Vapaus – The most sustainable in the industry

We are committed to compensating the emissions of our business and to helping customers make the green shift in mobility.

OUR SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT

We want our business to have an overall positive impact on the world. We are dedicated to creating a low-carbon future with our benefit bike service. Cycling as a low-emission mode of transportation helps our customers reduce emissions and comply to EU regulation.

It doesn’t stop there – we also want to contribute to people’s health by revolutionizing the way we commute and move in our daily lives. We aim to affect the wellbeing of millions while creating significant savings in CO2 emissions. According to The Upright Project’s impartial evaluation, Vapaus’ net-positive impact is greater than that of 99% of companies operating in Finland and globally, both in the mobility sector and other fields.

We take full responsibility for our carbon footprint to ensure that our service has a positive impact on the environment. We commit to making reductions where it is possible and purchase carbon credits equivalent to our remaining emissions. By tracking both our own emissions and the lifecycle emissions of our bikes and contributing to afforestation projects, we ensure that each bike we lease is a benefit to the environment. We also take responsibility for emissions that we are not yet able to fully avoid by supporting carbon sequestration projects and organizations working towards decreasing emissions from mobility.

Thank you for sharing the journey to a more sustainable and more cycling-friendly world.

A better planet, one kilometer at a time

We love to see statistics like these (from our State of benefit bikes in Finland 2024 research)

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46%

of users decreased car use after getting a benefit bike

1 million kg

less CO2-emissions thanks to decreased driving in 2023

79%

of users increased cycling after getting a benefit bike

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Carbon emissions

The carbon emissions of Vapaus for the fiscal year 2023 were 1 863 tonnes of CO2-equivalent. These emissions have been compensated for by retiring 1863 afforestation credits from the TIST Program in Uganda (VCS 2497). TIST is an award-winning reforestation and sustainable development programme representing a community of more than 95 000 farmers, 35,000 of which are women, across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and India. TIST’s mission is to improve lives, empower women, create leaders and have a positive climate impact, contributing to all 17 UN SDGs. 
 
TIST participants receive income from planting trees and from the sale of the carbon credits these trees produce. Grown trees create even more value for the farmers, in the form of fruits, nuts, fodder, traditional medicines, sustainable wood products and firewood (from dead trees and thinnings). This ensures that participants have multiple incentives to maintain the planted trees in the longer term.You can read more about the TIST Program in Uganda here. The carbon credits were provided by the carbon removal platform Supercritical.
 
Supercritical is a UK-based carbon removal platform that delivers radical transparency to carbon removal buyers so they can access the best projects with absolute confidence. Supercritical-vetted projects have passed a rigorous evaluation through a proprietary 118-point protocol, covering climate science, environmental impact, delivery risk, and social benefits.

UN Global Compact

Vapaus is also committed to United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Vapaus is committed to ten principles of the UN Global Compact. Commitment is renewed annually.
 
  • UN Global Compact ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change.
  • To make this happen, the UN Global Compact supports companies to do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.
  • More information here.
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Our sustainability partners

Upright Project

We have partnered with The Upright Project to measure the net impact of our operations. Our AA (Excellent) rating reveals we are on the right track, but we’ve also identified several areas where we can still improve.

Get in touch

Connect with Tatu Mäkilä, our co-founder and Chief Impact Officer to discuss our sustainability initiatives, impact, and potential partnerships.

Tatu Mäkilä

Tatu Mäkilä

Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer

+358 40 770 7452

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Download our ESG Report

The Upright Project’s impartial rating for Vapaus’ net-positive impact is higher than 99% of other companies in mobility and other industries.

Study our ESG report to learn more about our sustainability work.