Environment

Alma Media’s environmental responsibility aims to minimize greenhouse gas emissions in the company’s own operations and subcontracting chain. A positive impact on climate change mitigation is also sought in the form of media content that increases environmental awareness and by enabling sustainable choices in digital services, for example when purchasing a house or apartment or a car.

The successful execution of Alma Media’s digital transformation strategy has had a positive impact on the company’s environmental profile: the production and distribution of digital content and services is more cost-efficient than print products. At the same time, the transition to low-carbon society has created business opportunities for the company and increased resource efficiency. In 2023, digital sources accounted for
82%, or over MEUR 250, of Alma Media’s business.

In 2018, Alma Media was the third media company in the world to publish approved, science-based climate targets (SBT). Thanks to significant changes in the business operations, the targets for 2025 based on the 2016 baseline was achieved ahead of schedule and the company updated its climate targets. The SBT initiative (SBTi) aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Alma Media is committed to reducing its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 52 per cent and the emissions of its subcontracting chain by 14 per cent by 2030 compared to 2019.

During the past seven years, Alma Media has halved the greenhouse gas emissions arising from its own operations and further increased the ambition of its environmental targets for its own operations and its subcontracting chain.

Emission reductions in accordance with Alma Media’s plan will focus particularly on reducing emissions from company cars, electricity, district heating and cooling in business premises, and on magazine printing, logistics and ICT procurement in the subcontracting chain.

According to the SBTi target set by Alma Media in 2022, the company must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions caused by electricity, district heating, district cooling and fuel consumption by 4.3% annually until 2030. Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from procurement must decrease until 2030 and by 1.23% annually. Alma Media also engages in active dialogue with its subcontractors to curb emissions and support Alma Media’s SBTi climate targets.

The following table describes the amounts and development of own energy, direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1) and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 2) in the Group’s continuing operations 2019–2023.

To improve the reliability and continuity of emission calculations, we adopted the International Energy Agency IEA’s country-specific emission coefficients in 2021 for instances where an energy producer-specific emission factor is unavailable, and emission figures were retrospectively recalculated according to this decision. The figures for 2019–2022 have also been adjusted to only reflect the Group’s continuing operations. The reporting of environmental figures covers all of Alma Media.

Only four per cent of the greenhouse gases arising from Alma Media arise in the Group’s own operations, while 96 per cent arise in the subcontracting chain.

Alma Media achieved its environmental targets for 2023. In 2023, the Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reported by the company decreased by 31% compared to 2022. Compared to 2019, the baseline year for the SBTi target, the change is -60%. Scope 1 emissions decreased by 10% during the year under review. Half of this decrease took place in Finland and the other half in Alma Media’s international operations. Scope 2 emissions decreased by 54% compared to 2022, which was mainly due to changes in business premises and switching to low-emission recycled heat. All of the Scope 2 emissions were generated in the company’s operating locations outside Finland.

In 2024, Alma Media will continue to focus on minimising the carbon footprint of its own operations and reducing emissions in its subcontracting chain, as well as on strengthening the climate-friendly impacts of its own
operations. The renewal of the company’s car fleet in a lower-emission, more energy-efficient direction will be continued in all operating countries.