Responsibility – success for the common good

We are on a shared journey to become the best in the world – in line with our vision. We aim high, and the better we succeed, the more society around us benefits. For over 160 years, we’ve made everyday travel easier, enabled industrial logistics, and supported smooth mobility across society. Yet our journey is only just beginning. The major challenges of our time – such as climate change and the transformation of society and working life – demand that we at VR drive change with even greater determination. That’s why we are committed to ambitious sustainability goals, continuous improvement, and accelerating the shift toward responsible transport.

VR’s sustainability agenda brings together the work we do for people, the environment, and society as a whole. It provides a framework for implementing our sustainability efforts.

VR has set ambitious climate targets for 2032 and 2040 in line with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These goals are part of our updated sustainability agenda, launched in 2024. Through science-based targets, VR commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing climate goals. The new agenda also places greater emphasis on social responsibility.

The themes of VR’s new sustainability agenda were defined through a double materiality analysis in accordance with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). In 2024, VR published its first sustainability report as part of the Board of Directors’ annual report, fully aligned with CSRD. This report offers a comprehensive overview of VR’s sustainability actions and achievements – a significant step toward more transparent and responsible business.

Our sustainability work is guided by VR’s vision, values, and strategy, as well as the Finnish Government’s ownership policy principles on corporate and societal responsibility, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and VR’s own commitments. In 2020, VR signed the UN Global Compact, committing to promote human rights, fair labor practices, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.

However, we cannot succeed in our sustainability efforts alone. We invite partners from all sectors of society to join us. We need consumers and businesses who choose environmentally friendly rail transport, industrial customers who invest with us in low-emission logistics, dedicated VR employees who develop our workplace, and decision-makers and partners who build sustainable infrastructure.

We are on this journey together – welcome aboard to help accelerate Finland toward a carbon-neutral future and make responsible transport a reality every day.