Introduction

UniSport’s sustainability and responsibility plan was first prepared in spring 2023 by a dedicated working group. This updated report was prepared in autumn 2025 and follows the structure of the original plan, while also including additions and clarifications to improve reporting.

The plan is based on the University of Helsinki’s sustainability and responsibility programme, which includes broad recommendations related to research, teaching, administration, and societal impact. UniSport is committed to applying these principles while taking into account the specific characteristics of our field. Our aim is to highlight the key areas we focus on developing.

The UniSport Implementation Plan 2025–2028 states that UniSport aims to be recognised as a responsible operator that values sustainability and whose services support the strategic goals of the universities. This requires reducing our carbon footprint and promoting sustainability in everyday operations. We are committed to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as the responsibility programmes of our owner universities, to the extent that UniSport can influence them through its operations.

As a forerunner in our field, UniSport must be able to answer the question of what an environmentally conscious and responsible sports centre looks like. Our operations are guided by our values: joy, courage, responsibility, and community.

Principles of UniSport’s responsibility work

This updated sustainability and responsibility plan brings together the measures we have already taken to promote sustainability and responsibility during the previous implementation period. In addition, the plan presents new initiatives and proposals that have been implemented between planning periods or are proposed for the next implementation period.

The sustainability and responsibility plan was prepared from start to finish in collaboration with the entire UniSport staff. Workshops were organised for staff to review both existing and entirely new sustainability and responsibility goals. In addition to the workshops, an anonymous online commenting option was provided.

As with sustainability and responsibility reporting in general, this plan will continue to evolve and expand as new information and requirements emerge. It is worth noting that sustainability and responsibility reporting in the sports sector is still in its early stages and finding its direction. Despite this, UniSport aims to report its operations as comprehensively as possible based on available resources and current guidelines.

We aim to strengthen UniSport’s responsibility work guided by our values, so that we can more broadly and effectively realise our vision of being part of every university member’s daily life.

What does UniSport’s responsibility work look like?

UniSport’s mission is to encourage an active lifestyle by providing services within the university community, and this core mission is our most important responsibility goal. We are part of a transformative university community that seeks to promote wellbeing both within the university and in society at large.

We believe that true sustainable wellbeing can only be achieved when the wellbeing of individuals and the planet is viewed as a whole. For this reason, we measure our performance not only through financial sustainability but also through social and ecological impacts.

Responsibility is not a separate goal for us; it is part of everything we do. For this reason, we have retained our original goals for promoting sustainability and responsibility:

1. Socially and economically sustainable development 

   1.1 We are committed to promoting equality and preventing discrimination in all our operations. 

   1.2 We make economically sustainable decisions.

2. Ecologically sustainable development 

   2.1 We develop our carbon footprint calculation principles and reduce emissions in concrete ways.

These goals form the framework for the specific measures through which we ensure the promotion of social, economic, and ecological sustainability. The following sections present examples of the most important measures.

Socially and economically sustainable development

1.1 We are committed to promoting equality and preventing discrimination in all our operations

Socially sustainable development means ensuring equality and non-discrimination every day of the year. In our daily operations, we pay attention to equality and non-discrimination in all encounters, in both verbal and non-verbal communication, and in our spatial solutions. As part of responsible employer practices and the theme of equality and non-discrimination, UniSport has created an equality and non-discrimination plan. The measures in this plan are integrated into this broader sustainability and responsibility framework.

Like the University of Helsinki, we aim to be a forerunner in creating an atmosphere that respects diversity. To support this goal, we have defined five main development measures:

• Our visual and non-verbal communication promotes diversity.
• We ensure our language policy is non-discriminatory.
• We communicate our sustainability and responsibility goals.
• We follow safer space principles.
• We promote non-discrimination in all our sports centres.

Our visual and non-verbal communication promotes diversity

Examples of key actions:

• We ensure that our visual communication promotes diversity and non-discrimination. Progress status: already implemented.
• Our goal is to promote diversity in different roles and within the work community, for example in recruitment. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We ensure the accessibility of our website. Progress status: already implemented.

