Carbon neutral district heating decreases Oriola’s CO2 emissions by nearly one fourth
27.10.2020
Switching to carbon neutral district heating advances significantly Oriola’s environmental goals. After the change, over 90% of energy used at Oriola is renewable. For its part, Oriola’s investment further promotes a common goal of the City of Espoo and Fortum to make district heating at Espoo carbon neutral during 2020s.
Oriola’s head office and distribution centre in Espoo, Finland, has switched to carbon neutral district heating. Fortum’s EkoPlus heat is produced with 100% renewable biofuels and waste heat by heat pumps.
Taking into use carbon neutral district heating is a significant step towards Oriola’s goals to use only renewable energy by 2022 and to be carbon neutral by 2030.
”Switching to carbon neutral district heating advances our strategic environmental goals. The change has a big impact on our carbon footprint, as it decreases our overall CO2 emissions by approximately 23%. Additionally, the share of renewable energy increases to more than 90% on Group level,” says Tuula Lehto, Vice President, Communications and Sustainability at Oriola.
Smart optimisation of heating benefits also nearby residents
As part of taking into use carbon neutral district heating, Oriola is also joining Fortum’s smart heating optimisation for buildings. It optimises the production and usage of heating energy in a way that is both environmentally friendly and economically efficient.
“Buildings that have joined the heating optimisation can momentarily flex their heating without a noticeable change in the temperature. Hence, the heat is not wasted but directed to where it is most needed at the time. The buildings that take part in heating optimisation for buildings enable the transition to more ecological and energy efficient heating in a large scale. At Espoo area, the district heating is already 40 percent carbon neutral, and will be totally carbon free by 2025,” says Pasi Kokko, Head of Customer, DHC Finland at Fortum.
With heating optimisation for buildings, for example the peaks in heat consumption at households on cold winter mornings are apportioned by flexing the heating in business premises. As a result, the use of back-up heat plants – that often use fossil fuels – to tackle the peak consumption can be avoided. By joining the heating optimisation for buildings, Oriola is therefore also promoting the environmentally sustainable heating of the nearby residents’ homes.
For more information:
Tuula Lehto, Vice President, Communications and Sustainability, Oriola, tuula.lehto@oriola.com, tel. +358 40 5885 343
Pasi Kokko, Head of Customer, DHC Finland, Fortum, pasi.kokko@fortum.com, tel. +358 40 169 2500
Oriola is a health and wellbeing company operating in the Nordic countries. We help people to lead healthier lives by giving them access to sustainable health and wellbeing products and services. In Sweden, Oriola owns the country’s third-largest pharmacy chain, Kronans Apotek. In addition to pharmacies, our dose-dispensing, medical information and patient support services enhance the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceutical care. Our expert services support pharmaceutical companies throughout the entire lifecycle of medicines. Oriola’s supply chain ensures reliable and safe delivery of pharmaceuticals to pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, veterinarians and other healthcare operators. In 2019, Oriola Corporation’s net sales were 1.7 billion euros and we employed nearly 4,300 professionals. Oriola Corporation is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.oriola.com
