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SUSTAINABILITY IN ÖRÖ

Sustainability is about concrete actions, and for us, it means long-term development work and evaluating our operations. Our goal is to improve our responsibility communication: we communicate transparently about our responsibility and provide our customers with information and solutions for responsible tourism on Örö Island. Operating in the archipelago clearly highlights the challenges that can arise in striving for sustainable development, but it also helps us find better and more environmentally friendly ways to operate.

Recognitions and actions in Örö:

  • Good Travel Seal: An international certification that supports responsible tourism.
  • Roope Satama: A Finnish environmental certificate granted to ports that meet environmental criteria. It is backed by the organization "Pidä Saaristo Siistinä ry" (Keep the Archipelago Tidy), which aims to improve the condition of the marine environment and promote environmentally responsible activities.
  • Green Start: An environmental program that helps tourism companies operate more responsibly. Developed by the Finnish Green Key organization, known for its international environmental certification for the tourism and hospitality industry.
  • CE4RT project underway: (Circular Economy for Responsible Tourism) An EU-supported circular economy project that promotes minimizing waste and the use of natural resources.
  • Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) program underway: A program by Visit Finland that supports responsible tourism in Finland.

In summary, our three pillars of sustainability:

Supporting the local community

We want to support the local community and employ as many local people as possible. We prefer Finnish raw materials and collaborate with local companies. We choose local, environmentally friendly suppliers who adhere to fair trade principles whenever possible.

We cooperate with entities such as Kasnäs (Ab Kasnäsudden Oy), Ab Salmonfarm Oy, Wilson Charter, Taxivene Granlund, Silver Fish / Kultaliekki Oy, Kimito Brewing AB, Heisala Craft, and the entrepreneurs of Rosala.

Environmental protection

In the archipelago, we have always lived resourcefully, and we follow the same principle. We save fresh water, which is produced through reverse osmosis from seawater, as well as energy, and we encourage our customers to do the same. For example, we save electricity by turning off streetlights early when they are no longer needed.

We reduce food waste and always offer vegetarian options. Most of our meat and fish come from Finnish suppliers. We recycle waste such as organic waste, cardboard, glass, and metal, and boaters can also recycle in our harbor. We compost locally, which reduces the environmental impact of service transportation. We have also joined the ResQ food waste app and will communicate to our customers how to utilize it.

We are involved in the SaaRa project, which promotes nutrient recycling in tourism destinations in the Archipelago Sea, organized by "Pidä Saaristo Siistinä ry," and we organize beach clean-up events every spring. We also encourage our customers to participate in litter collection proactively.

Employee well-being

We particularly focus on the well-being of our employees, as it is very important to us. We want to create a safe and pleasant workplace where everyone feels valued and secure, and where it is good to be. We encourage a balance between work and leisure and offer flexible working arrangements, as well as opportunities for learning new things. It is important to us that our employees are well and find their work meaningful. Our goal is for our employees to want to return to Örö as well.