SUSTAINABILITY:
Systematic work for sustainable corporation
SUSTAINABILITY:
long-term work for the benefit of society
Edita Group helps its customers communicate more effectively and provides them with reliable printed and digital information.
The Group consists of three business areas: Edita Prima specializes in technology and production services for customer communication of companies and organizations. Edita Legal Information provides legal information experts with the latest legal professional information in the form of online services, training and books. Edita Learning provides high-quality learning materials and training in the field of teaching and education to support learning and teaching.
We can rightly say that our companies influence our society in many ways.
Key figures
Edita Group’s sustainability strategy was updated and approved at the end of 2022. We strive to have a positive impact on society and run our business in a responsible manner. Delivering value to our stakeholders and maintaining their trust is at the core of our operations. We strive to work closely with our customers and want to offer them solutions that contribute to their business growth and increase their customer satisfaction.
Edita Group’s sustainability activities correspond to the areas of environmental and social responsibility and good governance, which form the basis of our corporate social responsibility (ESG) efforts. Edita Group also strives for profitable growth that supports sustainable business. This includes financial responsibility and good corporate citizenship.
The development of sustainability is guided by the company’s policies, guidelines and commitments, as well as guidelines defined by third parties that are central to the company’s business. We assess the risks related to sustainability as part of overall risk management. Sustainability risk management includes an assessment of financial and any reputational risks.
In our operations, we comply with legal requirements and act transparently. We have conducted systematic sustainability work since the early 1990s.
Our Code of Business Ethics guides the activities of each employee of Edita Group with all of our stakeholders, which include employees, customers, partners and shareholders. We also expect our partners to comply with our Code of Business Ethics.
Finland is one of the most successful countries in the world by many indicators. This would not have been possible if not for two things. Our legal system is the bedrock of the functional society. Education has made it possible for Finland to become one of the most successful countries in the world.
Edita Learning and Edita Legal Information are involved in building both of these. Our goal is to make excellent education even better by providing the best learning materials for teachers and students. Our legal information services provide up-to-date legal information to professionals and citizens so that society and business can thrive.
Edita Prima helps companies and organizations communicate better with their stakeholders. Communication is important to people, businesses and society. Communication also plays an essential role in improving social well-being and promoting environmental awareness.
Creating value for our stakeholders and maintaining trust is at the core of our operations.
Environmental responsibility:
Towards carbon neutrality
In our operations, the biggest environmental impacts are caused by the production and logistics of printed products. We reduce our own and our customers’ environmental impact by investing in sustainability in our operations and services. We strive to select domestic environmentally certified suppliers and minimize the environmental impact of logistics.
In our production, we carry out systematic environmental work and focus on the continuous improvement of the level of environmental protection. One important step in reducing our carbon footprint has been the transition to electricity from renewable sources. Besides improving energy efficiency, we avoid unnecessary travel and prefer video meetings when it is the most efficient way to do business.
We strive for carbon neutrality in accordance with the objectives set for state-owned companies.
Social responsibility:
Inspiring and inclusive leadership
We are committed to building a growth culture by providing employees with learning opportunities, nurturing their talent, as well as supporting inspirational leadership and fair rewards for achievement. We believe that a working community based on trust and transparency, in which individuals from different backgrounds and experiences work together, is essential for the success of our company. Promoting equality is an important goal for us. We also promote respectful and inclusive leadership.
We encourage our employees to work together to strengthen our culture and our ability to meet customer needs. Our guiding principles are an integral part of our day-to-day work, and they guide our operations and develop our culture.
Employee well-being and family friendliness are important values to us. We measure the well-being of employees and develop our operations in cooperation with the personnel in order to provide a good working community. Our concept of the family is diverse and aims to take into account our employees’ individual situations and work/family balance. We also want to influence the future of young people in society by offering traineeship and work
Good governance:
Transparent and honest operations
Edita Group adheres to the principles of good governance. Our goal is to be honest, transparent and responsible in everything we do. We comply with statutory requirements and honestly and transparently communicate about our business.
Our Code of Business Ethics guides the activities of every Edita Group employee with all of our stakeholders: employees, customers, partners and shareholders. We also expect our partners to comply with our Code of Business Ethics. We do not tolerate bribery or corruption in any form.
