Responsibility

EcoCompass helps us identify and manage environmental impacts as part of our daily operations. Based on it, we have recognized our most significant environmental impacts and set concrete goals and actions—such as improving energy efficiency, enhancing waste sorting, and reducing emissions.

EcoCompass is based on the international ISO 14001 standard and is owned by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. The EcoCompass certificate granted to Espoon Asunnot in 2024 demonstrates that we manage our environmental responsibilities systematically and measurably.

We are committed to continuous improvement: we measure our progress and seek new ways to conserve natural resources in property maintenance, renovations, and construction.

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www.ekokompassi.fi (Briefly in English)

Completed at the end of 2023, our climate roadmap is a key tool for steering our emission reduction efforts.

We are committed to eliminating all direct greenhouse gas emissions from our operations, as well as emissions from the production of purchased energy, by 2030. In addition, we aim for significant reductions in indirect emissions that we can influence—especially those arising from construction and renovation.

Thanks to the roadmap, we have already achieved tangible results, particularly in improving the energy efficiency of our properties and reducing emissions from construction and renovation. Our direct emissions are already very low, and we utilize nearly emission-free energy sources for both electricity and heating.

Refined emission calculations provide us with a clearer picture of our environmental impact, and we update the climate roadmap accordingly. The roadmap includes goals and interim checkpoints that enable us to systematically track our progress.

The next updated version of the roadmap will be published in 2025.

We participate in the voluntary energy efficiency agreement for the real estate sector (VAETS), which is part of Finland’s national effort to save energy. Espoon Asunnot joined the program already in 2010 and has also been involved in the current agreement period, which runs from 2017 to 2025.

The goal has been to significantly reduce the total energy consumption of our properties from 2015 to 2025. We achieved this target well ahead of schedule. Energy efficiency has been improved through control and regulation technologies, as well as maintenance measures.

VAETS supports our long-term efforts to save energy and reduce our climate impact.

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Energy Efficiency Agreements 2017 - 2025

In our properties, we use electricity and district heating that are emission-free in their production phase. The electricity’s emission-free status is based on a nuclear power origin guarantee. The district heating we procure is produced entirely with combustion-free technologies, such as heat pumps, using electricity generated from nuclear power. Fortum verifies the origin of the electricity used in production annually.

Our aim is to ensure that emission-free electricity is also used in individual renovation sites, major refurbishments, and during new construction projects. This helps us further reduce our emissions and move closer to our carbon neutrality target.

In our climate roadmap, we have set a goal to significantly reduce emissions during the construction phase. We aim to achieve this through choices in materials, energy solutions, and design strategies. We have also refined our emissions calculations, which serve as the basis for adjusting both our reduction targets and the supporting measures.

In 2024, we launched the Finnoonkallio 2 project, where we piloted the use of low-carbon concrete in the GWP.85 class in several structural elements. The pilot resulted in significant emission reductions and has led us to adopt new requirements: from now on, we require the use of lower-carbon concrete classifications—at a minimum in hollow-core slabs—in all new developments.

Our objective is for all new projects to meet the lifecycle carbon footprint target established in collaboration with the City of Espoo. This target is a maximum of 16 kg CO₂e/m² per year for the building over a 50-year lifecycle.

We strive to make recycling as easy as possible in every building. In summer 2024, we updated the signage in all waste collection areas across our properties, and we continue to improve these spaces in collaboration with residents and partners to make them more functional.

Recycling is considered right from the planning stage: we have updated our design guidelines to include more recycling bins in both new and renovated apartments. This ensures that recycling becomes a natural part of daily life from the very first day of moving in.

We are also monitoring the quantity and quality of waste more closely. By improving our data collection, we can better target our actions and guide our operations based on real insights.

A network of resident eco-experts supports this development. They monitor the functionality of waste areas and promote recycling within their buildings. Through this collaboration, we take steady steps to improve recycling rates and reduce mixed waste.

Supporting biodiversity is an essential part of our environmental responsibility. We focus on it particularly in yard areas, material choices, and communications.

