Responsibility at A-Kruunu

Responsibility is part of A-Kruunu’s core activities and strategy.
We base our responsibility programme on megatrends related to the operating environment, stakeholder expectations and ethical principles.

Responsibility refers to the responsibility for the people who live in our apartments and the people who work for us. Responsibility means responsibility for the environment, such as influencing the energy consumption of properties and promoting the construction of wooden apartment blocks. Responsibility refers to responsibility for the quality of construction and design. Responsibility also includes financial responsibility and compliance with responsible, transparent and ethical operating principles in the subcontracting chains as well.

Corporate responsibility

Responsibility is an essential part of A-Kruunu's core activities and strategy. Our new responsibility programme is built around four themes: Enabling comfortable and safe living, building a sustainable urban environment, supporting social development, and investing in our work network.

The corporate responsibility report tracks the implementation of corporate responsibility work in 2022, reports on the measures taken and the objectives achieved. The 2022 report shows that we managed to achieve almost all the objectives we set, despite the situation with coronavirus. We will update our objectives along the way and we believe that change will happen by taking small and big actions.

Check out the corporate responsibility report, which can be accessed via the link below (the report is in Finnish): A-Kruunun yritysvastuuraportti 2022.

More information:

Administrative Manager Riikka Vitakoski, tel. 050527 0795
Managing Director Jari Mäkimattila, tel. 040755 3924
Our emails are in the form firstname.lastname@a-kruunu.fi

Being prepared for the megatrends enables us to better respond to future challenges. In the real estate sector, the current megatrends of importance include climate change and digitalisation. In addition to these, we have identified three other megatrends that have an essential impact on our activities now and in the future: urbanisation, demographic change and change in lifestyles.

Climate change mitigation requires major emission reductions and significant changes, especially in urban structures, both in buildings and construction. In the real estate sector, the importance of energy efficiency in particular is increasing.

Digitalisation will change the way we operate as it makes the collection and rapid analysis of huge amounts of data easier. New opportunities will arise for construction planning and automation of property maintenance, and the number of service channels will also increase.

Urbanisation will bring more and more people to live in cities, making the urban environment more compact. To keep the living and operating conditions good, cities must be sustainable in terms of infrastructure, governance and operation. As housing areas become more compact, the popularity of shared facilities in particular will increase.

Factors contributing to demographic change include changes in family types and the increase in the proportion of older people. Regional and social inequality is also increasing, which will increase the need for affordable housing.

The change in personal lifestyles will shape the expectations of the residents. New generations think differently, communality will increase, and the sharing economy will become more common. People want to borrow products and services instead of owning them, which will increase the demand for services related to housing.

The megatrends are challenged by so-called wild cards, or things happening relatively suddenly that may change directions of development within the sector. The coronavirus that spread to Europe in spring 2020 can be considered a wild card that makes the overall picture of the future unclear. In the real estate sector, the pandemic may have a long-term impact on construction, housing services and financing in particular.

A-Kruunu operates on a long-term basis, follows the good practices of the sector and complies with the guidelines defined in the ownership policy of state-owned companies. Our operations are based on ethical principles approved by the Government. We also strive, within our sphere of influence, to ensure that our subcontractors commit to these ethical principles.

Merkki

We comply with the laws
and regulations

Portfolio

We follow reliable,
ethical and honest
business practices

Kädet

We respect and endorse human rights
and the fundamental rights at work
as defined by the ILO

Kädet

We comply with the laws and decrees
on equality and exercise non-discriminate,
equal treatment

Chatti

We respect the fundamental rights of employees, s
uch as the right to negotiate
their employment contract

Henkilökortti

We guarantee safe and healthy
working conditions
for our employees

Salaus

We avoid
conflicts of interest

Raha

We do not apply
unethical business practices,
and we do not approve of or pay bribes

Maapallo

We do not burden
the environment with our operations,
and we promote sustainable development

Yhteisö

We also expect
our partners to follow
these principles

We consider open dialogue with our stakeholders important. We develop our activities based on stakeholder views and expectations, so it is important for us to know what the stakeholders expect from us. Regular cooperation with stakeholders also increases the transparency of operations and maintains the development of such collaboration.

We have identified seven stakeholder groups that we consider the most important for us, and communicate with them almost on a daily basis. We have also identified the main expectations and concerns these stakeholders have. These wishes and expectations serve as starting points for our corporate responsibility work.

