Our targets and commitments
Setting measurable targets
Our sustainability work is guided by clear targets and measurable commitments across different areas of environmental, social and governance sustainability. The tables below describe our commitments and the metrics we use to track progress. We report on our progress regularly in our Annual Report.
Environment
| Focus Area | Finnair's commitment | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Climate | CO₂ emissions are the single most pressing issue for any airline, and we need to take actions to promote achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. For the mid-term, our target is to improve our carbon emissions intensity (CO2e/RTK) by 34.5% by 2033 from a 2023 baseline. The target has been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Read about Finnair’s science-based target in detail Our toolkit to reaching the target includes investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beyond regulatory requirements, further improving operational efficiency and optimising our network. We are committed to UN’s SDG #13, to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. | CO₂/Revenue ton kilometer Usage of SAF % Fuel Efficiency Index |
| Biodiversity | The importance of nature’s biodiversity in socioeconomic wealth is not yet very well acknowledged. We aim to increase the knowledge about the importance of biodiversity. The value of natural capital should be part of our economic thinking. We support UN’s SDG #15, by having committed to fight against illegal wildlife traffic (Buckingham Palace Declaration). We acknowledge that production of biogenic sustainable aviation fuel might have adverse impacts on biodiversity. When purchasing SAF, we take into consideration this aspect. | Number of IWT cases |
| Circular economy | Half of total global greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress come from resource extraction and processing. Transition towards circular and green economics need to start from planning phase. We are committed to UN’s SDG #12 by incorporating circular economy principles into all our operations. | Material Management % Recycling Rate % |
Social
| Focus Area | Finnair's commitment | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Providing safe, equitable and easily accessible service to a diverse clientele is the basis of high quality. We aim to make our services more accessible for everyone and are working continuously towards improvement. | Net Promoter Score Accessibility Net promoter Score |
| Employees | We take care of our employees by investing in their health care and safety as well as enabling opportunities for continuous learning. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all our employees, ensuring a fair and inclusive environment. We are a signatory to the FIBS Diversity Charter We are a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) initiative of UN Women. We are committed to SDG #5 about gender equality. | Lost Time Incident Frequency Employee Turnover Rate Employee Net Promoter Score Employee Training Hours Gender balance in top management |
| Supply chain | Global supply chains affect both people and the planet, shaping social conditions and environmental outcomes worldwide. We work to ensure our supply chain respects human rights and the environment, in line with EU and UN standards for responsible business conduct. | % of suppliers signed Finnair’s Supplier code of Conduct |
Governance
| Focus Area | Finnair's commitment | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics | Our ethical business principles are defined in the Finnair Code of Conduct. Our commitment to respecting human rights both in our own operations and in our value chain is described in the Policy Commitment to Human Rights. We are a participant in the United Nations Global Compact and a signatory to IATA’s resolution against trafficking in persons. | Number of incidents regarding human rights violation Number of incidents regarding unequal treatment |
| Risk management | We have implemented a systematic Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework and process, which is based on the COSO ERM framework. We aim to ensure efficient risk management and control. | Event Risk Classification |
| Reporting | The needs for transparent sustainability reporting are constantly evolving. Also, the language used needs to be coherent and common to ensure the stakeholders’ full understanding. We are continuously enhancing our external sustainability reporting to meet rising expectations from regulators, investors and other stakeholders. | |
| All stakeholders | Open discussion, co-operation and sharing of values among various social actors are the key to building sustainable societies. We are committed to SDG #9 about 'Industry, innovation, and infrastructure', meaning that we are venturing out of our traditional business to find solutions for our core sustainability issues. We are also committed to SDG #17, about 'Partnerships for the goals' as we are participating in cross-industry collaboration. |
What does science-based climate target mean?
Science-based climate target (SBTi) independently assesses companies’ climate goals to ensure they align with the latest climate science. Climate targets validated by the SBTi guide companies on how much and how quickly they need to reduce their carbon emissions to meet the Paris Agreement's goals – limiting global warming to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial levels.
The SBTi requires airlines to decarbonise within their own operations, which means no offsetting is included in achieving our mid-term target.
Finnair’s science-based target in detail
- Our SBTi target requires us to reduce our carbon emissions intensity (CO2e/RTK) by 34.5% by 2033, using 2023 as the baseline year. This target translates into an approximate 13% reduction in our absolute carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions over this period. The absolute emissions reduction is an estimated figure based on variables such as annual growth forecasts, which may change in the future.
- Carbon emissions intensity is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2e) emissions per revenue tonne kilometre (RTK), which is a measure of passenger and cargo payload carried by Finnair. In 2023, our carbon emissions intensity was 976 CO2e/RTK.
- The target encompasses 'well-to-wake' emissions that account for the complete lifecycle emissions from the jet fuel used by us, including direct emissions from the use of jet fuel in flight (scope 1) as well as indirect emissions from the extraction, production, and distribution of that fuel (scope 3, category 3).
- We will monitor and annually report our progress against the target to the SBTi and in our sustainability reports.
- Flying causes more than just carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions – it also produces other types of emissions that contribute to global warming. The most significant of these is the formation of contrails in the upper atmosphere. The contrail impacts have not been included in our climate targets, as there is still scientific uncertainty about their comparability and calculation, and reliable and scalable ways to reduce them are not yet available. Finnair is actively studying its impact from these emissions, possible mitigation measures, and will report about non-CO2 effects once more information becomes available.