Responsibility work of commerce progresses – the Finnish Commerce Federation becomes a member of the UN Global Compact community

The Finnish Commerce Federation has been accepted as a member of the UN Global Compact community. The UN Global Compact is a voluntary initiative founded in 2000 by the United Nations and it is the world’s largest global initiative promoting corporate responsibility. It operates in over 160 countries, involving over 17,000 companies and more than 3,000 other organisations.

“Many companies in the commerce sector have been engaged in very ambitious responsibility work for a long time, and many of them are already part of the UN Global Compact community. The framework and partnership are also natural for the Finnish Commerce Federation, both from a value-based perspective and in terms of developing our operations. The common goal of the sector is sustainable competitive commerce,” says Mari Kiviniemi, Managing Director of the Finnish Commerce Federation.

The Finnish Commerce Federation is committed to the ten Global Compact principles related to human rights, working conditions, the environment and the prevention of bribery. The Federation will promote them in its operations and report, in the form of a Communication on Engagement (CoE) report, every two years on the practical steps the organisation has taken to support the principles of the UN Global Compact.

“The UN Global Compact community provides us with a framework in which we deepen our industry-level responsibility work. We participate in the activities of the network and support commerce sector companies in their responsibility work. In addition, we compile information on the responsibility situation in the sector and look for solutions to companies’ everyday challenges,” says Pia Pere-Vanhanen, Director of Communications and Sustainability at the Finnish Commerce Federation.

During the past year, the Finnish Commerce Federation has invested in a responsibility project in which it crystallised the target picture of responsibility in commerce and defined the primary indicators for the sector-level monitoring of responsibility. The aim is to produce better situational information to support the development of responsibility, decision-making and lobbying.

The Finnish Commerce Federation supports companies in their responsibility and sustainable development efforts by producing current information and organising training courses and events. The Federation develops tools and guides for companies to support responsible daily life and highlights examples of companies’ actions in the spirit of learning together. The commerce sector also actively participates in the implementation of Agenda 2030 in Finland.

The UN Global Compact community now provides the federation with an important forum for developing responsibility activities and deepening cooperation.

“The commerce sector has a major impact on the construction of sustainable daily life in Finland and, as the largest employer, on the well-being of nearly 300,000 people in Finland. How and on what principles the commerce sector operates has great significance. We are glad that the Finnish Commerce Federation has joined the UN Global Compact initiative and wants, as a community member, to promote responsible practices in the entire commerce sector,” says Marja Innanen, Secretary General of the UN Global Compact Finland.

Further information:

Mari Kiviniemi, Managing Director, Finnish Commerce Federation, +358 (0)50 511 3189, mari.kiviniemi(at)kauppa.fi

Pia Pere-Vanhanen, Director, Communications and Sustainability, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 (0)40 867 1708, pia.pere-vanhanen(at)kauppa.fi

Marja Innanen, Secretary General, UN Global Compact Finland, +358 (0)50 471 7314. marja.innanen (at)globalcompact.fi