We ensure our language policy is non-discriminatory

Examples of key actions:

• We ensure equal treatment of multilingual customers by providing all materials in both Finnish and English. We also promote opportunities for English-language service by highlighting language skills in staff introductions, such as coaches and massage therapists. Progress status: already implemented.
• We ensure equal treatment of our multilingual staff by providing materials in both Finnish and English. Progress status: already implemented.
• We promote the availability of permanent signage in the other national language and strengthen opportunities for Swedish-language service. Progress status: already implemented.
• We pay attention to tone of voice and word choices without assumptions, for example regarding gender. Progress status: already implemented.
• We communicate our sustainability and responsibility goals
• Examples of key actions:
• Our website includes a section on sustainability and responsibility, which we update actively. Progress status: already implemented.
• We communicate our vision and values not only to staff but also to customers. Progress status: already implemented.
• We add information on equality, non-discrimination, and addressing concerns to the Welcome to UniSport materials. Progress status: already implemented.

We follow safer space principles

Examples of key actions:

• We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour and always do our best to prevent and eliminate all forms of harassment. We intervene in any harassment we observe and encourage others to do the same. A harassment report form is available on our website. Progress status: already implemented.
• Safer space principles are in use in all UniSport sports centres. Progress status: already implemented.
• Within the staff community, we follow UniSport’s responsible interaction principles, developed together with staff. Progress status: already implemented.

We promote non-discrimination in all our sports centres

Examples of key actions:

• We provide gender-neutral changing and shower facilities whenever possible. During renovations and spatial changes, we work to increase their availability in all centres and also for staff. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We ensure waste bins are available in all restrooms to reduce gender-based assumptions. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We are committed to meeting the minimum safety requirements of the fitness centre standard. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We conduct accessibility assessments of our facilities, considering both customer-facing areas and working conditions. We aim to enable accessibility in our centres whenever possible, and during renovations and spatial changes we work to improve accessibility. Accessibility information is available on our website. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.

1.2 We make economically sustainable decisions

We ensure sustainable development also from an economic perspective and make decisions that are financially sustainable for our operations. Economically sustainable decisions include responsible procurement and responsible employer practices. These areas cannot be achieved solely by setting new goals; they also require actively reviewing and changing existing practices. For this reason, we actively collect feedback from staff and provide opportunities to influence everyday organisational culture, which supports the overall wellbeing of people and the planet.

We also recognise the impact of economic choices throughout our value chain: we aim to positively influence the entire supply chain, encourage our stakeholders to act responsibly, and offer customers sustainable consumption options. We acknowledge that greenwashing is an increasing concern and aim to ensure transparency and provide customers with the opportunity to critically examine our operations.

During this implementation period, we aim to introduce a more detailed set of criteria to help us better assess the sustainability of our retail product selection and equipment purchases. This will also be considered a key criterion in future procurement processes, and we will require all suppliers to commit to low-carbon practices.

Like the University of Helsinki, we place increasing emphasis on moderation, sustainability, and responsibility in procurement guidelines. We promote the university’s values and ensure that every member of our community has the opportunity to participate in matters that affect them and receives information in a timely manner. Under this area, we have defined two core development measures:

• We make responsible procurements.
• We implement responsible employer practices.

We make responsible procurements

Examples of key actions:

• We ensure the longevity of sports equipment through regular maintenance. Progress status: already implemented.
• We aim to introduce criteria to assess the sustainability of equipment purchases. These criteria will then be used as mandatory requirements in procurement processes. Progress status: targeted for near-future implementation.
• We minimise emissions from transport by consolidating orders and reducing the number of suppliers and deliveries. Progress status: already implemented.
• We emphasise ecological, domestic, and recyclable products in our selection. Progress status: already implemented.

