Material recycling and recovery play a central role in Tormets’ sustainability efforts. Personnel well-being and the entire company’s function as industry’s strategic and reliable partner also demonstrate the practical measures through which the company implements its responsibility. These are evident in Tormets’ sustainability report for 2024.
The systematic monitoring and reporting of sustainability that began in 2023 show that Tormets is on the right path in developing its operations.
“Responsibility is built in as an essential part of both our company’s strategy and daily operations. By committing to responsibility, we want to guarantee our employees a safe and responsible workplace that also takes responsibility for its environment. Additionally, ensuring regional well-being is important to us,” says Ella Rantamaa, who compiled the sustainability report.
The sustainability report has been prepared according to standards intended for medium-sized companies and is consistent with the directive in force in EU countries. Reporting is voluntary for companies.
Own Operations Carbon Footprint Decreased
“During the year, we have made progress in reducing our climate impacts and especially in increasing recycling and recovery rates. We have continued improving energy efficiency and moved toward emission-free solutions even more broadly. Reducing our carbon footprint has been determined, and we are constantly moving to a better position in emissions reduction,” explains CEO Antti Valta.
Tormets’ environmental impacts from its own operations are quite minor compared to the emissions of the entire steel products procurement and supply chain. In Tormets’ own operations, emissions arise almost exclusively from the use of fuels and purchased district heating. Their share of the entire production chain’s emissions in 2024 was 26 percent. This was two percentage points less than the year before. Of the approximately 38 tons of material from operational side streams, 90 percent was directed to recovery use.
“Our goal is to raise the raw material recycling rate to 50 percent and the recovery rate to 95 percent by the end of 2027,” states Antti Valta.
The company can best influence the entire supply chain’s carbon footprint through efficient use of materials and by manufacturing products and providing services that enable customer companies to reduce their energy consumption and achieve the longest possible lifecycle for their machines and equipment.
“We are part of a broad cooperation network where responsibility is required from all parties. Good practical examples include emission-free welding gases supplied by Oy Linde Gas Ab. Another environmentally saving solution is work clothes supplied by Lindström, whose washing is handled by Lindström in an environmentally friendly manner in their biogas-powered laundry,” says Antti Valta.
Personnel Commitment at Top Level
In addition to the environment, productive work has been done at Tormets for personnel well-being. Employing approximately 90 people permanently, Tormets is a significant employer in Tornio that wants to bear responsibility regionally as well. In practice, this is visible through favoring local companies and service providers, as well as offering meaningful summer work to more than ten young people from the nearby area. The whole also includes financial responsibility: this would not be possible without profitable business conducted in the spirit of fair play.
Based on a personnel survey conducted in 2024, Tormets personnel’s satisfaction with the work community has increased slightly compared to previous years’ results.
“Personnel work capacity is slightly better than the industry average, while stress levels are slightly lower than average. Compared to the industry average, commitment to the employer is top-class for us – we are particularly proud of this,” notes Antti Valta.
Links:
Tormets Oy sustainability report 2024 (in Finnish)
Summary of the 2024 sustainability report (in Finnish)
