Responsible business in a responsible way

Decreasing natural resources, rising population and urbanization, human rights violations, global warming - these are just a few examples of the challenges we face today. Their effects may not be overbearing yet, but they will grow more and more intense in the coming years.

Globally operating companies have great potential for developing new ways to mitigate the effects of these changes. But we are also in a unique position to practice what we preach and have a concrete influence on society and the environment by reducing our own emissions and waste, improving energy efficiency, promoting the use of renewable energy sources, and treating all people equally and with respect.

Vaisala is committed to making sure that both our products and operations are environmentally sustainable. But corporate responsibility is a lot more than a green calling - it means going well beyond what is required by law to do business in a responsible manner based on fairness and integrity.

For us, doing responsible business in a responsible way is a corporate priority. It is deeply rooted in the values that guide the way we operate. We take our responsibility for contributing to a more sustainable future seriously, and are proud to set an example with both our products and services, and the way we conduct our business.

 

2009 – the year of adaption

Vaisala has advanced corporate responsibility issues systematically since 2008. In 2009, our main priorities were to ingrain our values and code of conduct to our distributors and staff alike, increase the awareness of our responsibility efforts among our staff and other stakeholders, and to further increase the energy efficiency of our operations.

Although the current recession has had its impact on our business, we feel that corporate responsibility is not something we want to bargain with. We are going to stay focused and committed to a continuous path of learning and driving our business forward in a responsible manner.

 

Contributing to the fight against climate change

I believe that climate change is the main challenge of our time. It is also a truly global issue that cannot be tackled without unprecedented cooperation between the world's nations. This became particularly apparent as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Copenhagen last December, could not agree on bold and ambitious targets for emission reductions. It became evident that making collective decisions about our future will never be an easy exercise.

Estimates on how fast climate change will progress are based on modeling. In order to develop models that reflect reality and to understand how all the variables interact and influence one another, scientists need extremely accurate and representative information about atmospheric changes. As the leader in environmental measurement, Vaisala is in the best position to provide the demanding measurement solutions that climate change research needs, and we are proud to see our competence put to exceptionally good use. To share what we have achieved so far and to engage in the climate debate, Vaisala was present in Copenhagen, demonstrating our contributions to climate change research and the scientific community.

Our most important effort is the development of a reference radiosonde, a measurement device that will provide extremely precise information about atmospheric changes to help the international science community understand the dynamics of climate change. But many of our existing solutions, such as information generated by our global lightning detection capability, are also used for the same purpose.

 

Towards a better future

Vaisala's business and operations are continuously under further development, and Corporate Responsibility efforts are no exception. Though we are convinced we do a lot right, there is always room for improvement.

In 2010, we are looking forward to working with the Baltic Sea Action Group on its important mission of cleaning up the world's most polluted sea. Vaisala is committed to offering our expertise and support for a better future for the Baltic Sea. We also continue to endorse the UN Global Compact and see it as an important forum for driving ethical and environmental leadership. This report reflects our commitment to Global Compact and shows first hand how we bring these values into our everyday actions.

We aim to further develop the culture of sustainability in our organization through transparent reporting, engaging our employees, challenging current thinking and simply cherishing what we have already accomplished.

For more than 70 years now, Vaisala has demonstrated its expertise in measuring weather and other environmental phenomena. We plan to keep on making a difference and investing in a better future.

 

Kjell Forsén
President and CEO
Vaisala Oyj