The Road to Copenhagen

Press Release

Today eight international corporations launch a common initiative aiming at a proposal for a new international climate agreement, post Kyoto. At the Respect Table seminar in Brussels, under the chair of Margot Wallström, Mary Robinson and Gro Harlem Brundtland the first version of a communiqué will be presented, a communiqué that will be handed over to the European delegates at the climate negotiations in Bali in December.

The signatory companies Fortum, IKEA, Novo Nordisk, Osram, Reed Elsevier, SKF, Triodos Bank and Whirlpool Europe are all part of Respect Table, a forum where business leaders come together to address the global challenges and find solutions for achieving a global climate agreement..

The latest reports on greenhouse gas emissions are alarming and call for immediate action by all of us: politicians, business and individuals can all make a difference.

CO2-free production and sustainability has been strategic issues at the top of Fortum's agenda since almost two decades. Since 1990 the CO2-free power production has tripled in volume and as a result Fortum has the second lowest CO2-emissions per produced kWh in Europe: slightly above 90 g/kWh on a five-year average, compared to the European average of more than 400 g per kWh.

“Respect Table as well as the other initiatives where Fortum is active, are very important in order to influence international policy makers to take the right and necessary measures post Kyoto,” says Carola Teir-Lehtinen, Vice President Sustainability. Within Respect Table Fortum has promoted increased transparency in the system for emissions trading as well as a global system for auctioning of emission rights in the long term. If our activities so far can inspire and help others to change it is valuable and welcome bonus, concludes Carola Teir-Lehtinen.

The published report “Respect table and the Road to Copenhagen” launches a proposal for a post-Kyoto agreement that can pave the way to a more sustainable future both for business and our climate. The report also includes detailed examples of best practices among the signatory companies to inspire other companies to do their part.

The members of Respect Table have joined forces with the Club of Madrid and Globe Europe to launch an interactive website www.roadtocopenhagen.org which enables politicians, companies and the public to participate in the discussion on the next steps for a global agreement on climate change.

Besides Respect Table Fortum is active in Combat Climate Change (3C), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and The Gleneagles Dialogue. A common characteristic of these networks is that they are business lead, that top management is engaged and that they focus on finding market based solutions on sustainability in general with a special focus on climate change mitigation.


Fortum Corporation
Corporate Communications


For more information please contact
Carola Teir-Lehtinen, Corporate Vice President, Sustainability, +358 50 452 4118