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.

In autumn 2021, Alma Media updated its climate targets, which cover greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) from the company’s own operations and from the subcontracting chain (Scope 3). The targets are in line with the Science Based Target initiative, which means that the company is committed to an initiative aimed at limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Alma Media is committed to reducing its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 52 percent by 2030 compared to year 2019. The emission reductions are particularly directed at reducing emissions from company cars and electricity, district heating and cooling of business premises. Alma Media is also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 14 per cent in its subcontracting chain (Scope 3), focusing on for example in newspaper and magazine printing and logistics procurement. Alma Media’s carbon footprint of its own operations is very low, and only four per cent of the greenhouse gases are generated by the company’s own operations and 96 per cent in the subcontracting chain.

Alma Media was the third media company in the world to set science-based climate targets in 2016. Alma Media’s tightened long-term targets were formally validated by the international Science Based Targets initiative organisation in June 2022.  Alma Media’s Board of Directors and the Group Management Team monitor the progress of the environmental responsibility objectives set out in the company’s sustainability program. The Group Management Team guides the unit management teams and the key personnel on an activity-by-function basis, such as experts responsible for procurement and office space planning. Alma Media’s business units have not received any penalties or annotations in their countries of operation for breaches of environmental laws or regulations.

The amount and development of direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) greenhouse gas emissions from the company’s continuing operations’ own energy consumption in 2016-2021 presented below

Alma Media also engages in active dialogue with its subcontractors to curb emissions and support Alma Media’s SBTi climate targets. Alma Media’s largest Scope 3 emission intensities are related to procured services of transport and distribution and newspaper and magazine printing.

Alma Media’s supply chain in Finland consists of approximately 2,000 subcontractors. The Group’s most significant subcontractors are certain ICT, printing and delivery suppliers. Continuous procurement from these suppliers correspond to 46 per cent of the Group’s procurements. Correspondingly, the share of procurements related to the content generation of all the procurements made 12 per cent in 2022. Alma Media’s total purchases from service or suppliers amount to approximately EUR 90 million annually.

Alma Media reports on its other indirect greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the International GHG- Protocol Guidelines. A breakdown of the Company’s Scope 3 emissions can be seen in the table below.

Alma Media’s year 2021 emission calculation complies with the International Energy Agency’s IEA country-specific emission factors, where no emission factor per energy producer has been available. For the years 2016-2022, a recalculation has been performed retrospectively in accordance with the IEA. The transition to calculation in accordance with the IEA Guidelines improves the reliability of the environmental figures reported by Alma Media and enables continuity. Alma Media’s monitoring of the achievement of SBTi targets also requires compliance with IEA standards. Scope 3 emissions consist primarily of CO2 emissions.