We implement responsible employer practices

Examples of key actions:

• UniSport has created an equality and non-discrimination plan to ensure and develop staff wellbeing and equal, non-discriminatory treatment. The measures in this plan are part of this broader sustainability and responsibility plan. Progress status: already implemented.
• UniSport’s supervisors and management are committed to supporting employees’ work ability, occupational health, wellbeing at work, and a safe working environment. Progress status: already implemented.
• We treat employees equally regardless of the type of employment contract. Progress status: already implemented.
• Cultural and religious diversity and different life situations are taken into account in accordance with the staff equality and non-discrimination plan. Progress status: already implemented.
• We make employment contracts permanent whenever possible. Progress status: already implemented.
• We operate and communicate openly, for example by providing transparent salary tables. Progress status: already implemented.
• We improve internal communication by sharing key information centrally through UniSport’s monthly newsletter. Progress status: already implemented.
• We support staff in using various systems and aim to produce video materials to assist with this. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We ensure staff have sufficient competence in sustainability and responsibility themes by offering training, integrating these topics into onboarding, and sharing information in work and break spaces. We also enable the use of university online courses regardless of employment type. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.

2.Ecologically sustainable development

2.1 We monitor the development of our carbon footprint and reduce emissions in concrete ways.

We mitigate the negative climate and environmental impacts of our operations by monitoring our emissions annually and integrating ecological sustainability into everyday practices. We also support carbon-neutral commuting to the university and aim to reduce emissions across the entire value chain, for example by minimising transport-related emissions.

Like the University of Helsinki, we aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and develop circular economy models and guidelines for both staff and customers. Based on these goals, we have defined three key development measures:

• We promote circular economy and reduce waste.
• We reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency.
• We commit to monitoring our carbon footprint annually and taking concrete actions to reduce it.

We promote circular economy and reduce mixed waste

Examples of key actions:

• We aim to reduce mixed waste and promote circular economy in our operations. For example, we enhance recycling, donate uncollected lost-and-found items, and sell or donate old gym equipment. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We favour paperless communication and primarily offer customers electronic receipts. Progress status: already implemented.
• We encourage customers to make sustainable consumption choices by offering the possibility to rent or borrow sports equipment and clothing. Progress status: already implemented.

We reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency

Examples of key actions:

• We pay attention to our energy consumption, for example by turning off lights when they are not needed. We have reduced sauna opening hours and overlapping sauna hours in centres with multiple saunas. Progress status: already implemented.
• We support the transition to LED lighting or motion-sensor/timer-controlled lighting during renovations and spatial changes in our centres. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We promote opportunities to reduce hot water consumption, for example through shower water control and timers. We also consider water consumption in renovations and new construction. Progress status: partly implemented / targeted for near-future implementation.
• We critically review the use of our facilities and give up unnecessary spaces to reduce energy consumption. Progress status: already implemented.
• When opening new facilities or renovating existing ones, we pay attention to energy efficiency in line with the University of Helsinki’s strategy. Progress status: already implemented.

We commit to monitoring our carbon footprint annually and taking concrete actions to reduce it

Examples of key actions:

• We have discontinued serving meat-based food options at staff events. Progress status: already implemented.
• We support commuting to the university by providing shower facilities and promoting bicycle parking opportunities in all our centres. Progress status: already implemented.
• UniSport assesses its carbon footprint annually and has set more detailed targets for reducing it. The carbon footprint is included in the broader sustainability and responsibility plan, which is published for both staff and customers. Progress status: already implemented.

Monitoring progress: reporting and follow-up

Our goal is to integrate sustainability and responsibility into all our operations and increase transparency regarding our sustainability goals and work. This sustainability and responsibility plan has been created to complement and clarify the measures in UniSport’s Implementation Plan 2025–2028. The implementation plan measures are monitored semi-annually, ensuring regular follow-up of sustainability and responsibility actions.

Ecological sustainability goals are monitored through an annual carbon footprint calculation, which helps us identify key emission sources and target actions to reduce them.

Our website includes a responsibility section where we actively report on our actions and increase transparency for customers and stakeholders.

Sources:

University of Helsinki. (N.d.). CARBON NEUTRAL UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI BY 2030. ROADMAP.