Sustainability is so much more than a buzzword here in Finland. The country aims to transform itself into a “socially, economically and ecologically sustainable society by 2030”, and its long-term commitment to sustainable development is bearing fruit.

According to a voluntary agenda review published recently by the Prime Minister’s Office, the country has achieved or is close to achieving many of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On a global scale, Finland is one of the leaders in the transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable energy sources, which is well in line with its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035. Finland was ranked third in this year’s Energy Transition Index by the World Economic Forum, which compared the energy sectors of 115 countries in terms of their readiness to adopt clean energy to meet climate targets.

Finnish business is on board too, doing its part in tackling the climate crisis by adopting green thinking and sustainable resource management practices. This year, six Finnish heavyweights made it to the Corporate Knights’ Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable corporations. They are Neste, placed in the top three in the listing, Outotec, UPM-Kymmene, KONE, Metso and Kesko.

At the same time, inspiring planet-friendly solutions are emerging and being put in practice around the country, with the City of Lahti, the recipient of the European Green Capital Award 2021, at the forefront of urban sustainability. Lahti’s app-based trading scheme for personal traffic emissions, innovative solutions for waste management and water conservation efforts are some of the reasons why it was listed among the five most forward-thinking European cities earlier this year.