We respect all internationally recognized human rights in everything we do and expect the same from our suppliers and partners. The Group’s internal whistleblowing channel aligned with the EU directive facilitates anonymous reporting of irregularities related to the Group or its business areas.
Financial responsibility:
Profitable growth reliably
We strive to run our business profitably and provide our stakeholders with reliable and high-quality products and services, which helps to maintain long-term partnerships. We operate efficiently with the goal of long-term profitability and growth. Effective internal control ensures the reliability of information, and regular risk monitoring allows us to respond to risks in a timely manner and manage them.
Environmental responsibility:
Reducing carbon footprint
We reduce our own and customers’ environmental impact by investing in sustainable operations and services.
In our production activities the environmental work is systematic and focused on continuous improvement. One important step in reducing our carbon footprint has been the transition to electricity from renewable sources. We have centralized our operations and increased our use of premises in and efficient way. This has led to increased energy efficiency and improved management of the office practices.
Social responsibility:
Culture of growth and collaboration
We are committed to building a growth culture providing employees with learning opportunities, nurturing their talent, offering inspirational leadership and fair rewards for achievement. We believe that individuals with diverse backgrounds and experience, working together in an environment built on trust and transparency, are essential to our success.
We encourage employees to collaborate with each other to strengthen our culture and ability to meet customer needs. Our Guiding Principles are an essential part of our daily work, and they guide our behaviour and develop our culture towards a desired ethical direction
Good governance:
Transparent operation
Edita Group follows principles of good corporate governance. Our goal is to show integrity, transparency and accountability in all our operations. We comply with legal requirements and are honest and transparent when communicating about our business.
Financial responsibility:
Profitable growth
We aim to conduct our business in a profitable way and provide our stakeholders with reliable and high-quality products and services in order to sustain long-term relationships with them. We run our business efficiently aiming for long-term profitability and growth. Efficient internal control safeguards reliable information, and regular risk monitoring enables us to react and manage risks in time.
Maintaining the trust of stakeholders
Maintaining the trust of stakeholders
Edita Group wants to operate in a way that helps us maintain the trust of our stakeholders. We always seek to work ethically, responsibly and in line with our Guiding Principles with our stakeholders.
Employees
Edita Group aims to be an attractive and responsible employer. We are committed to promote
a good dynamic workplace and to create interesting career and development opportunities for our people.
We appreciate employees that demonstrate self-leadership, accountability and collaboration and believe that good leadership and a strong organizational culture are the cornerstones for employee engagement and high performance. We respect an employee’s right to balance their private and professional lives and believe it helps us attract and retain competent people.
Customers
Ongoing dialogue with customers is part of the fundamental nature of our business. We have daily dialogue with customers about their needs and expectations.
We aim for honest and accurate communication about our customers’ business as well as the services and products we create for them. We always seek a customer’s approval before openly discussing or publicizing a service we have created for them.
Partners
We treat our suppliers and sub-contractors equally and seek for cooperation build on trust and confidentiality. We focus for objective assessment of price, quality, and reliability in competition. We expect our partners to comply with our code of conduct and to oppose illegal and unethical labor practices as do we.
Owner
Edita Group Plc is a Finnish public limited company owned by the Finnish state that holds 100 percent of the shares. The owner is represented as member of Edita Group’s Board of Directors and regularly receives information about our business in the form of financial reports.
Monitoring risks proactively
Monitoring risks proactively
Risk management is an inseparable part of Edita Group’s strategic planning and operational goal setting. Risk management is based on an organization-wide approach to identifying, assessing, managing, and monitoring various risks.
The executives are responsible for managing risks related to corporate responsibility and reacting accordingly. Edita Group’s board of directors has approved the risk management methods applied by the executives. The executives assess the likelihood and significance of each risk. The Board of Directors also monitors and assesses risks that have been categorized as significant.
Financial risks
Regular monitoring of financial risks helps us to identify risks related to our business operations and react to them in advance. A risk can be anything that might have an impact on the company’s ability to meet its business objectives.
People
Our most important non-financial risks are related to people. These risks include:
- Management and the key people who work closely with key customers deciding to leave the company.
- Challenges in recruiting talented specialists with right cultural fit and managers who can develop the business and are good leaders.
- Failure in engaging the key people.
- Occupational risks related to printing, such as accidents, chemical leaks or fires at production plant.
