Sustainability at Finnish Customs

Finnish Customs plays a crucial role in protecting society and the environment. Customs can also act as a trailblazer for others. Our mission is to ensure the safety of society, the climate and the environment. We fulfil this role by monitoring traffic flows into and out of Finland and the EU. 

For example, we ensure that consumers are not exposed to harmful substances, children play with safe toys, companies coming to Finland commit to the Finnish circular economy system and substances that cause ozone depletion or loss of biodiversity are not imported into our region. Finnish Customs plays an increasingly significant role in safeguarding legal foreign trade, enabling efficiency, ensuring fair competition for businesses and knowing logistics chains in this constantly changing operating environment.

Internationally we are involved in the joint efforts of the European Union Member States to promote the principles of sustainable development and combat climate change. As a member of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Finnish Customs works with other customs authorities around the world to promote the responsible and environmentally sustainable implementation of international trade transportation and customs processes. We also participated in the piloting of the Green Customs Assessment Tool (GCAT) as a part of the World Customs Organisation’s Green Customs Action Plan. With this tool, customs authorities can contribute more effectively to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Naturally, Finnish Customs must also ensure that the well-being of people and our environment are taken into account in its own work. We want to adhere to the principles of sustainable development and reduce our environmental impact. We promote equality and equity in our workplace. We are committed to maintaining the skills of our personnel and collaborating with educational institutions on training. We aim to provide accessible, unobstructed services. 

We manage our environmental impacts using the EcoCompass environmental management system and develop our operations further. We are also collaborating with the State Treasury and other agencies to develop the Kestävyyskompassi (Sustainability Compass) website to support sustainability efforts.

We have identified the six SDGs on which we have the greatest impact through our actions:

Finnish Customs promotes the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN

We have identified the six Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN on which we have the greatest impact through our actions. The goals and the work we are doing to achieve them are listed below.

  • We protect the safety of society, the health of citizens and the environment through comprehensive crime prevention.
  • We monitor the import of restricted products and prevent prohibited substances, such as medications or narcotics, from entering the country. In this way, we prevent the adverse social and economic effects they cause.
  • We protect consumers from health hazards by preventing non-compliant foods and consumer goods from entering the market.
  • We protect the health of animals and citizens by preventing the spread of dangerous animal diseases, such as rabies and African swine fever, through pets and products of animal origin.
  • We supervise the roadworthiness of vehicles to prevent vehicles that are malfunctioning, overloaded or incorrectly loaded from entering the flow of traffic in Finland.

  • We offer companies smoother customs clearance with authorisations. These companies contribute to the security of supply chains through their activities.
  • Our control supports fair competition and the accuracy of customs clearances for companies and uncovers tax fraud.
  • We combat the grey economy to promote fair competition among lawful operators, increase tax revenue for the State and prevent other crime. 
  • By recovering proceeds of crime and remitting them to the State, we hinder professional and organised crime effectively. 
  • We engage in proactive cooperation with educational institutions, offer internships and are actively visible at trade fairs and in the media. In this way, we contribute to the development of the skills needed in working life and raise awareness of potential jobs while people are studying. 
  • We value diversity and in our recruitment, we encourage people from different backgrounds to apply for jobs at Customs. This is highlighted in our job advertisements, in which we seek applicants of different ages and genders as well as people belonging to linguistic, cultural or other minorities.
  • We train our personnel to interact with people from different backgrounds. In addition, we strengthen their skills in equality and equity to ensure that no one is discriminated against in service situations.

  • We engage in regular and close cooperation with various networks and customer cooperation groups in different fields.
  • We collect customs duties payable to the EU and taxes and other payments payable to the State.
  • We compile and publish official statistics on Finland’s international trade to support knowledge-based decision-making.
  • Finnish Customs acts as the national authority in charge of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The CBAM prevents emissions from being diverted outside the EU, encouraging ecologically sustainable operations on a global level.

  • Valvomme tuoteväärennösten maahantuontia ja kauppaa. Tällä suojelemme kuluttajia, olemme mukana turvaamassa valtiolle kertyviä verotuloja ja oikeudenhaltijoiden taloudellisia intressejä sekä torjumme pakko- ja lapsityövoiman käyttöä, rahanpesua ja muun rikollisuuden rahoittamista. 
  • Torjumme valvonnalla myös elintarvikepetoksia ja edistämme yritysten tasapuolisia kilpailuedellytyksiä.
  • Vaikutamme yhteiskunnalliseen keskusteluun nettikaupan lieveilmiöistä tuomalla viranomaistietoa kuluttajien ja päättäjien saataville.

  • Our controls prevent the spread of plant and animal diseases. In this way, we also protect biodiversity, the forestry industry’s operating conditions, the food industry and food production in cooperation with several public authorities.
  • By supervising shipments of hazardous substances, waste and chemicals, we ensure that they do not harm nature or citizens. 
  • We make customs clearance easier and reduce the need for travel through digital services.
  • Finnish Customs has a certified environmental management system to manage its environmental impact.
  • We aim to reduce the environmental impact of our operations by improving our work environments and the sustainability of our procurement. We always replace travel with digital solutions when appropriate.
  • The target is to increase the use of public transport for official travel and reduce the use of aeroplanes and cars.

  • We offer information about our services and any changes in our operations as well as instruct customers so that they can get everything right the first time through proactive advice. This saves time and money and avoids follow-up work. 
  • We promote accessibility so that all our customers can use our online services or visit our service points independently. 
  • We fight cross-border crime by working closely with other law enforcement agencies.
  • By enforcing sanctions, we ensure that the European Union’s joint foreign and security policies are effective in national and international cooperation and in promoting peace.
  • The values and ethical principles of Finnish Customs guide our actions. We carry out our duties sustainably and effectively in a multicultural operating environment, taking advantage of opportunities and preparing for threats. We use the annual Reputation&Trust survey to track the development of Finnish Customs’ reputation.
  • We encourage Finnish Customs’ personnel to improve their daily work and customs services. We encourage our personnel to submit initiatives, and we help them develop the skills needed to improve their work.
  • A personnel survey is also conducted at Finnish Customs to promote the well-being of Finnish Customs personnel via a ‘well-being at work’ plan.