint covers the most significant scope 1–3 emissions of these operations according to the GHG protocol, including energy production and consumption, the use of materials and equipment, the waste generated as well as eating, business travel and commuting of the personnel in Marimekko locations.
The heart of our operations– our printing factory, located in Herttoniemi since the 1970s, as well as the adjacent headquarters and two stores – has played an important role in reducing our carbon footprint. Already 100 percent of purchased electricity and nearly 80 percent of the energy used in the property is from renewable sources. In addition, sizeable renovations have been made in the property with special focus on energy efficiency. In just a few years, we have been able to considerably reduce both electricity and heating consumption, and we continue to work on these. Our new target is to reduce emissions from our own operations by 40 percent from the 2019 level by the end of 2025.
In addition to continuous development work, we want to slow down the climate change by offsetting the current emissions of our own operations. In order to offset the emissions from our printing factory, our offices and the stores we operate, we have supported a reforestation project in Uganda through myclimate, a non-profit organization based in Switzerland and specializing in voluntary CO2 compensation measures. The project promotes sustainable forest management by encouraging local communities to reforest areas and implement sustainable forest management plans that reduce the need to cut down forests valuable to biodiversity. In addition, the project supports the diversification of incomes for the local communities, thus further reducing the pressure on the forests. Protecting the local forests enables increased carbon sequestration as well as conserving biodiversity in the area. In addition to this project, we also offset all emissions from our store and e-commerce deliveries in Finland as well as from e-commerce deliveries elsewhere in Europe.
Read more about myclimate and the project in Uganda
Read more about our sustainability ambition
