Sponda’s new sustainability programme published: an ambitious target of reaching a 60% share of energy class A or B properties this year

Sponda Ltd                              Press release                23 January 2026 at 9.30 am

Sponda’s new sustainability programme published: an ambitious target of reaching a 60% share of energy class A or B properties this year

Real estate investment company Sponda Ltd has published its sustainability programme for 2026–2028. As sustainability regulations undergo major transformation — and customer and stakeholder expectations to address sustainability and climate change issues continue to rise — Sponda is strengthening its response with more concrete and effective goals.

In Finland, buildings consume about 40% of all energy used. To reduce the energy consumption of its properties, Sponda’s goal is to raise 60% of its property portfolio to A or B energy classes – the highest categories in Finland – by the end of 2026. A more ambitious target of 70% is being targeted for its premium properties, most of which are located in Helsinki city centre.

Sponda’s updated sustainability programme continues to be built around four themes: environment, society, employees and good governance.

The programme strengthens its focus on the circular economy and biodiversity, reflecting their growing importance. It also emphasises ensuring due diligence related to human rights across the value chain. Occupational safety, employee well-being and professional development remain key topics in the programme. In addition, attention is focused on reducing emissions: Sponda’s properties already use emission-free energy, so the emphasis will now shift to the management of indirect emissions caused by construction projects and maintenance.

Progress of the previous sustainability programme

The updated goals are a natural continuation of Sponda’s previous sustainability programme, which saw the company achieve several significant milestones between 2023 and 2025:

• Sponda was ranked the most sustainable real‑estate company in Europe in its peer group in the 2025 GRESB assessment and has received a Global Sector Leader award every year since 2022.
• Sponda exceeded its Energy Efficiency Programme targets, cutting energy consumption by over 17% versus the 2016–2018 baseline.
• The proportion of buildings with energy performance ratings A or B rose to 44%, strengthening EU Taxonomy alignment.
• Environmental certification coverage and scoring increased and now span almost the entire portfolio (92%).
• Sponda switched to fully emission‑free energy, exceeding the science-based emission (SBTi) Scope 2 targets and reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 19,000 tonnes from 2022.

A strong foundation has also been built for the promotion of the circular economy and biodiversity. In recent years, Sponda has developed its circular economy processes in construction, for example, in Mannerheimintie 6.  In collaborative initiatives across the real estate sector, the biodiversity footprint of the manufacturing of materials used for the new Signe building was also assessed, and the circular economy of building-services components was developed.

“Sponda is recognized as one of the world’s leading real estate companies in sustainability, ranking as shared number one in the GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) assessment for four consecutive years. This recognition reflects not only our own ambitions but also the strong importance our customers place on sustainability. We continuously focus on improving energy efficiency and the overall performance metrics of our properties, supporting our clients in achieving their own sustainability goals. It’s been rewarding to see customer satisfaction grow, partly thanks to these efforts”, says Sponda’s CEO Christian Hohenthal.

“Sustainability regulation is currently in transition. For this reason, the importance of voluntary sustainability measures and commitments is growing, and the demands of our stakeholders, especially our customers, are increasingly driving this development. Sustainability is an essential part of our strategy, and this new programme builds on the success of recent years, making it even more integral to our operations. The publication of this new programme is an important moment and we are looking to working with our partners to build on the progress we have already made”, Pirkko Airaksinen, Sponda’s Head of ESG.

More information about Sponda’s new sustainability programme can be found on the linked page.

Sponda Ltd

Further information:
Anita Riikonen, Brand and Communications Manager, tel. 040 833 3804, anita.riikonen@sponda.fi

Sponda Oy 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 the sector’s best practices, sustainably enhancing the cityscape and the environment, and supporting its customers. www.sponda.fi