Nordtreat created a competitive advantage through sustainability

Nordtreat´s CEO, Aki Borgentorp tells about collaboration with Greenstep:

Nordtreat is a Finnish growth company that promotes sustainable wood construction by introducing ecological fire retardants for wooden products to the market. Founded in 2015, Nordtreat has developed patented fire protection technology that replaces traditional fire retardants that are harmful to the environment and people. Since 2018, Greenstep has been part of Nordtreat's growth story by supporting development in various areas of the business.

"Traditionally, poisons have been used in fire protection, which is harmful to people and the environment. When we formed Nordtreat, we wanted to launch sustainable and safe solutions for the fire protection of wood construction. Sustainability and green values have been the core of our business from day one. We want to be transparent to our stakeholders and show concretely what responsibility means in our business. Greenstep has been a very important partner for us in the development of sustainability," says Nordtreat’s CEO, Aki Borgentorp.

An expert partner supports you on the way to a more sustainable business

Nordtreat became familiar with Greenstep's services at the end of 2018. The close partnership started with financial administration services and later extended to include both HR and sustainability services.

"Our cooperation with Greenstep has been multi-phased, and it has developed year by year. In recent years, Greenstep's sustainability team has been an invaluable help for us, as we operate in a highly regulated industry where things must be documented very precisely. The EU regulations on sustainability are developing rapidly, which is why it would be challenging to react to them with the necessary speed without an expert partner," describes Aki.

Long-term development work and high-quality reporting meet the growing demands of the EU

The main task for Greenstep's sustainability services was to help Nordtreat develop sustainability and reporting in line with the EU regulations. The project started with large-scale ESG reporting, which included information about the organization's effects on the environment, people, and the economy.

"Together with Greenstep, we performed calculations on the organization’s carbon footprint and product life cycle and assessed the EU taxonomy. After, we built a dashboard with the indicators we chose, with which we report sustainability to stakeholders as accurately as possible. Our goal is to ensure that the products delivered to customers are safe and meet the set requirements," says Aki.

Aki finds sustainability reporting complicated because there is no limit to documenting responsibility issues. An expert partner knows how to choose the sustainability reporting areas that are essential for the company.

"It can be difficult for companies to understand what issues and metrics should be taken into account in their sustainability work. This is why it is truly profitable to find a partner who knows the latest changes and knows how to anticipate the development of ESG and taxonomy in the EU. Greenstep was a key choice for us - they have a top-notch team with experience in both growth companies and sustainability. We felt that in preparing for the audit, they were one of the few operators in Finland who could offer us the service we needed," says Aki.

Flexible and fast cooperation suits the needs of a startup company

The close cooperation with Greenstep has been successful, and Nordtreat is confident that the partnership will continue in the future. It is easy to rely on the flexible and high-quality service of familiar experts, even in tight spots.

"Working with Greenstep has been really easy. As a relatively large organization, they have a deep understanding of the various business areas, yet the operation is flexible without unnecessary bureaucracy. Greenstep has also supported us with international needs when our business has expanded abroad. I could unreservedly recommend Greenstep, as their services are of high quality and you really get value for your money", describes Aki.