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Covenant of Mayors - Europe
News article5 January 2023

Cooperating with the private sector in Joensuu, Finland : Case Study

In 2015, Joensuu established the Climate Business Network to engage the private sector in the green transition and to help companies create more sustainable practices.

Joensuu

Joensuu is committed to becoming climate neutral by 2025. While helping citizens change their behaviour and develop sustainable practices remains key to the climate work done by the city, Joensuu knows that decarbonisation cannot be achieved without the support of private businesses and communities. Since Joensuu’s main emissions come from heating, road traffic and industrial machinery, the city has created climate communication networks and projects to encourage companies to participate in local climate work. One example is the Climate Business Network, launched in 2015. This Network aims to help companies create more sustainable practices to adapt their operations to the new framework and develop carbon-neutral solutions. 

In May 2021, the City of Joensuu launched a project to promote and further develop the Climate Business Network. By summer 2021, the number of local companies and communities in the network had grown to 40. To join the network, businesses sign a climate commitment with the city that lists several individual steps and target objectives to promote the reduction of GHG emissions.

These commitments contain measures such as actions to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy (mostly solar), sustainable commuting and recycling rates in the company, reducing waste production and water/electricity consumption, and developing sustainable solutions for customers. While each partner decides its own goals, staff at the Climate Business Network help customise each individual plan to adapt it to the needs of the community and the company. The network is coordinated and administered by the local authority’s Climate Coordinator, who is in charge of coordinating the city’s climate work to reach carbon neutrality. 

Find out more about the Climate Business in our latest Case Study on Joensuu, available in English and in Finnish in our Online Library!

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Publication date
5 January 2023