Social responsibility is a part of our everyday work
Social responsibility is an integral part of our activities. As a responsible real estate owner, and a partner of the Finnish Defance Administration, we ensure that our activities are sustainable from the social, economic and environmental aspects.
Principles of social responsibility
Defence Properties Finland complies with Senate Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. The focus areas of responsibility extensively take into account the aspects of environmental, social and economic responsibility, with particular emphasis placed on environmental aspects in the real estate and construction sector.
Senate Group’s corporate social responsibility policy guides the operations of Defence Properties Finland.
Focus areas of responsibility
Readiness and preparedness
Carbon neutrality
Indoor conditions
Biodiversity
Energy efficiency
Circular economy
Readiness and preparedness
Readiness and preparedness form the foundation of everything we do. Our mission is to ensure security of supply in Finnish Defence Administration properties and continuity of critical functions in all circumstances and security situations, thereby providing optimum conditions for work that makes this country function and secure. Preparedness also highlights measures to combat cyber and hybrid influencing as well as Finland’s NATO membership.
Carbon neutrality
We aim to achieve significant emission reductions in the maintenance of our buildings and a reduction in overall emissions, despite an increase in construction volume. This is how we support Senate Group’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality in state-owned real estate by 2035. We are progressing towards carbon neutrality in two phases: carbon neutrality in properties in use and carbon neutrality in property construction and repair. We are addressing improvements in space and energy efficiency, and switching to emission-free energy, such as heat pump and wood pellet solutions. In construction, we are addressing zero-emission building materials and sites, as well as the circular economy.
Indoor conditions
Good indoor conditions are one of our strategic goals. We focus on proactive measures at all phases in a building’s lifecycle, from design to construction and maintenance, so that poor indoor air is detected before it becomes a problem. This is how we work towards zero tolerance of indoor problems. Our work is based on knowing the condition and repair needs of buildings, and on making the necessary repairs. We carry out regular building inspections and encourage the users of premises and those working in them to notice the indoor air.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity has become a major focus in our work. We aim to conserve biodiversity and prevent the loss of biodiversity at our sites. We have launched biodiversity projects, such as meadowing, across Finland to enrich vegetation and sequester carbon. We draw up ecological surveys of our sites and take the results into account in construction and repair projects and in real estate development and maintenance. We also prevent loss of biodiversity by removing invasive alien species, timely maintenance and by integrating biodiversity extensively into everyday property management.
Energy efficiency
We have improved the energy efficiency of our facilities, taking into account the characteristics and peculiarities of our properties, and in 2023 we reached annual heat and electricity savings of around 30 GWh. Our properties regularly undergo maintenance work to improve energy efficiency, and investment projects are also underway to achieve lasting savings in facility costs through reduced energy consumption or lower energy procurement costs.
Circular economy
The circular economy is one of the tools we use to ensure the future sustainable use of natural resources. It is not only a matter of recycling waste, but also about using the materials, raw materials and products we use for as long as possible, keeping them in good quality and condition. By maintaining, reusing, refurbishing and recycling, we can extend the lifecycle of materials, raw materials and products to prevent them from ending up as waste.
Environmental services
We act as the central government competence centre in properties and environmental issues involving their use as well as environmental construction. We aim to ensure that our operations are environmentally responsible and sustainable. The environmental engineering expert and construction management services we provide to the Finnish Defence Administration include environmental surveys, the study and remediation of contaminated environments, environmental engineering construction, circular economy solutions, monitoring of environmental impacts and regulatory procedures under environmental law.
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