Sustainability at Mehiläinen

Sustainability at Mehiläinen

The starting point is responsibility and caring for people and society

For 114 years, Mehiläinen's mission has been to create better health and well-being as part of the surrounding society. Our sustainability is also based on this mission and our values – Skills and Knowledge, Caring and Responsibility, Partnership and Entrepreneurship, and Growth and Development – as we care for people and society.

Mehiläinen's sustainability programme consists of four business-critical areas: quality and customer satisfaction, innovation and financial responsibility, employee well-being and being a good employer as well as sustainable development of operations. All four areas are monitored with several indicators, the development of which is reported as part of the sustainability report.

The 2022 Sustainability Report is Mehiläinen's third separate annual review on sustainability issues. The report is in accordance with GRI (Global reporting Initiative) Universal standard requirements. The Mehiläinen Sustainability Report has also been verified externally for the first time.

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Pioneer in quality treatment and care

Our customers and their families can rely on us to provide individual, safe and effective treatment and care. Our management is knowledge-based, we seek to perform better every day, and we are a pioneer in digital healthcare.

Driving social responsibility, through innovation and agility

Our growth is stable, we create jobs and export Finnish expertise to the international market. We are a strong partner for companies and the public sector.

Attractive and meaningful workplace

We invest in the comprehensive well-being of our employees and provide them with opportunities to develop and shine in their work. We offer a wide range of career paths and our corporate culture encourages success.

Sustainable development

We operate sustainably, openly and efficiently throughout the value chain.

View Mehiläinen’s Sustainability Report

Read more about Mehiläinen’s responsibility work in our sustainability report.

Read the Sustainability Report

Sustainability Report 2021
Sustainability Report 2020

Mehiläinen promotes the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in its operations

UN Sustainable Development Goal #3

Mehiläinen contributes to the growth of health and well-being by investing in the development of high-quality treatment and care and increasing their effectiveness.

UN Sustainable Development Goal #8

Mehiläinen contributes to the goal by employing people, investing and creating economic growth through tax income.

UN Sustainable Development Goal #9

Mehiläinen contributes to the achievement of the goal by making investments in our countries of operation, establishing new care and healthcare units and by innovating and developing treatment and care.

UN Sustainable Development Goal #17

Cooperation between the private and public sector is particularly important in social welfare and healthcare to ensure that services are organised in society in the best possible way for customers and patients.

Mehiläinen's year 2022

The global situation challenged 113-year-old Mehiläinen and the entire social and healthcare service sector exceptionally in 2022. At Mehiläinen, we continued to focus on our mission: creating better health and well-being.

Read the Annual Report

ACHIEVED SUSTAINABILITY GOALS SET FOR THE YEAR

Mehiläinen’s sustainability goals are tied to the company’s financing agreement signed in 2021 and loan terms. The loan interest margin increases or decreases depending on how the company is able to achieve the three sustainability goals tied to it. In indicators tied to the package, i.e., the quality index of care services for the elderly, access to non-urgent care at Mehiläinen’s public health centres, and Mehiläinen Group’s carbon dioxide emissions – the goals set out in the agreement were achieved in each indicator in 2022.

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THE MOST ATTRACTIVE WORKPLACE IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

Students in the sector selected Mehiläinen as the most ideal workplace in the healthcare sector. The survey was conducted by Universum Communications, a company specialised in studying the image of employers. Mehiläinen was also selected as the Employer Brand of the Year at the Rekrygaala event. The expert jury recognised Mehiläinen for its hard work in improving its image as an employer in a sector that is experiencing a significant labour shortage.

Tax footprint

The image shows Mehiläinen’s tax footprint from 1 January to 31 December 2022 (EUR million). The tax footprint indicates the impact of Mehiläinen on the surrounding Finnish society as a payer of taxes and tax-like charges.

Mehiläinen’s tax footprint for 2022 consists of the following:

The total tax footprint was EUR 364.0 million, of which foreign companies accounted for EUR 35.6 million, or approximately 9.8%. The foreign companies are located in Estonia, Sweden and Germany.

  • The amount of taxes on wages and salaries withheld and paid by the Mehiläinen Group was EUR 144.2 million. In Finland, Mehiläinen operates around the country and has operations in both large cities and small municipalities, which means that it pays payroll tax in many municipalities. The share of foreign companies in the total amount of taxes withheld was EUR 11.7 million.
  • The social and health care services provided by Mehiläinen are mostly exempt from VAT. The VAT included in the purchases and investments related to the provision of these services cannot be deducted by Mehiläinen. Instead, the VAT included in these is paid by Mehiläinen. The total amount of VAT paid by the Group on purchases and investments was EUR 54.3 million, of which foreign companies accounted for EUR 7.3 million.
  • The total amount of employer’s social insurance contributions paid by the Mehiläinen Group was EUR 138.6 million. The share of foreign companies was EUR 14.0 million.
  • The Group paid EUR 17.9 million in corporation tax. Most of this was paid in Finland.
  • The Group paid EUR 2.7 million in transfer tax and real estate tax in Finland.
  • The Group also carries out some activities that are subject to VAT (e.g. personnel leasing). The amount of VAT on these activities that is paid to the Tax Administration is the difference between the VAT on the sales in question and the VAT included in the related purchases, which was EUR 6.5 million. The share of foreign companies was EUR 1.3 million.

In addition to Mehiläinen’s own staff, the Group employs a large number of private practitioners, whose tax footprint comes on top of Mehiläinen’s own tax footprint and is approximately EUR 89.5 million (estimated).

Certificates are proof of quality and expertise


A certificate is not only a framed document on the wall but also a reputable indication of expertise in the industry. It indicates that the company has built a system that meets the relevant standards, customer demands, statutory obligations and the goals set by the organisation.

A certificate is an indication of the company’s level of quality and, with it, the company can send a message to its customers and stakeholders that:

  • The organisation’s management system meets the chosen international standards (Mehiläinen: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ETJ+)
  • The company is committed to providing high-quality services
  • The company is committed to observe environmentally friendly and energy-efficient operating models
  • Continuous development and improvement are key themes of the company’s activities

Learn more about the FIBS Pro certificate 

Learn more about our operations

You will find plenty of additional information about Mehiläinen’s work and how we strive for the best possible customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction is our priority

Medical expertise and patient safety

Patient ombudsman and social care ombudsman

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