Kainuu Orienteering Week Advances Sustainability Efforts – Aiming for a More Sustainable Orienteering Event
Published: 13.02.2026
Kainuu Orienteering Week Advances Sustainability Efforts – Aiming for a More Sustainable Orienteering Event
Kainuu Orienteering Week (KOW) has launched a series of workshops aimed at further strengthening the event's sustainability. Carried out in collaboration with Ceriffi Oy, this initiative brings concrete actions to environmental responsibility, social responsibility, and administrative practices.
Sustainability is not a new concept for Kainuu Orienteering Week, but as the organizers prepare for next summer's event in Suomussalmi, the goal is to integrate it even more deeply into daily operations. The organizing committee met earlier this week for the first workshop to identify the environmental impacts, risks, and opportunities arising from the event's activities.
From Occupational Safety to Data Protection
During the workshop series, the heads of various event sectors are diving into sustainability through three main themes:
- Environmental Responsibility: Identifying and assessing the event’s ecological footprint and finding new ways to respect and protect the delicate terrain of the Kainuu region.
- Social Responsibility: With a particular focus on occupational health and safety, the goal is to ensure that every volunteer, employee, orienteer, and spectator can enjoy the event safely.
- Governance Responsibility: Developing internal communication tools and ensuring robust data protection practices within the event organization.
Marika Paananen, a sustainability expert at Ceriffi Oy who co-led the workshop with KOW General Secretary Jukka Liuha, sees great potential in the process. "The basic logic of materiality assessment works very well even in a streamlined format. It provides an effective model for identifying risks, such as the impacts of extreme weather conditions," Paananen notes.
A Permanent Operating Model for the Future
Kainuu Orienteering Week has been working long-term on sustainability for years, but the current collaboration with Ceriffi and their ShowYourSustainability software takes this work to the next level.
"We have long been developing the event's sustainability, especially from an environmental perspective. This new step strengthens, diversifies, and puts these efforts into concrete practice," Liuha explains.
According to Liuha, the workshop series does not only serve the upcoming week in Suomussalmi; it creates a foundation for the entire future of the event. The software will allow for better management of sustainability efforts and streamline reporting to all stakeholders.
"I believe this gives us a clear roadmap for developing our operations in the coming years. We are building a permanent operating model that will ensure Kainuu Orienteering Week remains vibrant, responsible, and continuously evolving for decades to come."
The workshop series will continue in a few weeks, focusing on evaluating and preventing the identified impacts and risks in more detail.
For more information:
Jukka Liuha, Secretary General, Kainuu Orienteering Week association
Marika Paananen, Sustainability Expert, Ceriffi Oy