Our internal biodiversity working group brings together experts from various fields who can promote ecologically sustainable solutions in their own work. Our goals include reducing the use of pesticides, improving yard design, and increasing awareness of why, for example, meadows and decaying wood have a place in residential landscapes.

We also support biodiversity by training our staff and providing residents with information on sustainable yard solutions.

Residents play a key role in building a sustainable everyday life. We share environmentally themed tips and practical advice through resident newsletters, our website, and social media. Topics include saving energy and water, sorting waste, and making responsible choices at home.

Our goal is to make sustainable choices as easy as possible and to integrate climate-friendly practices into daily life. We communicate clearly why even small actions matter and how everyone can contribute.

The circular economy and resource efficiency are becoming an increasingly important part of our environmental responsibility. Until now, we have focused particularly on improving waste sorting, but we are constantly exploring new ways to reduce material waste and reuse demolition materials from construction projects.

We put solutions into practice. For example, in our new development at Viilavati 15, we are piloting the reuse of bricks from demolished buildings in the façade. In the Savikuja 2 project, we gained valuable insights into the challenges of circular construction and how to incorporate them into future projects.

Our goal is to promote the circular economy in a long-term and systematic way, both in construction and property maintenance.

Every year, we build hundreds of new rental homes in areas where people want to live—close to good transport connections and essential services. Our goal is to increase the supply of affordable housing so that more people have the opportunity to find a home in Espoo.

We operate on a cost-price principle: rents only cover the costs of property maintenance, repairs, and administration. We manage expenses by, for example, tendering purchases and optimizing investments. This helps us keep rent levels moderate.

We aim to meet demand by building especially small apartments, which are in highest demand, while also continuing to construct family homes in areas where they are needed.

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New properties under construction

We offer homes to people at different stages of life and want to ensure that housing is available even during difficult times. We work to prevent homelessness by identifying applicants at risk as we process applications.

Preventing homelessness is also one of the goals set for us by the City of Espoo. We follow the Housing First principle: having a home is the foundation needed to begin addressing other life challenges.

We support tenants by offering financial counselling and helping them access the right services. We work closely with the City of Espoo and various non-profit organizations to address the risk of homelessness early, ensuring that everyone can find a hom even in the most challenging life circumstances.

We want our residents to feel at home not only in their apartments but also in their surrounding environment. We regularly monitor the quality of cleaning and property maintenance, and we collect feedback through resident satisfaction surveys. We welcome feedback whenever there is a reason to give it.

Residents also have a direct opportunity to influence their surroundings. We encourage them to take part in developing their own building. Resident activities provide ways to contribute to issues such as environmental matters, safety, and community spirit. We offer free training for most roles and actively support participation. Better living comes through collaboration.

Our housing counsellors support residents at different stages of life. The goal is to ensure housing continuity and prevent evictions. Timely support helps residents cope with everyday challenges and, when necessary, connects them with the appropriate services.

We also provide individual support in situations where housing-related challenges may impact the wider building community. Issues such as repeated disturbances or poor apartment maintenance are addressed early, with solutions developed together with the resident. The aim is to preserve good neighbor relations and a safe living environment.

Housing guidance and support play an important role in preventing social exclusion. This assistance helps residents stay connected to their home and community before small problems grow into larger ones.

Our residents come from a wide range of backgrounds and life situations—they are of different ages, cultures, and housing needs. We believe a home should offer a peaceful foundation for life and a sense of community and belonging.

A home is often the first stable step in a new country or city. While we are not directly involved in integration work, we believe that a safe and affordable home plays an essential role in the integration process. Housing supports settling in and building everyday life.

We maintain a diverse resident structure and promote pleasant, inclusive living environments where people from all walks of life can live side by side in safety.

We manage our property portfolio systematically and always assess investments with a long-term perspective. In both new construction and renovation projects, we consider not only costs but also lifecycle impacts and emissions, ensuring that our decisions support both financial stability and sustainability goals.

Our decisions are based on comprehensive assessments, with emphasis on long-term effects. We prioritize investments where they have the greatest impact on the condition of our properties, residential comfort, and environmental performance.