The Port of Helsinki says that it achieved the target of making its own operations carbon neutral in January 2025. To reach this goal, the Port has implemented a variety of measures to reduce its energy consumption, in addition to procuring required energy from zero-carbon sources. The Port also purchases a small amount of voluntary carbon offset credits to compensate for its remaining climate emissions. Work for the climate continues in earnest.
“We have managed to minimise our own carbon dioxide emissions as a result of our climate work. This is an important milestone for us in our long-term work towards more sustainable shipping,” says the CEO of the Port of Helsinki Ville Haapasaari.
The Port of Helsinki set the goal of making its own operations carbon neutral back in 2019. The goal concerns the port company’s own emissions, which include emissions generated as a result of the heating and electricity used in the port area and buildings, the fuel consumption of the Port’s own vehicles and machinery, and business travel. During the carbon neutrality programme’s reference year of 2015, the port company generated 3,463 tonnes of carbon dioxide (t CO2). By the end of 2024, these emissions had decreased by 63%. The 2024 emissions were calculated using Helen’s 2023 specific emission factors.
The latest major change was that since the beginning of 2025, the district heating procured by the Port is also produced with renewable energy. With this change, the Port of Helsinki has implemented all the measures planned so far to achieve the emissions reduction targets set for its own operations. The remaining emissions, i.e. 2.6% of the emissions in the reference year, are compensated for with carbon offset credits. Carbon offset credits are part of a scheme in which generated carbon emissions are compensated for by reducing or sequestering a corresponding amount of emissions somewhere else.
It should be noted, however, that the concept of carbon neutrality has been clarified in recent years, calling into question whether carbon neutrality can be achieved through the use of carbon offset credits. As such, work to reduce offsetting continues, and the Port will continue to assess new opportunities to promote its sustainable development goals.
Compensating is the last resort
The Port of Helsinki follows the global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) standard in its emissions calculations.
The Port of Helsinki’s climate work as regards its own operations and procured energy is based on the principle of ‘avoid, reduce and compensate for emissions’. The order of priority of climate measures is:
1. reduce energy consumption;
2. procure necessary energy from low/zero-emission energy sources;
3. purchase carbon offset credits to compensate for remaining emissions.
To reduce energy consumption, the Port has improved the energy efficiency of its buildings, boosted the recycling and recovery of heating energy and switched to using LED lighting in harbour fields and properties. In addition to these measures, the Port has increased its own solar power generation.
The Port has been procuring its electricity from carbon-free sources since 2020.
As of the beginning of 2025, the Port of Helsinki has also switched to using renewable district heating, the origin of which is guaranteed with the Finnish Energy Authority’s Guarantee of Origin. In 2024, the Port acquired 8156 MWh of district heating, and it is believed that the amount of energy needed this year will decrease slightly.
After the above measures, a small amount of the Port’s carbon emissions, 91 t CO2 equivalent, still remains. While the Port’s vehicle fleet is almost fully electric, a small number of its vehicles are combustion engine vehicles due to security of supply reasons. In addition to these, the Port has fewer than 10 machines that generate emissions. The combustion engine vehicles and machines are powered by biofuel. Staff business trips also generate emissions.
As of the start of 2025, the Port of Helsinki switched to using carbon dioxide equivalents in its reporting, that take into account not only carbon dioxide but also the effects of other greenhouse gas emissions.
For all remaining emissions, the Port purchases voluntary carbon offset credits through Carboreal to invest in Finnish afforestation projects. In order to ensure full compensation, the Port adds an additional 10% to the amount of emissions compensated for.
Climate work is about cooperation
However, the Port’s own emissions represent only a small share of the total emissions generated in the port area. During the reference year of the carbon neutrality programme, they accounted for approximately 4% of the total emissions generated by the port area.
In recognition of this, the objectives of the Port’s climate work extend beyond the direct emissions from its own operations and resources and the emissions generated as a result of its energy consumption procured from elsewhere to the entire value chain, including shipping, machinery and heavy transport.
The Port of Helsinki’s operations also include major port infrastructure construction projects, the greenhouse gas emissions of which the Port actively strives to reduce. According to the GHG standard, construction emissions are part of the Port’s value chain emissions.