Sustainability has been part of T-DRILL’s operations since the very beginning. The long service life of our machines and their minimal need for maintenance and spare parts make them an inherently responsible investment. However, sustainability calls for constant improvement – which is why we’ve created a sustainability strategy that includes, among other goals, cutting our operational emissions by 50% by 2028. In this article, we share the steps we’ve already taken and the actions ahead.
T-DRILL is part of Leinolat Group, which last year took a progressive step by being among the first companies in the Finnish metal industry to publish a sustainability report in accordance with the EU VSME Standard for non-listed SMEs. T-DRILL has actively contributed to the process, committing to the report’s objectives while assessing its current performance and identifying key areas for further improvement. Managing Director Jouni Matikainen explains:
“With early, comprehensive, and data-driven reporting, we are able to demonstrate not only our genuine desire to act as a responsible company and employer, but also our ability to meet the sustainability targets and requirements set for manufacturers.”
Environmental Responsibility
Our goal is to reduce emissions from our operations by 50% by 2028. The vast majority of our emissions currently come from purchased materials, their logistics, and outgoing deliveries. These are followed by significantly smaller sources, such as business travel and commuting.
To improve these areas, we have already taken several major steps: we source most of our components and subcontracting locally – not only within Finland but within our own region. Additionally, we manufacture a large portion of our components in-house.
To cut down on emissions from deliveries, we are moving from air freight to sea freight in our shipments to the United States whenever possible. By also increasing the number of stocked machines in the U.S., we can meet customer needs quickly without air freight from Finland.
We have reduced the need for business travel by favoring remote connections. We are also actively expanding our service and sales networks in Asia and Europe, further reducing the need for travel from Finland. This year, we also introduced the T-DRILL electric van, which helps lower travel-related emissions within Finland.
We have successfully reduced commuting emissions by opening an office in Seinäjoki, where from a significant portion of our staff previously commuted to Laihia. Currently, approximately 14% of commuting kilometers are driven with electric vehicles, and the share is expected to grow in the coming years.
Social Responsibility
Our goals regarding our employees are clear: we want to be a fair, inclusive, and safe employer that supports employee work ability and overall well-being. We have moved toward this goal through employee satisfaction surveys and by addressing the development areas identified in them, improving near miss reporting and preventive actions, and increasing sustainability awareness among our staff. We are committed to the Leinolat Group’s Code of Conduct, an ethical guideline covering matters such as employment and leadership practices.
In 2025, we were awarded the Great Place to Work certification™. The survey responses especially highlighted a welcoming environment for new employees, an excellent atmosphere across the company, and strong trust in company leadership. 87% of employees feel that T-DRILL is, overall, an outstanding place to work – compared to 38% for a typical Finnish company.
As part of our social responsibility, we plan to apply for the Great Place to Work certification™ every year, extending it also to our U.S. subsidiary. Our goal is to continue improving as a workplace so that T-DRILL will be ranked among the top 20 medium-sized companies in Finland’s Great Place to Work listing.
Governance
Our operations are guided by our values, the three T’s – trust, teamwork, and transparency. We are committed to the Leinolat Group Procurement Policy, which defines our principles and practices regarding matters such as legal compliance, good business ethics, anti-corruption, respect for human rights, and procurement. As a Finnish company, these principles are largely self-evident, but it is important for us to have them documented in a clear and concrete form. T-DRILL remains committed to upholding and continuously developing these practices.
Sustainability of T-DRILL Products
A key part of our responsibility work is to assess the emissions our products generate during their lifecycle. To study the sustainability of T-DRILL methods, we commissioned two theses: one comparing the sustainability of T-DRILL’s methods to traditional ones, and another examining the lifecycle environmental impact of the TEC-220 collaring machine.
We are pleased to report that these independent studies by the Vaasa University of Applied Sciences confirm T-DRILL’s methods to be more environmentally friendly than traditional methods – primarily due to our machines’ long service life, efficient material use, and reduced welding. On an annual level, choosing our methods can save up to 144,400 kg CO₂e, equivalent to 73 round-trip flights from Helsinki to New York. Read more about the theses and their results.
Read more about sustainability at T-DRILL through the following links:
Leinolat Group Sustainability Report 2024
Leinolat Group Procurement Policy
Leinolat Group Code of Conduct
T-DRILL Receives Great Place to Work Certification™
Research Confirms: T-DRILL Methods are More Sustainable Than Traditional Methods
