Business News
Masters thesis on Metsos environmental responsibility is Europes best
Thursday 24. January 2008 - Kaisa Jungmans (M.Sc.) thesis about Metsos supply chain has been granted the Best Masters Thesis Award in Paris. The French Forum pour lInvestissement Responsable, FIR (Social Investment Forum) has chosen the masters thesis written by Jungman, a Helsinki University of Technology graduate, as Europes best thesis with a sustainability focus. In her masters thesis, Jungman studied the supply chains of Metsos different industry segments from an environmental perspective.
Working as a Development Engineer at Metso, Jungman says that companies are increasingly outsourcing their business, while at the same time legislative, customer and other stakeholder demands for operational sustainability are growing. “Companies should adopt responsible business principles throughout the entire supply chain, starting with raw materials,” emphasizes Jungman, who examined the actions of subcontractors in terms of environmental responsibility.
Metsos Marko Hakovirta, Vice President, Environment, Quality and Technology, was the thesis advisor. “Jungmans work is a pioneering account of the environmental impacts of the project and procurement activities of a global technology company,” Hakovirta notes. He goes on to say that as companies move towards networking and global operations, their environmental management will inevitably encompass the entire value chain.
“Metso wants to be a frontrunner in improving the accountability of the supply chain. Jungmans work is part of the project that is aiming to develop our environmental management also towards this direction,” Hakovirta says.
FIR supports and promotes research in sustainability and finance. The award jury consisted of experts from academia and business. The award criteria included the importance and quality of the work and the originality of the topic and the approach.