20.9.2019

Castrén & Snellman Continues Development of Corporate Responsibility Expertise through Lecture Series on Sustainable Success Stories

Responsibility has become an integral part of business and impact has become a driver of success. Castrén & Snellman launched a new lecture series to foster responsibility expertise and promote sustainable choices on Global Zero Emissions Day on 21 September.

Castrén & Snellman is a corporate responsibility forerunner in the legal services industry, being the first law firm accepted in the WWF’s Green Office network, among other things. Responsible business is a goal that unites us and our clients and one that we have invested a great deal in. We regularly advise our clients in adopting corporate responsibility and compliance programmes and we are a member of the FIBS corporate responsibility network. We joined Finland’s Sustainable Investment Forum FINSIF as the first law firm in 2015. The following year we also joined the Climate Leadership Council (CLC).

By investing in the development of corporate responsibility matters, Castrén & Snellman intends to maintain its position as a strategic adviser to its clients and an advocate of sustainable success stories. Our Sustainable Success Stories lecture series builds on our strong foundation of corporate responsibility expertise and will train our own experts in the subjects of corporate responsibility and impact.

The first lecture, From Responsibility to Impact, was held on the eve of Zero Emissions Day. The speakers at the inaugural lecture were Annu Nieminen from The Upright Project and Valio’s General Counsel Saara Vahvaselkä. The lecture series will continue over the autumn of 2019 and will cover subjects such as the ABCs of corporate responsibility, the fundamentals of responsible investment and the importance of human rights in business.

Latest references

We advised Suominen Corporation in connection with its rights issue. The offering was oversubscribed, and the company raised gross proceeds of approximately EUR 28 million. We also advised Suominen in connection with the renegotiation of the terms of the company’s three-year EUR 100 million syndicated credit facility, under which the maturity was extended and headroom was added to the financial covenants. “I would like to thank our shareholders for their support and confidence in Suominen’s future. The completion of the Offering will enable us to accelerate the implementation of our Full Potential Program while strengthening our capital structure. Our transformation particularly focuses on enhancing the reliability and efficiency of our production and supply, and on reinforcing our commercial capabilities, allowing us to better meet the expectations of our customers and shareholders”, comments Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Suominen. Suominen is a nonwovens manufacturer operating in global markets. Suominen creates value by taking fiber raw materials and turning them into nonwovens that the company’s customers convert into both consumer and professional end products. Suominen’s vision is to be the frontrunner for nonwovens innovation and sustainability. Suominen’s net sales in 2025 were EUR 412.4 million and the company has almost 700 professionals working in Europe and in the Americas. Suominen’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
Case published 6.7.2026
We acted as joint legal advisor for Nordea Bank Abp and Avain Yhtiöt in an approximately EUR 48 million financing arrangement which included facilities for refinancing of an existing real estate portfolio and also for acquisition and property development purposes. The financing arrangement strengthens Avain Yhtiöt’s objective to build and maintain a functional, safe and environmentally friendly living environment, as well as to develop the overall quality of housing and construction. Avain Yhtiöt is a Finnish group specialising in housing and housing-related services, construction contracting and new construction. Its goal is to build 1,000 new apartments per year in key growth areas in Finland.
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We advised the shareholders of Suomen Autohuolto Oy in connection with the sale of the company’s entire share capital, to SAKA Finland Group Oy. Suomen Autohuolto Group is one of Finland’s largest companies specializing in brand-specific automotive maintenance and has locations in Oulu, Tampere, and from July, also in Järvenpää. The transaction is subject to final approval by the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).
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AI training
We delivered two tailor-made AI workshops for the lawyers at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). We discussed the AI revolution and its impact on lawyers’ ways of thinking and working, and left the participants with practical solutions for enhancing and streamlining their work with Legora. Our AI-specialist lawyers prepared use cases tailored to Luke and the needs of public administration, which Luke received for its own use following the workshops. These use cases covered topics such as: utilising legal sources and the organisation’s own data to maximise AI results building and leveraging AI workflows AI-enhanced contract drafting based on a large volume of documents. The workshops sparked wide-ranging discussion on the role and benefits of AI in legal work. Participants appreciated how clearly and comprehensively our experts were able to present the nature and benefits of AI specifically within a legal context. ‘The workshops provided excellent support for Luke’s goal of leveraging AI responsibly and gave us concrete and ready-to-use practical takeaways,’ says Hannu Laitinen, Luke’s Senior Vice President, Administrative Affairs.
Case published 26.6.2026