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Konecranes’ factories in Sweden and Finland take strides towards reducing the environmental impact of their operations
Konecranes has taken bold steps to reduce the carbon footprint of its own operations, with its factories in Markaryd, Hyvinkää, and Hämeenlinna leading the way. These three factories have received CarbonNeutral® building certification, highlighting their commitment to reduce global GHG emissions.
On group level, Konecranes already reached its science-based target of halving Scope 1 and 2 emissions – greenhouse gas emissions caused by own operations – in 2022 versus 2019. By the end of 2024, the GHG emissions from the company’s own operations have decreased in total by 56 percent from 2019. These Scope 1 and 2 emissions account for about 1 percent of the company’s total emissions.
The certification has been issued in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, a global framework for carbon neutrality. Konecranes achieved this certification by minimizing internal emissions through activities such as maximizing renewable energy usage and offsetting unavoidable emissions through the purchase of verified carbon credits, which have an immediate impact by delivering finance to emission reduction projects around the world. Even if Konecranes purchases these carbon credits, the corresponding amount of emissions is not deducted from the total emission calculations that are annually publicly disclosed.
Markaryd factory in Sweden has managed to cut emissions by 99 percent since 2019
The Markaryd factory in Sweden has made impressive progress in reducing its emissions, achieving a remarkable 99% decrease from 2019 to 2024. This achievement is primarily the result of transitioning to non-fossil energy sources and implementing other energy efficiency improvements.
Currently all the energy consumed at the Markaryd factory comes from renewable sources. Geothermal heating has replaced oil-based heating system, and fossil-fuel has been replaced with HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil). Efforts to reduce energy consumption further extended to the factory's lighting, with the replacement of conventional lighting with LED systems and a reduction in HVO consumption in production processes.
To achieve CarbonNeutral® building certification, Markaryd factory has purchased carbon credits corresponding to the currently remaining 13 tons of CO2e emissions, which are helping to finance the Darkwoods Forest Conservation project in Canada which is working to immediately reduce emissions through nature based solutions.
Hämeenlinna factory in Finland further lowered its emissions since its initial certification in 2023
As the first Konecranes factory to receive CarbonNeutral® building certification, the Hämeenlinna site in Finland has set a precedent for the company's carbon neutral initiatives. Since receiving its initial certification early in 2023, Hämeenlinna has continued to lower its emissions, achieving a total of 84% reduction from 2019 to 2024.
Hämeenlinna's success is attributed to a series of energy efficiency improvements, including the modernization of the gear factory's case hardening process. The factory has also electrified the majority of its lift trucks and transitioned to renewable fuels for the remaining ones. Renewable energy has been a cornerstone of Hämeenlinna's strategy, with renewable electricity usage since 2015 – before the base year calculations - and renewable district heating implemented in 2023.
Hämeenlinna factory has purchased carbon credits equivalent of the 91 tons of remaining CO2e emissions still left end of 2024.
Hyvinkää site in Finland provides heat to the local district heating network
The Konecranes site in Hyvinkää, Finland, consisting of the factory as well as other operations like service repairs, spare parts operations, and the headquarters office, has also made good progress in reducing its emissions by 31% between 2019 and 2024. The initiatives include several energy efficiency improvements, such as the installation of heat recovery systems using heat pumps, upgrading heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and improving lighting to further reduce energy consumption. Lift trucks electrification has been started as well as renewable fuel use, and from 2025 onwards, approximately half of all the lift trucks will be electrified, with the rest using HVO. Like in Hämeenlinna, also in Hyvinkää the use of renewable energy use has been key: Renewable electricity has been in use since 2015 and renewable district heating was implemented in 2024.
What is special and noteworthy in Hyvinkää site is the waste heat use: The waste heat generated within the factory area is recovered and integrated into the local district heating network, warming the local community households and industry. It is also good to know that the manufacturing processes and technologies used differ significantly between the factories, therefore also the amount of emissions varies from site to site.
In 2024, the site in Hyvinkää purchased carbon credits with the remaining amount of 216 tons of CO2e emissions left end of 2024.
The work continues
“The emission reduction achievements in Markaryd, Hyvinkää, and Hämeenlinna underscore our proactive approach to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our own operations (Scope 1 and 2). The CarbonNeutral® building certifications add to the successful implementation of energy efficiency measures and the adoption of renewable energy sources.
As we continue to further reduce the emissions, these factories serve as inspiring examples of what can be achieved through dedication, innovation, and a focus on environmental sustainability,” says Anniina Virta-Toikka, Vice President, Sustainability at Konecranes.
“However, as the Scope 1 & 2 emissions account for less than 1 % of Konecranes’ total emissions, Scope 3 emissions – those created in Konecranes’ value chain and including the use of sold products and steel purchases – remain the largest hurdle to clear, currently representing over 99% of Konecranes’ total emissions. So far, we have managed to cut our value chain emissions by 12% compared to 2019. The target is to halve Scope 3 emissions by 2030. To reach this target, several steps need to be taken including electrifying our Port Solutions offering by the end of 2026 and working with our suppliers to reduce the emissions related to steel production.”
Further information
Further information about Konecranes’ group-level emission reduction targets, progress as well as transition plan can be found from the latest Sustainability Statement as part of the Annual Report 2024. Information about Konecranes’ sustainability agenda and progress can also be found from Sustainability Review 2024.
Sustainability reporting
In 2025, Konecranes releases two reports on sustainability:
- For the first time, Konecranes released Sustainability Statement in accordance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and European Sustainability Reporting Standards with a limited third-party assurance. The Sustainability Statement is targeted primarily at investors and it has been published as part of Konecranes’ Annual Report. Read the Sustainability Statement here.
- Sustainability Review complements the statutory Sustainability Statement with further information on our sustainability agenda with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards as well as the SASB Standards. The Sustainability Review is targeted primarily at other external stakeholders like customers or potential customers.
