Global coating solutions provider Teknos has published its non-financial report for 2021. By publishing non-financial information, Teknos strives to provide transparency into the progress of its sustainability actions. 

The non-financial report describes the progress of Teknos’ sustainability actions defined in the Teknos Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program. Teknos’ CSR Program aims to create long-term added value to Teknos' stakeholders and has four focus areas: sustainable solutions and services, responsible operations and supply chain, people development, and future generations. 

Focus on measuring climate impact 

In 2021 Teknos worked to better understand its emissions impact. The work begun by calculating the carbon footprint of Teknos’ own operations, including company facilities and vehicles (Scope 1) as well as purchased electricity, heating, and cooling (Scope 2). Teknos continued working with innovation projects related to renewable raw materials and packaging solutions with lower environmental footprint. For example, Teknos joined SUSBINCO research consortium that aims to develop bio-based binders and coatings as well as launched a new product with the packaging containing 90% recycled plastic.

“In the coatings industry – like in all industries – reducing climate impact is a necessity. As resources become more and more scarce, we need to find solutions to make things last longer with balanced environmental footprint. In 2021, our focus was to understand our climate impact in small, quantifiable steps, which will enable us to improve our processes and collaboration further,” Paula Salastie, CEO of Teknos Group says.

Supporting hybrid work and well-being in the “new normal”

During the time of remote and hybrid work, Teknos focused on creating hybrid collaboration and placed special emphasis on employee well-being. Employee training, developing processes as well as working to attract and retain talent were part of this work. Training and engaging to more empowering leadership style was also a large part of developing Teknos Family culture in 2021.

“As a family-owned company, people are everything to us. Last year, we actively created different ways to engage people in the Teknos community and paid increased attention to coping at work. We enhanced hybrid work possibilities by introducing our first fully hybrid office in Poland, designed with employee well-being and environmental considerations in mind,” Salastie says. 

To positively contribute to local communities, Teknos continued developing local community actions in countries where Teknos has a presence. Additionally, Teknos launched its own worldwide donation program called Paying it Forward that focuses on enhancing the opportunities of children to have hobbies.

The sustainability journey continues

In 2021, Teknos was awarded with the EcoVadis Gold Recognition Level, placing Teknos in the top 5 percent of EcoVadis assessed companies. This recognition is an appreciation of Teknos’ sustainability efforts made so far. Teknos also linked some of its sustainability targets to its bank loan margin, which is another quantifiable step in the company’s sustainability work. 

“Journey to sustainability never ends. Our strategic focus is to mitigate climate impact, tackle raw material scarcity with new and long-lasting solutions as well as to ensure safety and well-being of our personnel. I want to thank all our employees, customers, and business partners for what we have achieved so far. The work towards our ambitious goals continues – together,” Salastie concludes.

Teknos non-financial statement 2021