Timeline of Pyhä’s Sustainability Actions

We aim to offer visitors the opportunity for a car-free skiing holiday in Ski-Inn accommodation. We are developing Pyhä so that slopes and services are within walking distance from the accommodation.

The Master Plan for the Pyhä ski resort was created in 2000 in collaboration with the Canadian planning firm Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners. At the core of the plan is a pleasant pedestrian village, easy access to slopes and services without a car, and so-called prime ski-in/ski-out beds. These enable a high occupancy rate for accommodation services, rather than having privately owned holiday homes sit empty for most of the year. This approach reduces the environmental impact of construction as well as the energy consumption associated with holiday homes.

The Pyhä ski resort has been a pioneer in sustainable tourism since the 1990s, when we participated as one of the first Finnish tourism companies in the Finnish Tourist Board’s (MEK) sustainable tourism pilot projects. Our environmental program was launched together with our sister resort Ruka in 2008.

In 2008, we transitioned to electricity and district heating produced from renewable natural resources, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 80%. Our Ski-Inn apartments became carbon neutral in terms of energy use.

Pyhä joined the first phase of the EU Energy Efficiency Agreement in 2008 and continued with a new agreement in 2017, which runs until 2025. The goal of the EU Energy Efficiency Agreement is to

The Pyhä ski resort has operated on renewable energy since 2008.
As a result, no greenhouse gas emissions are generated from running lifts, snowmaking, slope lighting, or heating buildings. In 2011, Pyhä became the first ski resort in the Nordics to achieve carbon neutrality in terms of energy use (scope 1 and scope 2), when we began offsetting emissions from the use of fossil fuels (including fuels for snow groomers as well as CO2 emissions from staff commuting, such as air travel). The carbon footprint of Pyhätunturi Oy has been calculated by Nordic Offset.

We offset our CO2 emissions annually through the Nordic Offset service. By purchasing emission reductions through this service, an amount equivalent to the carbon footprint of fuel use is directed to WWF-supported, Gold Standard-certified renewable energy projects.

The compensations made by Pyhätunturi Oy for the 2021–2022 season can be found in the Gold Standard registry and the Verra registry.

Before transitioning to MyDiesel in 2021, the total amount of emissions to be offset at Pyhä was 224 tonnes of CO2 per year. These were distributed as follows: emissions from slope operations 221.6 t CO2, employee travel emissions (air travel) 0.7 t CO2, and car use 1.4 t CO2. With the introduction of MyDiesel, the need to offset emissions from slope operations decreased by 80%.

In 2019, our environmental program was updated into a comprehensive sustainability program that also includes social and economic responsibility. As part of this program, during the 2019–2020 season we offered, for the first time, a free season pass to 10-year-old children living in the Pyhätunturi region (Pelkosenniemi, Kemijärvi, Savukoski, and Sodankylä). We continue this tradition annually.

At Pyhä, we aim to invest in recycling, as properly sorted waste can be transformed from rubbish into raw materials or an energy source. In 2019, we improved waste sorting opportunities in Ski-Inn accommodations and our other properties. We now collect bio waste, glass, metal, cardboard, paper, and combustible waste.

You can find more detailed recycling instructions for Ski-Inn accommodations here.

Pyhätunturi Oy, together with Rukakeskus Oy, was among the first ski resorts in Finland to be awarded the Sustainable Travel Finland label in July 2020. Sustainable Travel Finland is a sustainability program managed by Business Finland, aimed at providing tourism companies and destinations with a development model that facilitates the systematic adoption of responsible practices.

The criteria of the Sustainable Travel Finland program include, among other things, a commitment to developing sustainable tourism, increasing expertise, implementing a development plan, and communicating responsible tourism. We are committed to following Visit Finland’s principles of sustainable tourism in all our operations. The program also includes regular auditing. You can read more about the criteria on the Sustainable Travel Finland program website.

The Sustainable Travel Finland label encourages every traveler to respect, protect, enjoy, and love Finland’s nature. We encourage everyone to make the Sustainable Travel Pledge – watch the video to learn more about the pledge:

In 2021, we introduced Neste MY Renewable Fuel Oil™, which is made 100% from waste and residues.

The use of renewable fuel oil has a significant climate impact, as switching to it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from snow groomers at Pyhä and Ruka by up to 90% compared to fossil fuel oil. This means a reduction of over 600 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to removing approximately 230 passenger cars from Finnish roads for a year (the life-cycle emission calculation method is based on the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EU)). In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the transition to renewable fuel oil also reduces local emissions, as Neste MY Renewable Fuel Oil burns cleaner than fossil fuels.

Pyhätunturi Oy, as part of the Rukakeskus Group, is committed to the UN Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative.
The UN Global Compact is a UN initiative and the world’s largest corporate responsibility network, with over 20,000 companies and nearly 4,000 other organizations from more than 160 countries. Organizations participating in the UN Global Compact are committed to advancing the ten principles of corporate responsibility as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which together form a global framework for sustainability work.

You can find more information and the ten principles of corporate responsibility at globalcompact.fi

In autumn 2024, we began the application process for the Green Key certification for our Ski-Inn accommodation operations. Green Key is an international sustainability certification for the tourism industry, already awarded to thousands of businesses worldwide. The certification criteria are based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and include requirements related to reducing environmental impact, increasing social benefits, and supporting the local economy.

More information about the Green Key certification

Pyhä and Ruka Ski-Inn Hotels & Apartments were awarded the internationally recognized Green Key sustainability certification in spring 2025, in recognition of our long-term and impactful sustainability work.

Green Key is one of the leading sustainability certifications in the global tourism industry, awarded to businesses that meet sustainability criteria based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These criteria cover areas such as energy efficiency, water consumption, waste management, and responsible sourcing.

Read more about the Green Key certification
 

In addition, Ski-Inn Hotels & Apartments at Ruka and Pyhä were awarded the Visit Finland STF (Sustainable Travel Finland) label in December 2025. STF is Visit Finland’s official label and development program for sustainable tourism, designed to support and promote sustainable practices within the Finnish tourism industry. Receiving the label requires, among other things, a commitment to environmental, social, and economic responsibility goals, as well as third-party certification.
The STF label further reinforces our commitment to sustainability in Ski-Inn operations. The ski resorts at Ruka and Pyhä have held the STF label since 2020.

Read more about the STF label

 

Pyhä and Ruka, together with the Finnish Ski Association, joined the international White Winters programme, which aims to safeguard the future of winter sports in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. The programme brings together snow sport stakeholders and experts to develop practical solutions to sustainability challenges and to accelerate the adoption of climate- and environmentally friendly innovations in ski resorts and winter sports events.