Sustainability

What does sustainability mean to us?

The goal of our business is simple. We want to encourage everyone to go out into the nature and discover the wonderful Finnish National Parks. We want as many people as possible to be able to gain from the diverse benefits of nature on both mental and physical well-being, just as we have done. We want to share the unique story of Finnish nature and it's National Parks with you while being involved in developing and protecting these treasures we share together. That's why we founded Vuoma Company.

For us, transparency is the key to sustainability. We believe that consumers should be able to trust the way a company operates and, first and foremost, how it communicates its activities and objectives in the different aspects of sustainability.

We always strive to provide as comprehensive information as possible about the products we sell: about the origin of the product, the manufacturer, the materials used and the various certifications our partners may have. Adequate product information also helps to prevent customer returns and thus unnecessary transport of goods. What makes us particularly pleased and proud is that during the first year of our shop being open we have not received a single return!

The materials we use in our products are chosen with environment in mind. We don't want to make disposable products to be used only for a short while, instead we prefer durable materials. This contributes to our products long life and in most cases, for example when it comes to clothing, also to their repairability.

We evaluate clothing manufacturers considering different aspects such as production: is the chain ethically sustainable and transparent?

One of the biggest environmental impacts of online shopping is the transportation of parcels to customers. When we started our operations we went through several options and landed on Posti. Our choice was influenced by a number of factors, including the following:

  • Domesticity: Posti employs a large number of Finns. In 2020, it was the second largest employer.
  • Posti is already 100% carbon neutral when it comes to domestic mail and they are committed to an ambitious climate goal: to be a completely zero-emissions company by 2030.
  • In 2021, the world's leading corporate responsibility assessor EcoVadis placed Posti at the highest possible platinum level.
  • Sustainability is not just about caring for the environment and we believe that Posti communicates its sustainability message openly and comprehensively. On their website you can read more, for example about their various practical sustainability initiatives: https://www.posti.com/en/sustainability/practical-examples/

The packaging of the products and the materials used for them are also chosen with environmental factors in mind. We try to primarily use packaging that already exists and most orders are delivered in cardboard packaging that has already been used once and which can still be recycled by the recipient. The stuffing we use inside the parcels (sometimes plastic) is also a material that comes with the deliveries and is therefore recycled. We always try to pack the product in as small space as possible, to avoid "mailing air".

We prefer cardboard for packaging because it's a light and easily recyclable option. The gift packaging for our National Parks Finland enamelware is designed and manufactured by a small family business (Pakkauspojat) in Finland.

As a family business we also value social responsibility and therefore emphasize our partners' domesticity and responsible way of working. We want to support and cooperate with small entrepreneurs whenever possible, yet we do cooperate with foreign companies when a particular product is not yet available from a domestic supplier.

We have also made some personal choices keeping the environment in mind, these affecting both our life and Vuoma Company's operations:

  • We live in the countryside in a house originally built in 1947, which we have renovated to be more energy friendly
  • We grow an increasing portion of the food we consume on our own land (berries and vegetables) and we make extensive use of what our local nature offers (mushrooms, berries, fish, game meat)
  • We drive a chargable hybrid, allowing us to make short trips to the store and the post office using electric power