Environmental Responsibility Programme

18.8.2020

Our goal is to be carbon neutral by 2025.

Our Environmental Responsibility Programme applies to all the Finnish Student Sports Federation’s (OLL) operations. With this programme, OLL aims to reduce its carbon footprint step by step and to be a carbon neutral organisation by 2025.

Summary

Climate change, overconsumption of natural resources, loss of biodiversity and littering in nature are the greatest disasters of our time and the future. There must be no areas of society that are exempt from controlling climate change and protecting the environment. That is why the operations of the Finnish Student Sports Federation (OLL) must also be examined and modified.

We calculated the Finnish Student Sports Federation’s carbon footprint in 2018 for our Environmental Responsibility Programme. The calculations began in the autumn of 2019. In 2018, our carbon footprint was 55,151 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). The first goal of the programme is for 2021, when we aim to have halved our carbon footprint. We will get the first results in 2022, once we have calculated the carbon footprint for 2021. We aim to be carbon neutral by 2025.

Our Environmental Responsibility Programme applies to all our operations. The programme is divided into three sections: Events, The OLL office and International student sports organisations and networks. In the programme, we also explain what we mean by environmentally friendly and responsible food. At the end of the programme, we have included examples to help with calls for tenders.

These are some examples of the changes included in the programme:

At sporting events, we aim to improve recycling and increase the number of environmentally friendly choices by educating organisers and imposing certain demands on them. We do the same with the international sector, but in this context we collaborate with the unions. At our training events, we aim to make choices that reduce our carbon footprint. These choices are particularly focused on greener travel, food with a small carbon footprint and an increased use of remote participation.

In terms of the OLL office, the most significant changes relate to our purchases. We will always carefully examine the need to purchase new things. In tenders, an environmentally friendly approach is an advantage. For the energy solutions at the office, we will encourage switching both the electricity and the heating to renewable energy.

We aim to act according to the following principles:
– Save money and the environment
– Make sustainable choices
– Educate, encourage and inspire
– Take advice and ideas on board.

Environmental Responsibility Programme

1. Introduction

For our Environmental Responsibility Programme, we calculated OLL’s carbon footprint for 2018. The calculations began in the autumn of 2019. In 2018, our carbon footprint was 55,151 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Our goal is to halve our carbon footprint by the end of 2021 and to be a carbon neutral organisation by 2025. We will get the first results in 2022, once we have calculated the carbon footprint for 2021.

The Finnish Student Sports Federation supports its member organisations in organising environmentally responsible events and other activities, for example by offering or recommending suitable training.

Changes can be made to these regulations at a Board meeting of the Finnish Student Sports Federation with simple majority of the votes cast. The changes must be based on scientific data on climate change, overconsumption of natural resources, loss of biodiversity and littering in nature.

The OLL Board will review the Environmental Responsibility Programme every year and update it as required.

This Environmental Responsibility Programme was approved at the Board meeting of the Finnish Student Sports Federation on 21 April 2020.

Events

2. The Finnish Student Championships (FSC) and other sporting events coordinated by OLL

2.1 Waste

We mainly aim to reduce waste through our consumption choices. At least metal, glass, cardboard, paper, organic waste and drinks containers should be recycled. Drinks containers should be returned for a deposit, and plastic should be recycled whenever possible. Other waste should be recycled correctly. Currently, the options for recycling at events are often limited to mixed waste and drinks containers with a deposit.

2.2. Kiosk products

Many of the FSC organisers raise money for their own activities by running a kiosk. The kiosks often sell things like coffee, tea, soft drinks, ham and cheese sandwiches, brownies, sausages and meat pasties. We expect organisers to primarily favour completely plant-based products and to serve locally sourced fish as a secondary option. No meat (except for fish and insects) should be bought for or served at the events. Dairy products should be avoided as much as possible. Find out more in the section “Environmentally friendly and responsible food products”.

2.3. Transport

Events should be organised in locations with good public transport links, and participants should be informed about these transport links. If this is not possible, the event organiser must make other plans for reducing the emissions caused by traffic. This could include organising shared transport and favouring car sharing.

2.4. Prizes

When purchasing medals and other prizes, organisers should favour the most environmentally friendly tender.

2.5. Other measures

We encourage competition organisers to innovate new ways to reduce their carbon footprint and protect biodiversity. We will share good practices with the event organisers. We will support organisers in being environmentally friendly, and exemplary partners can be rewarded with an award or in some other suitable way.

3. SELL Student Games

3.1. Restaurant and kiosk services

The restaurant and kiosk services at the SELL Student Games must become more environmentally friendly. In terms of the food that is served and sold at these events, there should primarily only be plant-based products available, with a secondary option to serve locally sourced fish. Serving and selling meat products should be avoided (except for fish and insects). Dairy products should be avoided as much as possible. Environmental impact should be considered when comparing tenders from food establishments. Find out more in the section “Environmentally friendly and responsible food products”.

3.2. Gifts and merchandise

The need for gifts and merchandise should be assessed critically. If they are needed, the chosen items should be ecological, of good quality, useful and recyclable. Many of the gifts that are currently given to participants, volunteers or partners are useless, disposable or of poor quality.

4. Training, General Assemblies and other events organised by OLL

4.1. Transport

Events will be organised in locations with good public transport links, or we will organise shared transport. Participants will be informed about these options. We also aim to enable people to participate in the events remotely.

