Our community

Being Estonia’s largest water company, our activity affects almost one third of Estonia’s population. We understand the impact of our business on the surrounding natural habitat and therefore deem it important that our activities engage with the interests of different stakeholders. We give our best to do more than what is required and expected from us, in order to make a positive impact on the natural environment around us, as well as the quality of people’s life.

Community-orientated mindset starts from ourselves

We support and encourage our employees to actively participate in the community activities. It is namely our employees who, in addition to their daily work, have an important responsibility of passing on the environment- and community-orientated mindset.

Our employees enable to carry out the activities that are orientated to community, and create cohesion between these activities – either in maintenance works, organizing events, or increasing the awareness. For example, each year, our employees help to clean up the beautiful surroundings of Soodla water reservoir and help to organize the doors open days at our treatment plants so that visitors could learn about the operating of the plants. They also take actively part in carrying and communicating our messages.

Improved environmental awareness of consumers and next generation

We value the natural environment we operate in and therefore use natural resources sparingly and continuously seek new ways for a more sustainable consumption. In order to help shaping an environmentally conscious mindset in the society, we encourage and support others accordingly.

We keep on working hard to promote the environmental thinking amongst our population. In our messages and activities we encourage them to drink tap water. With our message “Tap water IS drinking water” we draw people’s attention to the excellent quality of tap water. We also continued our co-operation with restaurants within our campaign “Ask for tap water” so that the customers would have the courage and awareness to ask for tap water when they dine in restaurants. We also organized a campaign in the old town and set up a public water tap at Tallinn Airport. While only few years ago, in 2011, 48% of people trusted to drink tap water, the number of people trusting tap water quality had grown to 86% by the end of 2015.
We continue contributing to environmental awareness of young people who value the nature and environment. Each year, our employees organize group conversations in kindergartens and schools discussing water circulation, how to save water and avoid blockages. Nearly 1,500 children participated in these group conversations in 2015.
Over the years, we have prepared many educational study materials on water and environment for children and teachers. These include, for example, a study material series “Blue Classroom” for the teachers in nature studies supporting the national study program in classes about water. The games and puzzle book for kindergartens and primary schools got new great sequels in 2015: Tilgu’s playing cards and a puzzle book „Puzzle with Tilgu“. To introduce the water-related study materials to kindergarten and school teachers an information day was organized in August 2015 with nearly 100 teachers participating from all over Estonia.
Besides our main responsibilities – production of drinking water and treatment of wastewater – our treatment plants also have an important role to play in increasing the population’s awareness. Each year we introduce the plants’ work to a growing number of people. In 2015, more than 3,000 visitors took guided tours in the treatment plants.
Every year, we open the doors of our treatment plants also during the doors open day. In spring 2015, we had 150 people visiting the wastewater treatment plant, and the doors open day at Ülemiste Water Treatment Plant in August 2015 attracted nearly 400 people, who participated in the sports event and also visited the plant.

Cooperation and attention

Our wish is to support those people in the society who need more help and attention.

High quality drinking water was provided at numerous popular sports and health promotion events. We also provide water for the Flower Festival and building of ice skating rinks in winter.
We support the Estonian Disabled People’s Sports Union. Our wish is to provide support to the disabled people and encourage them to do the sports and participate in social life, so that those people in the society who need more help and attention would also experience the feeling of success.
Together with the Estonian Basketball Union, we support the athletic development of young people and through that strengthen the mindset striving for a healthier life style among the young generation.
We also contributed to charity by participating in the traditional Rat Race in 2015. All the participants had to stop at the point on the track where they were expected to prepare a healthy tap water cocktail.
For years now, we have been supporting the elementary school “Ristiku” for children with learning disabilities and the kindergarten “Õunake” for disabled children. In 2015, we supported the city camp for children from “Ristiku” and visited the school to speak about water; our employees also donated a lot of clothes, toys and other necessary things for the traditional flea market organized by the school. In kindergarten “Õunake” the company supported building of a shed for the wheelchairs, and for years now, the Company’s electronic Christmas card is decorated with a drawing made by the children of “Õunake”.
In 2015, we gave away soil for greenery for free to everyone in cooperation with the city district governments.
The Responsible Business Forum recognized us in 2015 with the Golden Mark in Corporate Social Responsibility index. This index helps us to consistently analyse how to act in a socially responsible manner and how to design a sustainable business model.
City of Tallinn gave us a title of the Most Children and Youth Friendly Company in Tallinn in 2015, recognizing the work we are doing with children and young people.