Net impacts on society
GRK has assessed its societal impact using the Upright net impact model. Based on artificial intelligence, scientific research and public databases, the model measures
and benchmarks the positive and negative net impacts of companies’ core operations in the framework of four dimensions: the environment, health, society and
knowledge. In practice, the net impact quantifies the benefits and negative impacts caused by the company and assesses whether the company creates more value than it uses
resources.
Based on Upright’s analysis, GRK is a net neutral
company.
The Upright model focuses not only on the construction phase but also the more extensive impacts of the environment built by GRK on society.
GRK has impacts on society in all of the four categories. GRK’s most important positive impacts are on society, knowledge and health. GRK’s significant impact on society
is through the infrastructure it builds.
Nearly all business operations have positive impacts on society, as GRK’s operations are needed for the very sake of the modern society and functioning and people being able to move from one place to another on roads or tracks.
The negative impacts particularly include environmental aspects, such as the use of raw materials, consumption of energy and emissions and waste resulting from operations. Therefore, we take several environmental measures to mitigate these negative impacts.
Examples of GRK’s impacts on society, knowledge,
health and environment
Society
- Through its operations, GRK makes it possible for the infrastructure needed by the modern society to be built and kept in order.
- Thanks to roads, highways, tracks, bridges and paving, people can travel from one place to another and logistics runs on rubber wheels or tracks.
- GRK employs approximately 1,000 people and generates tax revenue.
Knowledge
- GRK uses competed labour resources. This can be seen as resource use in the modelling in the Scarce human capital impact category. This impact illustrates the opportunity costs of skilled labour. At GRK, skilled employees facilitate significant positive impacts through their work.
Health
- A bicycle and pedestrian route network facilitates an active lifestyle and has a positive impact on people’s health.
- GRK builds and services important civil engineering infrastructure, such as water supply, with a positive impact on people’s health by improving hygiene and ensuring the availability of clean water.
- GRK also makes it possible to build telecommunications infrastructure so that people can stay connected.
- The benefit of the rail construction business is that it provides people with a safe low-emission method of transportation.
Environment
- GRK uses a significant amount of energy and raw materials in its construction activities. They cause harmful climate emissions.
- At the same time, we consume virgin natural resources.
- Moreover, traffic causes emissions as mainly fossil fuels are used in cars, for instance. By making car traffic possible, GRK contributes to both the positive and negative impacts of motoring