We manage people-related risks by implementing good employee experience and talent attraction. In addition, we focus on employee and leadership development. We work for enhancing a collaborative growth culture, nurturing and inspiring leadership and efficient talent development and recruitment practices. We maintain good lines of communication, communicating as openly as possible, and enhance employees’ involvement in developing our business.
Environmental risks
A fire or a chemical leak at a production plant could damage the environment. We consider our other environmental risks to be minor.
Environmental risks are mainly managed through various environmental management systems, such as compliance with the ISO14001 standard; our production company follows procedures established in environmental management systems to identify and prevent potential emergency situations and accidents that could harm the environment. These procedures are audited annually by accredited third parties. The companies regularly review and test their emergency preparedness and response procedures.
Climate change
Climate change is not a substantial risk for our business. Nevertheless, we find combating climate change very important as it is the greatest threat to sustainable development globally.
We have managed to reduce our climate impact significantly since 2008 when we began assessing the ways in which our business contributes to climate change.
In 2009, we started taking measures to reduce our carbon-dioxide emissions and began compensating for a proportion of these emissions. Further information can be found on the environmental responsibility section.
Environmental responsibility
- Governance
-
Environmental
responsibility -
Social
responsibility -
Financial
responsibility
Continuous
improvement
We reduce our own and our customers’ environmental impact by investing in sustainability in our operations and services. In our production, we carry out systematic environmental work and focus on the continuous improvement of the level of environmental protection. One important step in reducing our carbon footprint has been the transition to electricity from renewable sources.
We have focused our activities and increased the efficiency of the use of premises. This has been reflected in improved energy efficiency in particular.
Edita Prima has certified its environmental management system according to the ISO 14001 standard and its chain of custody system according to the PEFC standard. Edita Prima is authorized to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, and the company compensates for carbon-dioxide emissions by funding UN-supervised clean development mechanism projects. Edita Group only uses electricity from renewable sources.
Environmentally responsible operations
Environmentally responsible operations
We reduce our environmental impact by investing in environmental responsibility in our operations, products and services and by promoting environmental awareness among our stakeholders.
- We publish the results of our environmental work in our Annual Report as part of sustainability reporting.
- Edita Prima provides its customers with eco-labelled products.
- We have set environmental criteria for the stages of Edita Prima’s supply chain that have the biggest environmental impact.
We will continue to reduce our carbon footprint:
- Our production plants and offices use green electricity.
- We calculate and report the most important emissions from our operations.
- We report on all actions we have taken to reduce our carbon footprint.
Edita Prima’s production plant is annually awarded the following environmental certificates:
- It is ISO 14001-certified.
- It has the right to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
Products and services
Products and services
To reduce environmental impacts, companies must choose the right processes, production methods, materials and subcontractors. We recommend to our customers that they digitalize the processes and use internationally recognized labels, as they are a visible sign of environmental responsibility.
Digitalization of processes
Edita Group reduces the environmental impacts of its customers. Our business areas help our customers digitize their processes and use modern digital technology. Digital processes often have a lower environmental impact than conventional processes, as they reduce the need for raw materials and transportation.
- Edita Prima helps its customers automate their customer communications processes. This means that the work process involves fewer stages, the consumption of raw materials is reduced and transport methods become more efficient.
- Edita Legal Information offers its customers digital information services and online courses. This reduces environmental impacts such as the need for printed material and other resource consumption.
- Edita Learning offers its customers digital learning materials and online courses. This reduces environmental impacts such as the need for printed material and other resource consumption.
Nordic Swan Ecolabel
The environmental impact of printed products has been considered throughout the production chain, from paper manufacturing to the delivery of the finished product. Our printed products meet the criteria of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in terms of forestry, pulp and paper production, printing and waste management.
Edita Prima’s production plant has the right to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The net income from products bearing the Nordic Swan Ecolabel was approximately EUR 49,600 in 2023 and EUR 24,600 in the second half of 2022.
Guarantees of origin – paper
Forest certification ensures that forests are managed according to agreed criteria and that the supply chain of the wood fiber used is monitored from forest to finished product. The forest management criteria apply to areas such as
- compliance with national laws and international agreements
- respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and of workers
- maintaining forest biodiversity
- preserving forests with a significant environmental protection value.
