Sustainability is reflected in all our operations, as VTT's task is to develop sustainable solutions for customers and society. It is equally important to develop the sustainability of our own operations ambitiously: for this reason, we examine our own sustainability with the help of a double materiality assessment. The results of VTT's double materiality assessment guide our sustainability work and strategic choices and create a basis for our sustainability reporting.
What does double materiality assessment mean?
Double materiality assessment refers to a process in which VTT's actual and potential, positive and negative impacts on people and the environment are identified and assessed. In addition, we have identified and assessed sustainability-related risks and opportunities that have or may have financial impacts on VTT.
VTT's latest double materiality assessment was approved in 2025, and it examined the materiality of sustainability topics for VTT through the impacts it causes, as well as the risks and opportunities it faces. In the double materiality assessment, potential and actual impacts on people and the environment were identified and assessed through our due diligence process, as well VTT's potential and actual impacts in terms of its own operations and business relationships in different functions and value chains were assessed. In addition, the impacts that VTT can influence through its own actions and decisions were specified, as well as impacts that can be linked to VTT on the basis of its business relationships and reputation. Financial materiality was examined through risks and opportunities arising from sustainability themes.
VTT's double materiality assessment follows the ESRS framework
VTT's double materiality assessment was carried out qualitatively by collecting views from internal and external stakeholders through questionnaires and by interviewing VTT's management and owners. VTT's sustainability team analysed the results by scoring the identified impacts, risks and opportunities based on the collected data, and finally by determining the materiality thresholds. Before the results were approved, they were validated through internal expert interviews. The double materiality assessment was carried out in accordance with the framework of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The topics covered in the assessment were based on the ESRS standards and their subtopics, as well as the results of VTT's first double materiality assessment.
Both negative and positive impacts were prioritised by assessing their scale, extent, likelihood and possible irreparable nature of the negative impacts. When identifying the impacts, it was also determined whether they were actual or possible, and they were assessed at different time intervals.
Topics that are relevant to VTT include climate change and its own workforce
Based on the double materiality assessment, we identified the sustainability topics that are relevant to us. Relevant topics for us in terms of environmental topics are climate change, biodiversity, resource use and circular economy, in terms of social topics, our own workforce and employees in the value chain, and in terms of governance, business conduct, research ethics, information security and responsible customers. In addition, from the perspective of the impact of our research, the resilience of society is essential for us.
For example, of the positive impacts related to climate change, we identified VTT's research and innovation activities as promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation, but the negative impacts include greenhouse gas emissions caused by VTT's operations and its value chain. Similarly, we may have financial opportunities in mitigating climate change, for example, by commercialising the technology we have developed, but the risks are, for example, physical disturbances in our operations caused by climate change.
Correspondingly, for example, there are numerous positive effects on our own workforce, such as a multinational workforce whose skills and well-being are constantly being developed, but work-related accidents can occur, for example, especially in laboratory conditions. In matters related to governance, research ethics is associated with our trustworthy and ethical reputation as a company as a positive thing, but non-compliance with research ethics involves risks, such as reputational risk.
You can read a detailed breakdown of material impacts, risks and opportunities (IROs) in our double materiality assessment document here.
Below is an overview of the material sustainability topics identified by VTT based on the assessment.
