Towards a better future

Management of corporate responsibility

Corporate responsibility means that we shoulder our responsibility for how Martela impacts the surrounding community, the environment and our stakeholders. At Martela, we take responsibility for our products throughout their lifecycle, from the design and production chain to the manufacturing and customer service, and from maintenance service during use all the way to recycling when the customer no longer has a need for the product. Our recycling aims to find a new life for the furniture that is in a good condition.

Management of corporate responsibility is part of our everyday lives. Responsibility is part of Martela’s values, operating principles and strategy. We comply with the relevant laws and regulations in all our operations. We also observe international agreements and obligations and the recommendations that are applicable to our operations. We have defined specific management principles for guiding our responsibility actions and the main guideline is our Corporate Code of Conduct.

Economic responsibility

At Martela, economic responsibility means open communication to all stakeholders on our goals, operations and profit. Economic responsibility also means abiding by the legislation and official regulations that are relevant for our operations, as well as the stock exchange rules. We report responsibly and openly on our finances both online and in our annual report.

Since 2011 we have also published a responsibility report in line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) model.

Our financial statements and key figures are included in our annual report.

Responsibility also plays an important role in the management of our supply chain. In order to promote this consideration we have created principles to guide our key suppliers.

Social responsibility

A good place to work is important for everyone. At Martela, it is part of our social responsibility. In our workplace we adhere to ILO conventions on employee rights, and in our work relationships we respect international employee rights. We also expect our partners to do the same. We value equality and do not accept discrimination in our work community. We have documented these principles in our HR policy (pdf).

According to the Martela Lifecycle model, defining the needs of the users plays an important part in designing workplaces. Martela has supported Finnish businesses with wellbeing at work through ergonomic furniture solutions and user-driven design of facilities for more than 75 years. For Martela, social responsibility also means promoting the wellbeing of our employees. To ensure accident-free and smooth working we have a certified occupational health and safety management system in place.

ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health & Safety Management System Certificate (pdf)

Environmental responsibility

We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our environmental impact. We adhere to the relevant environmental regulations and promote nature conservation. In terms of environmental issues, we pay attention to materials, energy, emissions, waste, and recycling services – both in our own operations and with our customers and partners. We offer sustainable solutions and products with the lowest possible environmental impact.

Find out more about the carbon footprints of our products
 

Environmental certification

Martela has been issued the ISO 14001 certificate by an independent certification body. We have published our main environmental principles in our environmental policy (pdf). Martela has a multi-site certificate for quality and environmental administration systems which covers the management, sales, marketing, consultative and removal services for customers to create people-centric workplaces in offices and public spaces. The certificate also includes the sourcing, product development, testing, warehousing, delivery steering, production and remanufacture of furniture (the logistics centre in Nummela, Finland), the manufacture of upholstered furniture subassemblies (the production facility in Piaseczno, Poland), and the manufacture of furniture components (the production facility in Kitee, Finland).

ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certificate (pdf)
ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System Certificate (pdf)

Möbelfakta

For many of Martela’s customers, sustainability and responsibility are becoming increasingly important criteria when making procurement decisions. To make it easier to make a sustainable choice, for some of our products we have applied to third parties for labels that help our customers choose products that fulfil the criteria which are important to them.

Many of Martela’s products have the sustainability and responsibility label Möbelfakta, which is issued by Möbelfakta AB. Möbelfakta is a type 1 eco-labeling system. The Criteria Council develops the criteria in accordance with the standard ISO 14024, which means that the products meet environmental requirements set by an independent third party, the requirements are continuously tightened and that they are developed from a life cycle perspective.

You can find the list of products here:
Möbelfakta

Stakeholder collaboration

In order to improve our business we need ideas, suggestions and tips on potential areas for improvement. All feedback is important to us, and we appreciate it every time someone gets in touch with us about responsibility issues.

• You can report your suspicions about activities which violate the law or our ethical guidelines anonymously by email at whistleblowing@martela.com or by filling out the survey here: Whistleblowing channel
• Please also inform us about any shortcomings in our occupational safety by filling out our survey: OHS observations in Martela Group
• Please send us any suggestions for improvement for our next Sustainability Report to responsibility@martela.com or fill out our survey: Martela’s stakeholder collaboration

The Key Flag and Design from Finland

All Martela Lifecycle services and many of our products carry the Key Flag Symbol, which demonstrates that a product has been manufactured or a service has been produced in Finland, creating Finnish jobs. In the Martela Lifecycle model, we approach the workplace in a comprehensive manner, looking after the premises, furniture and people.

The right to use the Key Flag can be awarded to products which have been manufactured in Finland. The minimum value added which remains in Finland, i.e. the domestic content of the product, is 50 per cent. The criteria for services are a significant domestic ownership and that the management is based in Finland. The organisation’s head office must also be located in Finland.

Martela’s services and products, with their award-winning designs, have been awarded the Design from Finland label. The Association for Finnish Work awards the label for unique Finnish design, thus acknowledging the company’s trailblazing contribution to Finnish design. Finnish design plays a key role for Finland’s national economy and competitiveness. The history of Finnish design has mainly been based around homeware, but now Finnish designers are also taking on services and the public sector. You can find Martela’s products and services which have been awarded the Key Flag and the Design from Finland label here.