Anne Hakamäki, Oilon: Driving Change with the Climate Ambition Accelerator Programme

Oilon completed the UN Global Compact’s Climate Ambition Accelerator programme in 2023 alongside many other Nordic companies. How has the programme helped Oilon in their climate work?

The fight against climate change requires ambitious actions from companies. We here at Oilon, a third-generation family business, find it important to preserve nature and enable a future worth living for generations to come. For years, we have worked towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and in 2022 Oilon’s emission reduction targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative’s 1.5 °C pathway. According to the initiative, we have pledged that by 2030, we will reduce both our direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from our own operations (Scope 1 and 2) by at least 46 per cent from the 2019 level. 

I feel that participating in the Climate Ambition Accelerator programme has further supported our climate work by offering in-depth learning experiences and by giving guidance on how to lead our climate work. The vast materials, lectures, Q&A sessions and especially the real-life case examples increased our knowledge and helped our team to take a more systematic approach to Oilon’s climate work.  

The most valuable content in the Climate Ambition Accelerator programme for Oilon – and me personally – was to learn what other companies are doing, and to discuss and to share experiences with the other participants from all over the Nordic countries. Throughout the programme we were encouraged to actively engage and network with our colleagues to learn from each other. The only way to do this and to make significant changes, is by doing it together. Climate work is not a competition, it is teamwork, and we all have the same goal. 

Although we have dedicated years to systematic climate work aimed at reducing our own emissions and assisting our customers in lowering theirs through our products, we still have work to do. We know that the vast majority of Oilon’s greenhouse gas emissions is produced in the value chain. The Climate Ambition Accelerator programme and its informative materials also helped us understand the complexity of Scope 3 emissions, their calculation and management. The programme equipped us with the tools, guidance and other valuable information that is needed to continue our climate work in a systematic way also in the years to come.

To sum up, the Climate Ambition Accelerator programme was a great learning experience and one of the best things that participating in the UN Global Compact has brought us so far. I recommend participating in the programme to every company that wants to increase their expertise in calculating or managing greenhouse gas emissions or is in the process of setting emission targets. Upon completing the programme, we are in a good place to continue ambitious climate work!