At the start of 2025, the Port of Helsinki achieved its goal of carbon-neutral operations, initially set in 2019.
This milestone was reached by reducing energy consumption, transitioning to carbon-free electricity (since 2020) and renewable district heating, improving energy efficiency, and using LED lighting and solar power.
“We have managed to minimise our carbon dioxide emissions as a result of our climate work. This is an important milestone for us in our long-term work towards more sustainable shipping,” stated Ville Haapasaari, CEO of Port of Helsinki. “But our work does not end there. In future, we will be increasingly focusing on finding low-carbon solutions in cooperation with our partners, customers and stakeholders.”
Moreover, remaining emissions, such as those from biofuel-powered vehicles and machinery, are offset through investments in Finnish afforestation projects.
By the end of 2024, the Finnish port had reduced its carbon emissions by 63% compared to the 2015 baseline. Remaining emissions, now just 91 t CO2 equivalent, account for 2.6% of the original emissions and are fully offset with additional safeguards.
However, the Port recognizes that its direct emissions represent only 4% of the total emissions in the port area. As a result, its climate initiatives extend beyond its operations to the broader value chain, including shipping, heavy transport, and infrastructure projects.
“We will be making more extensive use of life cycle calculations tailored to us in projects to assess and minimise not only emission surges from the materials used in construction but also their entire life cycle emissions,” commented Andreas Slotte, the Port of Helsinki’s Head of Sustainability & HSEQ.
