In 2021, we calculated the carbon footprint of our operations broadly and comprehensively for the first time, being the first health care organization in Finland to do so.
We have been calculating our carbon footprint since 2014, delimiting it to direct emissions from our own operations, emissions from purchased energy and waste management emissions. In 2021, we included for the first time a comprehensive analysis of indirect emissions created in the value chain – through procurement, construction, mobility and transport, for instance. This makes us the first health care organization in Finland to have calculated its carbon footprint so thoroughly.
The analysis resulted in a total carbon footprint of 282,000 tons of CO2 equivalent. Of this, 4% was from direct emissions from our own operations, 10% was from emissions generated by purchased energy and 86% was from indirect emissions. The distribution of the emissions across various sectors is consistent with previous carbon footprint evaluations in the health care sector.
The majority of direct emissions from our own operations and of emissions from purchased energy comes from district heating, the generation of hospital steam and backup power. The majority of indirect emissions comes from procurement, particularly procurement of materials, supplies, goods and items related to construction and buildings.
The calculation was performed according to the most common international formula, the Green House Gas (GHG) protocol, and the input data were from 2020.
We prepared a climate roadmap in broad-based cooperation
Our ambitious strategic goal is to be climate neutral in 2030.
With the comprehensive carbon footprint analysis completed in 2021, we are better able to identify the HUS functions and process chains where we have to invest the most in reducing our carbon footprint and where we have the greatest potential for doing so.
We began to outline a climate roadmap to determine our principal emission reduction measures, with timetables and assigned responsibilities. To create this roadmap, we brought together key people particularly from those units that will be affected by emission reductions in order to be able to design feasible measures and timetables.
The climate roadmap will be completed in spring 2022.