Electrification supports reliable, lower-emission services
Reducing emissions is an important part of building more sustainable services, but for customers it must also support reliability, quality and continuity. Electrification of steam production is one way to achieve both. It lowers emissions while strengthening operational performance.
One of our largest and longest-running service centres is located in Hämeenlinna, Southern Finland. Nearly 50 years old, the site includes four laundries and processes close to six million kilogrammes of textiles each year. The Hämeenlinna service centre is now among the first to transition to electrified steam production.
50% lower emissions, same high service quality
Steam plays a critical role in laundry operations. The majority of emissions from our own operations come from energy use in our service centres. One of the existing natural gas boilers at the Hämeenlinna laundry is being replaced with a modern electric steam boiler. This will significantly reduce emissions while maintaining consistent service quality.
The new solution will cut carbon dioxide emissions by almost 1,000 tonnes per year — equivalent to almost half of the service centre’s total annual emissions. The electric boiler is being delivered by Loimua Oy.
“Electrifying steam production is an effective way to reduce the emissions of our services. Each service centre has its own characteristics, which means solutions are selected case by case. Hämeenlinna is among the first to achieve such a significant emissions reduction through electrification,” says Tomas Teräs, our Director of Technology Development.
Hämeenlinna is not the only example of progress. Last year, our Oulu service centre in northern Finland became the company’s first low-emission service centre by switching to locally produced biogas used throughout the washing process.
Improved stability and flexibility through electrification
In addition to lowering emissions, electrification improves operational stability and flexibility. The new boiler system strengthens delivery security. It enables more predictable steam production and reduces vulnerability to disruptions in natural gas supply.
“For our customers, this means more reliable and consistent service with a lower climate impact,” Teräs adds.
The investment supports our strategy to reduce CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. It also contributes to our long-term ambition of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Electrification is one example of how sustainability and operational performance can go hand in hand. By investing in lower-emission technologies and resilient production solutions, we continue to support customers with services that are both reliable and more sustainable.
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