Sponda achieves its climate target five years early – now all of the company’s properties operate with emission-free energy
Sponda Ltd Press release 28 January 2025 at 10.00 am
Sponda achieves its climate target five years early – now all of the company’s properties operate with emission-free energy
Sponda Ltd, one of Finland’s leading real estate asset management companies, has achieved its carbon neutrality target for the energy consumption of its properties five years earlier than originally planned.
Adopting an even more ambitious approach in its sustainability work, the company brought its climate target forward by five years in 2023, from 2030 to 2025. As of January 2025, all of the company’s nearly one hundred properties now operate entirely using emission-free energy sources.
Sponda has achieved its goal of eliminating both scope 1 and 2 emissions from its buildings’ energy consumption (i.e. direct and indirect emissions generated by the company’s operations). According to market-based calculations, the achievement of this climate target means an annual reduction of approximately 54,000 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions.
To achieve its ambitious 2025 climate target, Sponda switched to completely emission-free and mainly renewable energy across its portfolio, increased the on-site production of renewable energy, and reduced the total amount of energy consumed by its properties.
Sponda’s goal is to raise the energy classification (EPC) of the majority of its properties to the top 15 percent in Finland according to the EU taxonomy criteria and thus contribute to mitigating climate change.
“Sponda is internationally recognised for its sustainability efforts, and we are proud of the investments we have made to improve the energy efficiency of our properties and ensure our portfolio is emission free in its operations. In 2024, we invested over 10 million euros in renovation projects that were aligned with EU taxonomy and our wider energy efficiency initiatives. Across our 800,000 square metre portfolio, the use of completely emission-free energy is a significant achievement for us, and with sustainability becoming increasingly important for our customers, our premises are also supporting tenants to achieve their own climate goals,” says Sponda’s CEO Christian Hohenthal.
In accordance with the objectives set in its Climate Roadmap, Sponda only procures renewable wind electricity, renewable district heat and emission-free district cooling for its properties. Sponda’s properties also produce renewable energy using solar panels, heat pumps and geothermal heat.
Sponda’s shopping centres, and a significant proportion of its properties in the centre of Helsinki, have operated with zero-emission energy since 2023, and Sponda has purchased renewable wind power for all of its properties since 2022.
According to Sponda’s energy efficiency program, the company aims to reduce the energy consumption of its properties by 20% by 2030. In 2024 Sponda had reduced the energy consumption of its property stock by over 14% compared to the average for 2016-2018. This was achieved through annual energy efficiency measures, resulting in a reduction of almost 7,000 MWh in 2024.
In the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) 2024 sustainability assessment, Sponda was ranked as the most sustainable real estate company in Europe in its category, and globally the company shared first place as a global sector leader.
Sponda’s climate targets have been approved by the Science-Based Targets (SBTi) initiative, and the company’s goal is to reduce all emissions by at least 46.2% by 2030. This objective also covers indirect scope 3 emissions from the value chain, including construction projects and property maintenance.
Sponda Ltd
Further information:
Anita Riikonen, Brand and Communications Manager, tel. +358 40 833 3804, anita.riikonen@sponda.fi
Sponda Ltd is a leading real estate asset management company in Finland specialising in owning, managing, developing and letting commercial properties in the largest cities across the country. With a focus on customer-oriented solutions and high-quality properties, Sponda is actively developing best practice in the sector, enhancing the cityscape in a sustainable way and supporting its customers.