Edita Prima’s chain-of-custody management system is certified in accordance with international reference standards. Therefore, Edita Prima has the right to use labels that indicate that the paper used in the printed products comes from responsible sources.
Supply chain
From the point of view of environmental responsibility, Edita Group’s most significant purchases are related to the procurement of paper and other materials, the supply chain of electricity and the distribution of products. Edita Prima is committed to refrain from procuring paper originating from illegal felling or forests with a significant environmental protection value. When purchasing paper, we adhere to the following principles:
- Edita Prima is aware of the paper suppliers’ environmental responsibility programs and wood procurement principles.
- Edita Prima primarily uses chain-of-custody-certified paper that has been awarded the EU Ecolabel or the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
- Edita Prima primarily uses paper made in the EU.
Edita Prima’s production plant solely uses energy generated from renewable sources. Renewable energy is also used in Edita Group’s office premises.
The chemicals used in production are approved by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Before introducing a new chemical into the process, the right to use it is always checked with the organization that grants the right to use the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
Responsibly at office and on printing plant
Responsibly at office and on printing plant
Offices
In office work, most of the environmental impacts come from energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions caused by travel. We have reduced emissions from both commuting and business travel in many ways. We have invested in both videoconferencing tools and software to enable videoconferencing. We have supported our employees’ commuting by public transport. Since 2022, our employees have been offered a bicycle benefit to support exercise and commuting. We use a hybrid work model in which remote work is a natural part of working supported by common tools.
Production plant
The environmental management systems of our production activities ensure that our environmental work is systematic and focused on continuous improvement. The systems also ensure that we comply with applicable environmental legislation. Edita Prima’s production plant is certified according to the ISO 14001 environmental management standard and has published its own annual environmental reports since 2004.
The main sources of environmental impact from our production are materials, energy, waste and emissions. We began measuring our waste volumes regularly already in the 1990s. In 2023, over 90 percent of the total waste volume was recyclable.
In 2023, Edita Prima’s operations continued to improve its material efficiency. The amount of waste generated by paper consumption dropped to their lowest levels so far. The main reason for this positive outcome is the increase in the relative share of automated production. This ratio has been monitored since 2001.
Edita Prima’s operations generated 3.3 tons of hazardous waste in 2023. The amount of hazardous waste has dropped to under 5 percent of the volume in 2010. At the same time the use of solvents has also dropped to 3.2 tons which is under 15 percent of the volume in 2012. These results were achieved primarily from changes in production technology, with older offset printing machines being partly replaced by digital printing machines.
Edita Prima’s energy efficiency also developed favorably in 2023. The electricity consumption reached the lowest values of the 15-year monitoring period. A significant factor in improving energy efficiency has been the renewal of the paper collection system implemented at the end of 2021.
HOW WE
REDUCE OUR
CARBON
FOOTPRINT
- Both our production plant and our offices use energy generated from renewable sources.
- We increase the efficiency of our production.
- We invest in improving energy efficiency: for example, the lighting systems and waste paper management systems of the production plant have been modernized.
- We strive to select partners that have proven to be successful in making their operations more sustainable.
- We reduce business travel through videoconferencing.
- We reduce commuting through remote work and videoconferencing.
- Our company car policies support the reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions.
- We support the use of public transport by our employees on business trips and offer a bicycle benefit to all our employees.
- Edita Prima compensates for carbon-dioxide emissions by funding UN-supervised clean development mechanism projects.
- We provide training on environmental issues to our employees.
Positive results through digitalizing processes
Edita Prima has been able to reduce the total volume of waste by 44% during the past five years (2018–2023). The amount of solvent used in production has decreased by 17% and the amount of hazardous waste has decreased by 58% during the same period.
These changes are a result of digitalizing both our own and our customers’ processes and changes in our production technology.
The energy consumption of Edita Prima’s Kuninkaantammi printing plant decreased by 6% in 2023 compared to the previous year and by 28% when compared to the year 2018. A significant factor in this development has been the changes made to our waste paper collection system at the end of 2021.
Future focus on environmental awareness
We will further continue to reduce our environmental impact by investing in responsible operations, products and services and by actively developing our processes towards environmentally friendly solutions, covering also the selection of our partners and cooperation with them. We focus on improving both our employees’ and other stakeholders’ environmental awareness. We offer our employees subsidized public transport tickets and support the use of bicycle on a way to work.