4.2. Food

Primarily, we will favour completely plant-based products and serve locally sourced fish as a secondary option. We will not buy any meat (except for fish and insects) or serve it at events. We will avoid dairy products as much as possible. We will consider the environmental impact when comparing tenders from food establishments. Find out more in the section “Environmentally friendly and responsible food products”.

4.3. Venue

We favour venues with an environmental system or certificate or similar proof of operating in an environmentally friendly way. We favour energy-efficient venues that use renewable energy.

4.4. Materials

All event information is primarily shared electronically.

All training materials are shared electronically.

We will avoid producing single-use materials for events, instead using OLL’s own event materials and other reusable materials.

At our events, we will only distribute necessary marketing materials.

When giving gifts, we will favour immaterial, ethical and Finnish products.

We will aim not to use any disposable tableware at our events. If we have to use disposable tableware, we will favour biodegradable materials and tableware made of cardboard.

5. The OLL office

5.1 Purchases

When making any purchasing decisions, we will primarily pay attention to the items’ ecological sustainability throughout its life cycle. Our choices will prioritise environmentally friendly alternatives as much as possible. We demand that OSS-Järjestöpalvelut Ltd (OSS Services for Organisations) makes its purchases in the same way.

When ordering products, we will pay attention to how environmentally friendly the company is.

If we need the item only once, we will first try to borrow or hire it.

5.2 Energy

We will only use EKOenergy-labelled electricity, heating and gas. If OLL does not manage its own energy contracts, we will aim to influence the contents of the contracts. Visit theEKOenergy website for more information (the link will take you away from this website).

5.3 Food

5.4 Travel

We favour public transport, cycling and walking for all journeys, including commuting.

While working, we only use a personal car or taxi when it is justified for example by health reasons, because the destination cannot be reached by public transport, or if the person cannot carry everything themselves.

We do not take domestic flights or flights to nearby regions when there is a train or bus connection. When flying, we favour direct flights. We will compensate our flight emissions.

Meetings will be organised in locations that participants can access easily by foot, bike or public transport.

5.5 Waste

We mainly aim to reduce waste through our consumption choices.

We will recycle the following waste: organic waste, energy waste, cardboard, paper, glass, metal, plastic, wood, construction waste, electronic waste and hazardous waste.

6. International student sports organisations and networks

We demand that the international student sports organisations and networks (FISU, EUSA, ENAS and SELL) take environmental issues into account in their decision-making and when organising events. We carry out our lobbying work according to the Finnish Olympic Committee’s Environmental Responsibility 2019 guidelines (pdf) and this document. We will promote the use of remote participation in international meetings.

7. Environmentally friendly and responsible food products

Carbon footprint

Cattle is one of the main factors when it comes to the carbon footprint of food production. This is increased further by the resources used to produce cattle feed and the greenhouse gases such as methane that are produced by ruminants. Grazing land and the land used to cultivate cattle feed also take up space from natural forests. This means that favouring plant-based food reduces the carbon footprint of the food significantly. Dairy products should also be replaced with plant-based products.

There is an additional environmental load caused by other stages of meat production, such as transport, but these are less significant than the emissions caused by cattle farming. One way to reduce one’s carbon footprint is, for example, to eat locally sourced seasonal food.

Responsibility

Favouring seasonal vegetables reduces emissions as less energy is needed to grow them. It is sensible to import some seasonal vegetables as growing them in Finland outside the season would increase their carbon footprint considerably. It is also more ecological to use fresh vegetables. Favouring seasonal, Finnish vegetables reduces the carbon footprint. You can find out more about seasonal produce in the seasonal calendar Satokausikalenteri (the link will take you away from this website).

One important aspect in terms of responsibility is ethical food production. One of the issues is overfishing. By favouring responsibly (e.g. MSC-certified) or locally caught fish, we are more likely to support sustainable fishing. Find out more from the WWF Sustainable seafood guide (the website is in Finnish).

Another problem is unethical food production. Some of the major issues relating to food production include farming that exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment and the poor treatment of agricultural workers. By favouring Fairtrade products, for example, we will support a sustainable and responsible food production.

Biodiversity

By biodiversity we mean the diversity of the soil, pollinators and other insects, as well as plant varieties. Organic farming does not deplete the soil as much as regular farming, so we can promote biodiversity for example by favouring organic produce.

It should however be noted that some of the organic vegetable production requires a lot of resources such as land area, water, and energy. This makes the emissions of a product much higher than those of a similar seasonal product. We should therefore pay attention to the real environmental load of alternative products.

8. To support our work

Questions, recommendations and demands to be included in calls for tenders

Food service

We want to organise environmentally friendly events.
We hope that no disposable tableware is used at the event. If disposable tableware has to be used, this should be biodegradable or made of cardboard.
The coffee and tea should be organic or Fairtrade.
In terms of food we primarily favour completely plant-based products and locally sourced fish as a secondary option. Please make sure that no endangered species of fish are served at the event (Find out more from the WWF Sustainable seafood guide. We avoid dairy products as much as possible.

Environmental responsibility and energy efficiency at the venue

We want to organise environmentally friendly events.
How does the venue demonstrate its environmental responsibility?
Does the venue have an environmental policy, its own environmental programme/action plan and/or a verified environmental label or certificate?
Have any measures been taken to improve the venue’s energy efficiency? Does the venue use renewable energy?

You can download Environmental Responsibility Programme here as pdf.

Page last updated 16.9.2020