Sustainability Programme: Good Governance

Ahola Group is committed to responsible business, covering economic, environmental and social responsibility. In 2025, we focused on steady financial growth, ethical business and sustainable supply chain management, and we committed to sustainability at all operational levels.

 

Good governance

 

Ahola Group bears financial, environmental and social responsibility for its operations by defining values, policies and a Code of Conduct that all employees and partners must follow. We expect the companies working with us to have ethical business practices and measurable progress in financial, environmental and social responsibility, as well as to train their subcontractors and monitor their practices. We call our responsible, ethical ways of working the Ahola Way. Our values – total responsibility, openness, and respect for the individual – form the basis for all our work and business ethics. The policies that guide us in our work are based on the nine principles of the UN Global Compact and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We follow national and international legislation and requirements that govern our operations. Ahola has zero tolerance for all types of corruption, bribery and extortion. We value openness in what we do and believe in objective decision-making based on the company’s actual interests and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Every business segment in our Group carries out annual materiality assessments to identify the most relevant risks and opportunities related to the environment and the economic and social operating environment. Our focus areas for responsible business in 2025 were stable financial growth and ethical business that complies with laws and requirements, the promotion of information security, and sustainable supply chain management.

 

Ethical business

 

Responsible business means considering all the legal and ethical aspects of the operations. In 2021, we established a dedicated Compliance team to monitor compliance with laws and requirements and to ensure that our operations meet the highest ethical standards. We manage our performance through internal audits. We also have a whistleblowing system that gives all our stakeholders the possibility to anonymously report possible breaches related to our business ethics or operations or any other critical concerns that they would like us to address to remedy any shortcomings. Reports made through the whistleblowing system are addressed within the organisation by our Compliance team, which convenes the relevant executive-level people. The whistleblowing system has been in use for two years, and we are pleased to note that no critical concerns have been reported through the system. We take concerns over human rights issues, corruption and inappropriate anti-competitive behaviour seriously. Our policies regarding human rights and ethical business practices are presented in our Code of Conduct (Ahola Way). Ahola Way training is arranged for all new employees and subcontractors as part of their induction to provide information about our policies, values, and ways of working.

 

Financial performance

 

Ahola Group’s market areas include the Nordics, the Baltics, and Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, some transports go to other European countries.

Although 2025 was marked by global tensions and economic challenges, the Group succeeded in developing its strategy and focusing on the responsibility of its operations.

Despite the challenging economic environment, Ahola Group increased its turnover in 2025 compared to previous year. Profitability remained at a good level.

 

Ahola Transport’s operations developed positively in all market areas. The year was marked by significant investments in our transport fleet. Ahola Special invested heavily in the Swedish market and strategically developed its operations with future projects in mind. During the year, Ahola Special carried out a large wind power project in Sweden, which significantly increased the company’s turnover in 2025.

 

Financial risks

 

Global crises, especially the war in Ukraine, continue to pose a risk to the Group’s business. The Group has no direct business in Russia or Ukraine, but it may be exposed to impacts indirectly through customers and partners. Trade policy uncertainty has increased over the year due to shifts in U.S. trade policy. Higher tariffs and renegotiated trade agreements have increased volatility in global trade flows and heightened uncertainty regarding future terms of trade.

 

Other risks consist of unpredictable accidents in connection with road transports as well as vehicle damage. These risks are managed through personnel training, safety instructions and comprehensive insurance coverage. The vehicles are equipped with solutions that improve traffic safety while also supporting the drivers in their work.

The Group hedges against interest rate risks through interest rate swap agreements. The Board of Directors supervises the Group’s risk management and participates in its continuous development.

 

Future prospects

 

Ahola Group’s Board of Directors does not expect significant changes in the transport markets in 2026. The Group’s turnover and profitability are expected to remain at a good level. Ahola Transport will make significant investments in its transport fleet also in 2026.

 

Ahola Transport’s AI camera application was presented for the first time at the Demo Day event.

 

Investments in research and development

 

Demand for ecologically and socially sustainable transport solutions is constantly increasing among both customers and authorities. This requires the continuous modernisation of logistics and the development of new digital solutions to improve operational efficiency. Ahola actively works to find new environmentally friendly working methods and technical solutions to make logistics more efficient. In 2021–2025, we made significant investments in Ahola Transport’s and Ahola Digital’s RDI projects, for which we also received funding from the EU and Business Finland in 2025.

 

Taxes

 

Ahola Group has operations in several countries in addition to Finland, for example, in Sweden, Estonia and Poland. We create value for local communities by paying taxes to these countries. Taxes are paid to the country where the operations take place and where the income is generated. We follow the legislation and taxation practices of the countries in question, for example, in value-added taxation. Ahola Group follows national tax legislation, and we keep accurate tax records. Our accounting is audited by an independent third party to ensure correct information and legal compliance. We will comply with national laws and regulations in tax matters also in the future.

 

Data privacy

 

At Ahola, we process a wide range of data concerning employees, subcontractors, customers and other individuals. We monitor the realisation of data privacy in all our activities through internal audits and by informing and training the employees and engaging subcontractors to follow data protection practices. The annual data protection audit report is prepared by a third-party auditor, who grants Ahola GDPR certification according to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). During the reporting period, the Group received three substantiated complaints related to data protection or loss of customer data. We take our customers’ data protection seriously and have taken effective measures in response to the incidents. Our data privacy work continues with regular internal auditing of GDPR issues in our operations.

 

Responsible supply chains

 

Responsible business applies to the entire supply chain. As our operations largely rely on subcontractors, it is essential to communicate our ways and values to them as efficiently as to our own employees. Our ways of working and our values are part of the training and contracts of new subcontractors to ensure they can effectively adopt the right ways of working and our policies regarding human rights and business ethics. We provide all drivers with training on, for example, economical driving. In digital services, we require our service providers to operate sustainably.

 

Our target for 2026 is to maintain a high level of sustainability in our supply chains. We have also incorporated audits of our current subcontractors’ human rights and ethics policies in annual development discussions, and we will continue this practice in the future.