Energy and water consumption at Edita Group's production site
Electricity (MWh)
Heating (MWh)
Water (m3)
*N/A, information is not yet available.
Trend in waste from Edita Group’s production site
Recycled waste (tonnes)
Recovered waste (tonnes)
Hazardous waste (tonnes)
Consumption of materials at Edita Group’s production site
Paper (tonnes)
Printing ink (tonnes)
Solvents (tonnes)
Water consumption at Edita Group's production site (m3)
*N/A, information is not yet available.
CO2 emissions at Edita Group's production site
Emissions
(CO2 tonnes)
*N/A, information is not yet available.
Waste at Edita Group's production site (2023)
CO2-emissions at Edita Group's production site
Distribution of greenhouse gas emissions
| Emission class 1 | Sources | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scope 1 Direct Greenhouse Gas emissions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas other climate impacts |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas heating oil |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas transport fuels, petrol |
32.1 |
25.4 |
22.8 |
14.9 |
12.3 |
8.5 |
8.4 |
6.4 |
6.6 |
5.8 |
5.5 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gase transport fuels, diesel |
26.7 |
22.9 |
58.4 |
52.4 |
41.0 |
14.3 |
14.0 |
8.7 |
5.8 |
5.6 |
8.3 |
N/A |
|
Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 1, total |
|
58.9 |
84.2 |
89.4 |
67.4 |
53.3 |
22.8 |
22.4 |
15.1 |
12.4 |
11.5 |
13.8 |
N/A |
| Päästöluokka 1 | Päästölähde | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas emissions from indirect energy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas other climate impacts |
7.5 |
5.5 |
73.7 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas purchased district heating |
465.2 |
376.6 |
207.0 |
165.1 |
265.2 |
132.2 |
174.5 |
193.8 |
226.4 |
140.5 |
310.8 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas purchased eco-labelled electricity |
4.6 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas purchased electricity |
15.1 |
10.9 |
0,0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Greenhouse Gas purchased district cooling |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
N/A |
|
Green House Gas protokol Scope2, total |
|
492.4 |
393.2 |
281.1 |
165.5 |
265.2 |
132.2 |
174.5 |
193.9 |
226.7 |
140.6 |
310.9 |
N/A |
|
EN 16 Direct and indirect Greenhouse Gas |
|
551.2 |
477.4 |
370.4 |
232.9 |
318.6 |
155.0 |
196.9 |
209.0 |
239.1 |
152.1 |
327.4 |
N/A |
| Päästöluokka 1 | Päästölähde | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scope 3 Other indirect Greenhouse Gas emissions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EN 17 Other indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Business travel: flights |
59.0 |
40.2 |
23.0 |
33.2 |
13.8 |
13.7 |
10.4 |
9.5 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
1.7 |
N/A |
|
EN 17 Other indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Business travel: others |
0.8 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.7 |
0.6 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 17 Other indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Business travel: taxi, private car or rental car |
32.8 |
23.6 |
4.4 |
42.9 |
9.7 |
7.8 |
4.9 |
6.4 |
2.4 |
0.9 |
1.0 |
N/A |
|
EN 17 Other indirect Greenhouse Gas |
Transportations of finished products |
224.1 |
102.8 |
160.4 |
116.9 |
17.5 |
8.1 |
32.4 |
350.6 |
520.5 |
973.5 |
1340.1 |
N/A |
|
Green House Gas Protokol Scope 3, total |
|
316.7 |
167.1 |
188.0 |
193.3 |
41.5 |
30.3 |
48.3 |
367.0 |
523.6 |
974.4 |
1342.8 |
N/A |
|
EN 17 Other indirect Greenhous Gas, total |
|
316.7 |
167.1 |
188.0 |
193.3 |
41.5 |
30.3 |
48.3 |
367.0 |
523.6 |
974.4 |
1342.8 |
N/A |
|
Green House Gas Protokol Scope 1, 2, 3, total |
|
867.9 |
644.5 |
558.5 |
426.2 |
360.0 |
185.3 |
245.2 |
576.0 |
762.7 |
1126.5 |
1667.5 |
N/A |
*N/A, information is not yet available.