According to the Sustainability in Finland 2025 Survey published today, only 30% of large and medium-sized Finnish companies have set nature targets for their operations and less than half have set a net zero target for their greenhouse gas emissions. In spite of this, 64% of companies feel that their sustainability targets are fully or fairly adequate in relation to the sustainability transition change the world needs. In contrast, diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), as well as human rights, are increasingly on the corporate agenda. Sustainability is also already clearly driving business strategy, innovation and investment.
According to the Sustainability in Finland 2025 Survey, Finnish companies’ environmental performance targets are below the level required by international agreements.
64% of companies that responded to the survey consider that their sustainability targets are fully or fairly adequate in relation to the sustainability change the world needs. The majority (79%) believe that their business will ensure better living conditions for future generations and ecosystems. Almost 80% also report that they have been successful in reducing their total overall greenhouse gas emissions, based on their measurements.
However, companies’ environmental targets are not yet in line with the goals set by international agreements, such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework: Only one in three have set nature targets for their business, and even fewer (14%) say they aim to be nature-positive by 2050. Less than half have set a net zero target and only one in four say they will reach the net zero target by 2035 in line with Finland’s national carbon neutrality target.
According to corporate responsibility network FIBS CEO Kimmo Lipponen, the pace of action by Finnish companies to combat environmental and climate challenges is, based on the survey, too slow.
”Achieving the globally world’s commonly agreed climate and nature targets requires our companies to take faster and bolder actions than they are currently taking. One reason for the delays is likely to be money, with short-term economic interests often taking precedence over longer-term environmental and social targets. The sustainability transition therefore requires clear incentives for sustainable business while simultaneously addressing economic profitability and sustainability issues.”
Finnish companies are broadly committed to promoting DEI – Also more emphasis is being placed on human rights work
While especially in the USA some companies have announced over the past year that they are reducing their DEI (diversity, equality, inclusion) programmes, the Sustainability in Finland 2025 Survey shows that in Finland the trend is different.
Almost all (95%) of the companies that responded to the survey say they are committed to promoting DEI themes in their operations. An even greater number of senior management in companies, i.e. 77% (66% in 2023), are publicly committed to promoting DEI. However, while the vast majority say they have taken concrete actions towards DEI, only one in two companies have set quantitative or qualitative targets.
More and more Finnish companies are taking also human rights into account: 87% of companies are committed to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the vast majority of companies (75%) have top management publicly committed to promoting human rights (64% in 2023), and one in two companies already carry out human rights risk analyses, compared to less than a third two years ago.
Sustainability is already a strong driver of business strategy, innovation and investment
According to the Sustainability in Finland 2025 Survey, Finnish companies are willing to make adjustments to their product and service ranges and business models to promote sustainable development.
Already, 76% of companies say they have produced innovations to address the challenges of sustainable development, and even more (87%) say they have at least partially adapted their product or service offering to align with sustainable development. More than half say their company has products and services that promote sustainable development.
Four out of five companies (79%) have made investments where sustainability is the main driver, and 40% have refrained from making investments that are contrary to sustainability. As many as three out of four companies say they have changed their business model at least partly to be more sustainable, and more than half say their entire business strategy is built to support sustainable development goals.
About the survey
The Sustainability in Finland 2025 Survey was answered by 183 CEOs and corporate sustainability managers or heads of corporate sustainability in large and medium-sized companies. 24% of respondents were listed companies. The survey could be answered either via a telephone interview or an electronic questionnaire in Finnish or English. The data collection was carried out between 7.11.2024 and 31.1.2025. The survey was conducted by Innolink on behalf of FIBS (Finnish Business & Society).
In addition to companies’ environmental, DEI and human rights work, the survey also looked at, among other things, how sustainability is addressed by companies’ management teams and boards, whether companies are engaged in political lobbying and whether companies have sufficient expertise to address the growing sustainability and responsibility challenges.
The Sustainability in Finland 2025 Survey, conducted by FIBS (Finnish Business & Society), is Finland’s largest survey on the state, challenges and future targets of corporate sustainability. FIBS has been conducting the survey since 2013. Surveys from previous years can be found in the FIBS newsroom.
The executive summary of the survey in English is available to all and can be downloaded from the FIBS website in June 2025.
More information
Kimmo Lipponen, CEO, FIBS, tel. +358 40 758 7247, kimmo.lipponen@fibsry.fi
Key terms used in the press release
Carbon neutral: Carbon neutrality refers to producing no more carbon dioxide emissions than can be sequestered from the atmosphere into carbon sinks.
DEI: Diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI programmes aim to promote practices that are fair, inclusive and respectful to all practices in workplaces. DEI is part of an organisation’s social responsibility.
Ecosystem: A functional entity of organisms and inanimate environmental factors in a relatively homogenous natural area.
Environmental targets: Targets aimed at reducing the negative environmental impacts of business operations. They may focus, for example, on cutting emissions or conserving natural resources. These targets are often monitored using metrics that help assess progress and guide actions toward stronger sustainability.
Finland’s carbon neutrality target: The target is defined in Finland’s national climate and energy strategy ’Carbon-neutral Finland 2035’. The strategy outlines the actions Finland will take to meet the targets set by the EU’s climate law. More information
Greenhouse gas emissions: Greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide occur naturally in the atmosphere, but human activities contribute to their accumulation. As a result, the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere is intensifying and changing the climate, leading to heat waves, floods and other extreme climate phenomena. The European climate law has set targets to significantly reduce emissions by 2030 and achieve a net-zero target by 2050.
Human rights: Human rights are fundamental and universal rights that belong to every human being. Human rights in business include eg. safe working conditions, a wage sufficient to live on, freedom of association and the right to non-discrimination and privacy.
Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework: Global targets that aim to protect and restore nature for present and future generations and to ensure sustainable use of nature. More information
Nature-positivity: Refers to business activities that enhance biodiversity and support ecosystem services rather than degrading them.
Nature targets: By setting nature targets, companies can measure and assess the impact of their business on nature. Nature targets can be set using, for example, the international Science Based Targets for Nature guidelines.
Net zero targets: Net zero refers to a situation where greenhouse gas emissions and their removals are in balance. Striving for net zero is achieved primarily by reducing emissions and secondarily by offsetting them. The typical target year for net zero is 2050. More information
The Paris Climate Agreement: An international, legally binding agreement on climate change. Its aim is to keep the global average temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times and to work towards measures to limit warming to less than 1.5 degrees. More information
Sustainability transition: A holistic process, occurring simultaneously in many areas of life, towards a more environmentally-friendly and equal society and future.
Sustainability targets: Includes the organisation’s environmental, socialpeople and good governance targets.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: The principles provide guidance to companies to help them prevent human rights abuses in their supply chains and remedy any shortcomings. More Information
