Helsinki

Finland

Mission city Pilot city
Finland National Platform
Helsinki Mission City Label
Population 684k
City Area 213.8 km²
City active since June 2022

Helsinki is recognised as a frontrunner in urban sustainability.

 

The city has committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2030, placing climate action at the core of its long-term development strategy. Helsinki advances this ambition through strong data-driven policies, large-scale pilots, and close collaboration with residents and local businesses. Its approach emphasises systemic transformation, from clean energy and circular economy solutions to sustainable mobility and green urban planning. As part of the NetZeroCities Mission, Helsinki contributes practical insights from years of climate experimentation. The city also benefits from shared learning and cross-European cooperation to accelerate progress toward a healthier, resilient, and inclusive urban future.

Key Learnings

Decarbonising apartment buildings in Helsinki

Energy Renaissance kicked off in 2021. The city established a team of energy specialists providing free, impartial advice to housing companies, promoting energy-efficient renovations.

The Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 Action Plan

Author: City of Helsinki Category: City Net Zero Policy Published/Created by: City of Helsinki In September 2017, Helsinki reset the city’s target year for carbon neutrality to 2035, speeding up the goal by 15 years from the earlier target year 2050. An interim goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% from 1990 to 2030. The Action Plan outlines how the emissions reductions may be achieved in practice and includes suggestions for emissions reduction actions compiled from nine workshops. The suggestions were edited into their final forms by the steering group and City experts. A total of 147 actions were recorded in the Plan. The Plan includes a description of the current state, the objectives and the key emissions reduction actions for each sector. The sectors are the following:  traffic construction and use of buildings consumption, procurements, sharing economy and circular economy Smart & Clean growth Helen Ltd’s development programme carbon sinks and compensation for emissions communications and engagement coordination, monitoring and assessment of climate work

“Mission Cities striving for sustainable urban logistics” webinar

“Mission Cities striving for sustainable urban logistics” 3 September 13:00-15:00 CEST Gain inspiration and practical insights to tackle urban logistics effectively! Join Lahti and Helsinki to learn from their experience and explore key questions for more sustainable urban logistics: How can cities plan sustainable urban logistics in the most effective way? What are the most impactful measures that cities can implement? What roles can cities play in driving the transition toward sustainability? Who needs to be involved in preparing and implementing these measures? Agenda: 13.00 Welcome to the webinar! 13.05 How is it going in Enabling City Transformation projects of City of Lahti and City of Helsinki? 13.20 City of Paris on the development of their City Logistics plan, challenges they faced and decisions they took 13.40 City of Baerum on their successful approach for sustainable urban logistics 14.00 City of Amsterdam, City of Oslo and City of Gävle on their approach to sustainable urban logistics 14.30 Break-out sessions for discussion 14.50 Sharing from breakouts in plenary and wrap-up Presentations: Webinar slide deck City of Paris presentation
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Latest updates from the city

Pilot project spotlight

Helsinki's Pilot Activity: Systemic Heat Shift
Germany's Pilot City Activity CoLAB – Committed to Local Climate Action Building Background Helsinki's climate commitments are encapsulated in its Carbon Neutral Helsinki Action Plan, targeting an 80% reduction in direct emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. The
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Visit Helsinki City Website Read Helsinki Climate City Contract

External projects

City involvement in related European initiatives

Helsinki City Group

Finnish Mission Cities

11 members

Suomalaisten missiokaupunkien keskustelualusta.