Baltic Sea Project

Supporting environmental projects has been a part of the Bank of Åland’s activities since 1997.

A new wind for environmental work set sail in the summer of 2014 when Anne-Maria Salonius, the Finnish director of Ålandsbanken, was sailing from Åland to the Archipelago Sea and saw firsthand the poor condition of the Baltic Sea. The pristine Baltic Sea that appeared in our imaginations was far from reality. And she decided that something had to be done about it. Later that same summer, the pieces fell into place, and observations made at sea, combined with Ålandsbanken’s environmental work, laid the foundation for the Baltic Sea Project.

The Baltic Sea Project focuses on improving the condition of the Baltic Sea by financing good ideas and encouraging action. Through a simple process, customers, partners, and the public are activated and engaged.

To date, we have supported environmental work with nearly 4.5 million euros. Our Baltic Sea accounts have played a crucial role: annually, the bank has donated a sum from its own funds to nature conservation, equivalent to up to 0.2% of the deposits on Baltic Sea accounts.