	Our customers expect us to provide high-quality, sustainable, affordable and comfortable housing in good locations. The importance of good customer service, accessibility and ease of finding information also becomes emphasised. Active residents in particular expect to be given opportunities to influence and they expect us to encourage them to engage in activities carried out by the residents. We ensure provision of affordable housing, and we continuously develop our services. We give our inhabitants an opportunity to influence through resident democracy.
	Our employees expect stable and safe jobs, interesting work tasks and opportunities to develop at work. We are also expected to make investments in occupational well-being and safety. We listen to our staff daily and conduct regular development discussions. We continuously develop occupational safety and well-being at work.
	We are a state-owned company with a special assignment operating under the guidance of the Ministry of the Environment. Objectives have been set for our activities in terms of, for example, the volume of housing production and regional distribution. In addition, our owner expects us to promote wood construction and innovations as well as to work towards a circular economy and low carbon future. The implementation of our strategy and goals is monitored through ownership steering and general meetings.
	The Housing Finance and Development Centre (ARA) is an agency operating under the Ministry of the Environment, which is responsible for the implementation of the state housing policy by means of providing assistance and support and guaranteeing housing and construction. ARA expects us to promote sustainable, affordable high-quality housing. We are also expected to engage in good cooperation in various projects aimed at developing housing.
	Our partners include financial institutions, contractors, planners, building service companies, and providers of financial administration and ICT services. They expect good cooperation, continuity, clear indication of direction and reliability. In cooperation, emphasis also lies on compliance with common rules and agreements, and keeping commitments. We communicate with our partners through various channels, organise cooperation meetings and ensure good contract management.
	Municipalities and cities play a significant role in our operations, for example, in the transfer of plots, supporting the projects, construction supervision and the supervision of the selection of residents. Municipalities, cities and state authorities expect us to comply with the relevant laws and guidelines and to be clear in our communications. We take care of regular reporting and communication through different channels.
	We engage in versatile network cooperation with many operators in the field. We are involved in the activities of organisations within the sector. The purpose of network cooperation is to share information and create good common practices and solutions for the sector. In the cooperation, open communication and participation in public discussion plays an important role. We participate in several network events and meetings each year.

The corporate responsibility programme of A-Kruunu is based on megatrends related to the operating environment, stakeholder expectations and ethical principles. Based on these starting points and the social, environmental and economic impacts of our activities, we have identified the four most important themes around which our corporate responsibility programme is built: we enable comfortable and safe living, we build sustainable urban environments, we support social development and we invest in the work community.

We monitor these corporate responsibility themes from various perspectives. For each theme and perspective, we have defined their own corporate responsibility goals, which will enable us to further develop our operations, and to assess our activities in the future. In addition to our own corporate responsibility goals, we are committed to endorsing all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, of which we have identified 13 as being the most essential goals for us.

WE ENABLE
COMFORTABLE AND
SAFE LIVING

Our intention is to produce comfortable and safe housing for those who need it. As a responsible landlord, we take care of our residents, monitor their level of satisfaction and ensure the provision of good housing comfort and safety. We give our inhabitants an opportunity to influence through resident democracy.

WE BUILD
SUSTAINABLE URBAN
ENVIRONMENTS

We support cities in the achievement of their environmental responsibility and low-carbon targets and promote wood construction, low carbon technologies, circular economy and innovations. We build functional urban environments with a high-standard urban image that are socially, ecologically and economically sustainable. We are involved in the implementation of sustainable, high-quality regional entities.

WE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE
SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT

We want to support social growth and development by offering affordable and low-carbon rental housing to households with the highest need for such housing. We are a responsible partner – we operate reliably and ethically and take care that our subcontractor chain also acts responsibly.

WE INVEST IN
THE WORK COMMUNITY

Our employees are our most important resource. Therefore, we take care of our employees’ well-being at work and occupational safety and take action to improve their job satisfaction. We give our employees opportunities to develop their competence.

In 2015, the UN Member States committed themselves to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an aim to steer the achievement of sustainable development goals in 2016–2030. We are committed to supporting all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our acts of responsibility are linked to 13 goals in particular, and they are integrated into A-Kruunu's management, strategy and daily operations.

We offer affordable housing and thus guarantee a fundamental right to a dwelling also to those who, according to national definitions, live in poverty.

We promote people's mental health and well-being by guaranteeing a safe home also for those at risk of marginalisation.

We continuously develop our employees' working life skills and professional and technical skills.

We ensure that all our employees are treated equally and guarantee them effective opportunities to participate at all levels of decision-making.

We increase the share of renewable energy among our sources of energy as far as possible.

We guarantee a safe working environment and ensure decent work and equal pay for work of equal value.

We renew infrastructure in line with the SDGs by promoting innovation in construction.

We reduce inequality by offering affordable housing and by promoting residents' participation through resident democracy.

We contribute to ensuring that everyone will have access to sufficient, safe and affordable housing by 2030.

We aim to achieve sustainable and efficient use of natural resources by promoting sustainable public procurement practices.

We take urgent action against climate change by promoting increasingly sustainable housing production.

We take action to safeguard biodiversity in sites where biodiversity has been recognised as being of great importance.

We promote the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by cooperating with both society and various operators.

In addition to long-term responsibility promises, we have defined more detailed goals for 2020-2022. We monitor the progress of our corporate responsibility work annually.

