Tallink to become the first shipping company to receive Sustainable Travel Finland label
Tallink Silja Oy has announced that the company has been the first shipping company to be granted the Sustainable Travel Finland label developed by Visit Finland and intended for companies active in the Finnish tourism sector as well as for the Finnish tourist regions. The Sustainable Travel Finland label granted to the company recognises that Tallink fully meets the economic, ecological, social as well as cultural sustainability criteria set out by Visit Finland.
”It was clear to us from the start that we wish to be a part of developing sustainable travel in Finland and spreading this message far and wide. We have fully met the various criteria of the label and have thoroughly acquainted ourselves with the Sustainable Travel Finland programme. Sustainable and responsible travel is the very lifeline to us as a shipping company and we are constantly striving to be better as there are always new heights to be reached and the work is ongoing”, commented Margus Schults, CEO of Tallink Silja OY, on the receiving the Sustainable Travel Finland label.
”Environment, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development are an important part of Tallink Silja operations. We are proud over the Sustainable Travel Finland label that we have been awarded. Responsibility for our environment is our common task, we are in this together and we hope that our example can inspire also other companies in the travel industry to join us to make travel more sustainable,” Schults continued.
The Finnish travel industry companies and travel regions who were granted the label have pledged to work together to make travel more sustainable. Every organisation has fulfilled the uniform set of criteria and put together a sustainable travel action plan and taken part in training.
”Coastal Finland and archipelago of the Baltic Sea are home or holiday destination to many Finns, and the awareness for the wellbeing of the Baltic Sea is growing. It is really impressive how Tallink Silja is taking care of the environment where they carry out their operations and their list of concrete actions to ensure sustainable travel is indeed extensive. Tallink Silja is an excellent example how corporate social responsibility can be the essential pillar of activities”, said Liisa Kokkarinen, Sustainable Travel project director, Visit Finland.
”To our international customers visiting Finland, now more than ever, sustainable travel is increasingly important for the future. For a long time, we have worked very hard on various fields within our industry to develop more sustainable products. At Visit Finland, we want to promote Finland internationally as a sustainable travel destination offering meaningful travel experiences to travellers across the globe for a long time to come”, commented Nina Tähtinen, Head of International Sales, Tallink Silja OY.
The Sustainable Travel Finland label along with its sustainable development agenda aims at developing the area of sustainable travel in Finland, promoting Finland better as a sustainable travel destination, helping travellers to choose their travel destinations, improving cooperation in the area of sustainable travel within the tourism sector, municipalities and other parties. So far, approximately 50 Finnish tourism sector companies or tourist regions in Finland have received the label.
AS Tallink Grupp is one of the leading providers of passenger transport and cargo transport services in the northern part of the Baltic Sea region. The company owns 15 vessels and operates seven ferry routes under the brand names of Tallink and Silja Line. AS Tallink Grupp employs over 6,000 people in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Russia and Germany. In 2019, Tallink Grupp provided services to 9.8 million travellers and transported approximately 380,000 freight units of goods. The shares of Tallink Grupp are listed on the Tallinn Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange.
