Fiskars will kick off its 365th anniversary in the spirit of community volunteering
Fiskars Corporation Press release October 25, 2013
Finland’s oldest company, Fiskars, will reach the venerable age of 365 in October 2014. Fiskars will begin its 365th anniversary year in Finland with Orange Thumb projects, in which Fiskars’ personnel come together in the spirit of volunteering to fix up public green spaces.
Orange Thumb® events will be organized in Fiskars’ units across Finland in October 2013. The Fiskars management and the personnel of the Fiskars Campus and ceramics factory located in Arabianranta will participate in a raking event organized by the City of Helsinki in Kaivopuisto on Sunday October 27, 2013. Fiskars has donated leaf rakes and children’s rakes to the City of Helsinki, which will also be used in the city’s future community raking events. The personnel at the Hämeenlinna distribution centre will undertake a project at the Kaarina SOS Children’s Village, the Iittala glass factory will organize a volunteering event together with the Iittala day care centre, and the personnel at Fiskars Village will put their rakes to good use at the Fiskars elementary school.
“Fiskars makes durable products that enrich consumers’ everyday lives. We can be proud of the fact that our products are relied upon from one generation to the next and that Finland’s oldest company has grown into a genuinely international consumer goods company. What could be a more natural way to kick off the anniversary year than helping people take care of their local environment and benefit from the joys of green spaces? Community collaboration is built only by doing things together, and I am proud that Fiskars employees around Finland want to be part of our initiative,” says the President and CEO of Fiskars, Kari Kauniskangas.
Fiskars, which was founded in Fiskars Village in 1649, has grown into an international company that offers leading consumer goods for the home, garden and outdoors. Fiskars’ strong brands and iconic products find their place with anyone who enjoys creating, gardening and cooking or is inspired by exploring nature and the great outdoors. Fiskars products are sold in over 60 countries and, thanks to their superior performance and design, they make chores at home and activities outdoors more enjoyable, and help solve everyday problems around the world. Fiskars is internationally renowned for its orange-handled scissors, which have sold over one billion pairs.
Fiskars invites everyone to join in Orange Thumb initiatives
Fiskars Orange is a community gardening initiative in which volunteers revive green spaces that provide the community with joy. The objective of the initiatives is to encourage people to try gardening and to inspire people to make a difference in their shared environment.
Everyone can be a part of the Orange Thumb initiatives either by proposing a new community gardening initiative or signing up as a volunteer. Fiskars will help the best proposals become reality by providing the necessary tools and by participating in organizing the initiative. You can propose an Orange Thumb project or sign up as a volunteer in the United States at the address below: www.fiskars.com/orangethumb
European projects can be submitted here: www.fiskars.eu/orangethumb
Fiskars’ Orange Thumb initiatives began in the United States in 2003. Finland’s first Orange Thumb event was organized to mark the company’s 360th anniversary in 2009 at Katajanokka park in Helsinki, which turned into a blossoming garden after 5000 flowering bulbs were planted.
Further information:
Director, Corporate Communications Anu Ilvonen, tel. +358 204 39 5446
Fiskars is a leading global supplier of consumer products for the home, garden, and outdoors. The group has a strong portfolio of respected international brands, including Fiskars, Iittala, and Gerber. Founded in 1649 and listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Fiskars is Finland’s oldest company. Fiskars recorded net sales of EUR 748 million in 2012, and employs some 4,100 people in over 20 countries. www.fiskarsgroup.com.