	Corporate responsibility promises 2030	Goals for 2020–2030
WE ENABLE COMFORTABLE AND SAFE LIVING	Corporate responsibility promises 2030 A-Kruunu apartments have satisfied residents and a high utilisation rate.	Goals for 2020–2030 We conduct a resident survey annually and achieve the targets set for it We have at least one ongoing project aimed at improving resident satisfaction every year We draw up a service promise to deal with disruptions We organise at least one resident meeting/residential building unit/year We develop resident communications every year and achieve the targets set for it We encourage our residents to live sustainably by means of communication and campaigns
WE ARE BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENT	Corporate responsibility promises 2030 In terms of wood construction, we are Finland's leading non-profit developer and a carbon-neutral operator	Goals for 2020–2030 We have at least three ongoing innovation projects each year At least 15% of projects starting after the beginning of 2021 will be made of wood. We increase our own renewable energy production We monitor the energy consumption, water use, and carbon dioxide emissions of our property stock and the amount of waste generated on an annual basis We take action to promote recycling, launch recycling campaigns, reduce the amount of mixed waste generated annually, and introduce plastic collection in properties where this is possible. We reduce the total amount of waste generated. 100% of our properties are located near public transport connections and services We are exploring the opportunities to use environmental classification and green funding
WE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT	Corporate responsibility promises 2030 By 2030, we have built more than 7,500 apartments	Goals for 2020–2030 We will build 800 apartments every year from 2021 forward (670 apartments in 2020) We keep A-Kruunu's rental level at least 15% lower than the non-subsidized market rent on average We study and report our tax footprint annually Every year, we conduct grey economy inspections at all our building sites (100%) We automate the monitoring of the realisation of client liability
WE INVEST IN THE WORK COMMUNITY	Corporate responsibility promises 2030 We are a well-known and respected employer	Goals for 2020–2030 We will implement our first well-being at work survey We organise at least one event to promote well-being at work each year 100% of our employees are provided induction training, and development discussions are held annually for all employees All employees have an opportunity to participate in at least one training course each year

Corporate responsibility promises 2030

Goals for 2020–2030

WE ENABLE COMFORTABLE AND SAFE LIVING

MAHDOLLISTAMME VIIHTYISÄN JA TURVALLISEN ASUMISEN

Corporate responsibility promises 2030

A-Kruunu apartments have satisfied residents and a high utilisation rate.

Goals for 2020–2030

We conduct a resident survey annually and achieve the targets set for it
We have at least one ongoing project aimed at improving resident satisfaction every year
We draw up a service promise to deal with disruptions
We organise at least one resident meeting/residential building unit/year
We develop resident communications every year and achieve the targets set for it
We encourage our residents to live sustainably by means of communication and campaigns

WE ARE BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

RAKENNAMME KESTÄVÄÄ KAUPUNKI- YMPÄRISTÖÄ

Corporate responsibility promises 2030

In terms of wood construction, we are Finland's leading non-profit developer and a carbon-neutral operator

Goals for 2020–2030

We have at least three ongoing innovation projects each year
At least 15% of projects starting after the beginning of 2021 will be made of wood.
We increase our own renewable energy production
We monitor the energy consumption, water use, and carbon dioxide emissions of our property stock and the amount of waste generated on an annual basis
We take action to promote recycling, launch recycling campaigns, reduce the amount of mixed waste generated annually, and introduce plastic collection in properties where this is possible. We reduce the total amount of waste generated.
100% of our properties are located near public transport connections and services
We are exploring the opportunities to use environmental classification and green funding

WE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

TUEMME YHTEISKUNNALLISTA KEHITYSTÄ

Corporate responsibility promises 2030

By 2030, we have built more than 7,500 apartments

Goals for 2020–2030

We will build 800 apartments every year from 2021 forward (670 apartments in 2020)
We keep A-Kruunu's rental level at least 15% lower than the non-subsidized market rent on average
We study and report our tax footprint annually
Every year, we conduct grey economy inspections at all our building sites (100%)
We automate the monitoring of the realisation of client liability

WE INVEST IN THE WORK COMMUNITY

PANOSTAMME TYÖYHTEISÖÖN

Corporate responsibility promises 2030

We are a well-known and respected employer

Goals for 2020–2030

We will implement our first well-being at work survey
We organise at least one event to promote well-being at work each year
100% of our employees are provided induction training, and development discussions are held annually for all employees
All employees have an opportunity to participate in at least one training course each year

Corporate responsibility is highlighted in A-Kruunu's news and blog from the perspective of sustainable development and climate change, for example. On this page, you can find links to news and blog posts written by visiting experts.

Please note that the articles are in Finnish.

29.03.2023

Responsibility at A-Kruunu

WE ENABLE COMFORTABLE AND SAFE LIVING

WE BUILD SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENTS

WE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

WE INVEST IN THE WORK COMMUNITY

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Sustainable development

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WE ENABLE
COMFORTABLE AND
SAFE LIVING

WE BUILD
SUSTAINABLE URBAN
ENVIRONMENTS

WE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE
SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT

WE INVEST IN
THE WORK COMMUNITY

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