On Tuesday 28 September, the 3AMK Advisory Board met at Teams to discuss the current situation of the Alliance and its future plans. On the agenda were both higher education policy issues in general and objectives for the coming years in terms of curricula and publishing pace. The meeting also included presentations by representatives of two Finnish corporate giants, Kesko and Nordea, on their corporate objectives in the field of sustainable development and carbon neutrality. The meeting was chaired by Teemu Kokko, Headmaster of Haaga-Helia.
Maarit Mettälä, Team Leader at Nordea, presented the Finnish bank’s plans and objectives for the next decades in the areas of climate and social responsibility. Nordea’s goal is to be a zero-emission bank by 2050, which will be pursued through responsible business plans across the Group. Sustainability is considered in four areas: savings and lending, corporate culture and HR processes, procurement, and risk management. The Bank’s objective is to reduce its internal carbon emissions so that net emissions are positive by 2030.
Kesko’s representative, Petteri Huovinen, Chief Labour Relations Officer, spoke about Kesko’s ambitious goal to be a zero-emission company by 2030. Kesko’s interim target is to be carbon neutral by 2025. Kesko will implement its sustainable development goals by keeping the responsibility of supply chains, human rights and environmental impact under continuous review in each of the company’s divisions. In practice, this has been implemented by increasing the amount of recyclable and biodegradable packaging, placing eco-points in stores, and auditing imports form high risk countries.
Mettälä’s and Huovinen’s speeches also sparked a discussion about Universities of Applied Sciences and how the same values can be implemented in the planning of future development measures for sustainable development and circular economy at 3AMK. The next meeting of the 3AMK Advisory Board will take place in February 2022.