Marimekko | Herttoniemi

-47% Carbon footprint

“We constantly have to find more carbon neutral ways of doing things. The energy overhaul carried out in the Herttoniemi property is one concrete step in that direction. The results here are fantastic. Energy efficiency is usually thought of as happening in small incremental steps, but the effects can be really big.”

Sustainability Manager Saara Azbel, Marimekko

-47% Carbon footprint
11 000 Surface area, m²

Marimekko carried out an extensive energy overhaul in Herttoniemi that has reduced the carbon footprint of the property by 47 percent as compared to 2016. The yearly reduction in CO₂ is equivalent to the average carbon footprint of 21 Finns. Over a three-year period the district heating use has been reduced by 47 percent and the electricity use by 31 percent as a result of the project.

Instead of a single overhaul we can talk about many overhauls as there are almost 30 different areas included – long-term planned basic repairs, changes in the use of areas, and energy investments. The energy investments are related to ventilation, lighting, modernization of building technology, and renewal of the water cooling unit and a heat recovery system for the printing washing machine waste water. Energy efficiency has been taken into consideration at every step.

“It was very easy to do everything together. The project demanded more specific planning and harmonization than normal as effectively we did three things at the same time,” said Matti Puromäki, Property Manager at OP Business Premises. OP Business Premises bought the property from Marimekko in 2018 and Marimekko remained at the property as tenants.

LeaseGreen was responsible for the design and implementation of the overhaul. The common goal was to make the internal conditions comfortable, safe, and stable for the almost 200 Marimekko employees at the property, and to achieve this with the minimum amount of energy use. According to Puromäki, LeaseGreen’s know-how in these issues was extremely important.

“In terms of the entire project, it was very valuable that we had a clear vision from the experts at LeaseGreen of what to do and what not to do. We ourselves do not have the same kind of deep knowledge about energy saving.”

The Marimekko property has a total surface area of 11 000 m². It has housed a fabric printing machine since the 1970s, Marimekko’s head office, and two outlets.

Marimekko wants to develop their own operations in such a way that their climate impact is as small as possible. Last week the company published its sustainability programme for 2021 – 2025. One of the main goals is to reduce emissions from their own operations by 40% by 2025. This is an ambitious goal in the industry.