Aiming for a sustainability transformation and emissions reductions

17 UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (look bigger picture).

The operations of the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) are directly or indirectly related to most of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Sustainability transformation refers to the reforming of the systems of housing, energy production, transport and the food chain to the carrying capacity of the environment. 

According to the Finnish Environment Institute Act, Syke is a research and development centre that supports the assessment and selection of goals and means for sustainable development and the implementation of environmental policy". 

Syke's strategy is based on the goals of sustainable development and the sustainability transformation. These are also the starting points in the performance agreements that Syke concludes with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. 

Syke reports its responsibility as an impact on the UN’s SDG:s. 

  1. Climate action (SDG 13) 
  2. Life on land (15) 
  3. Life below water (14) 
  4. Responsible consumption and production (12) 
  5. Clean water and sanitation (6) 

Syke constantly strives to reduce the harmful effects of its own operations. The main indicator Syke uses is the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which represents the climate impact of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. This is also called the carbon footprint. 

The calculation of Syke's own carbon footprint from 2021 will be completed later in 2022. Syke's carbon footprint was 1,253 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020. Emissions mainly consist of the marine research vessel Aranda, business travel and heating and electricity consumption of the office spaces. 

Read the Responsibility report from 2021 (Storymaps.arcgis.com) 

More information

  • Service development director Heli Karjalainen, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)
Published 2022-06-06 at 14:52, updated 2023-01-12 at 12:34