28.1.2022

Koja on the way to sustainability – Understanding environmental impact through emission calculations

At Koja, we want to be part of promoting a cleaner and healthier environment. We strive to develop our operation and solutions to support sustainable development. To increase our knowledge and understanding, we have carried out organisation-level emission calculations and determined the carbon footprint of selected products. 

Finland is targeting carbon neutrality by 2035. Companies, and especially industrial companies, play an important role in achieving this target. Workplaces need to be healthier and safer, raw material usage must be sensible, energy must be used effectively, all to fight climate change. 

Koja wants to support this goal, and its owner strategy sets a cleaner and healthier environment, as well as a smaller carbon footprint, as some of its targets. To verify the development of operation, it is necessary to increase knowledge and understanding, also within the company.

Emission calculations with Ramboll

Koja’s organisation-level emission calculations began in 2021 in cooperation with Ramboll. Organisation-level emissions for the Tampere operations for calendar year 2020 were calculated according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG).

The GHG method makes it possible to observe the results based on emission category, and the calculation is carried out systematically at a highly accurate level. The calculation reports direct emissions (scope 1) and indirect, purchase energy emissions (scope 2). Koja’s other significant indirect emissions (scope 3) were also identified in the value chain.

 “Through these calculations, we were able to identify the most significant sources of emissions, and how we can influence them. We are aiming for an annual, repeatable and comparable organisation-level emission calculation”, clarifies Koja Oy’s Quality & Development Director Johanna Kärki, who has worked with the sustainable development themes at the company for a long time.

Identifying products’ environmental impact using carbon footprint calculation

Alongside the emission calculations, the Future^® air conditioning units’ life cycle environmental impact was identified by calculating the products’ carbon footprint. This was also carried out in cooperation with Ramboll. These results will be used in the Future^®++ and Future^® S dimensioning programmes. 

The calculation was carried out using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods, particularly the Gabi life cycle modelling programme and the ISO 14067 standard (Greenhouse gases. Carbon footprint of products. Requirements and guidelines for quantification), as well as life cycle assessment standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The emissions factors were acquired directly from the material manufacturers or by using the Gabi and Ecoinvent emissions databases. 

Carbon roadmap to show the way

The experiences gained in this calculation have been encouraging, and the existing calculations will be continued to update at Tampere and expand to cover the operation at Jalasjärvi. 

As a larger project, the Koja Oy carbon roadmap will be initiated. A properly implemented carbon roadmap will function as a comprehensive guideline on Koja’s journey to its emissions savings target. Carbon footprint reporting will also see further development, and LCA calculations for process fans will be initiated.

"I’m excited for us at Koja to determine and schedule the emission reduction actions on the roadmap, as well as to create the indicators for monitoring them. This is a good place to continue from”, says Johanna Kärki.