Environmental year 2019
In 2019, we made HUS more environmentally friendly. As a result of our environmental efforts, the total volume of waste decreased by 230 tons, plastic recycling more than doubled, energy consumption decreased by 5,000 MWh, and our carbon footprint remained the same even though our operations grew. We worked to pursue the goals of the five year environmental program of the Joint Authority (2016–2020) throughout the organization. Thanks for these achievements are due to all of our personnel.
Our three principal environmental goals are: improving environmental awareness and management; continuous reduction of adverse environmental impacts; and incorporating resource efficiency into all our operations. In the year under review, we promoted environmental matters and responsibilities through various communications channels and events.
Personnel are active and willing to participate in developing environmental matters. To this end, HUS Environmental Center trained employees and coached and encouraged personnel to take environmental responsibility even in small everyday actions. In addition to practical advice, environmental experts worked with other actors at HUS and with external consultants to enhance waste management, to implement energy saving measures and to boost environmental responsibility in procurement and construction, chemical safety and smart mobility.
We collaborated with the KEINO competence center and other university hospital districts to prepare an updated guide to responsible procurement for hospital districts. The guide was completed in January 2020. It had already been established, in accordance with the HUS procurement strategy, that sustainability in procurement encompasses both social responsibility and environmental considerations. In 2019, corporate responsibility criteria were applied in 62% of the joint procurements managed by HUS Logistics.
The new HUS Strategy 2020–2024 was completed in late 2019. The Strategy lays great emphasis on corporate responsibility. Our goal is to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to abide by sustainable development in all our operations.