The VELUX Group, a worldwide roof window maker, has upped the bar on what it means to be carbon neutral. Not only is the Danish-founded Corporation decreasing its future carbon dioxide emissions, but it has also committed to an innovative method of capturing the emissions it has created during its 80-year history.
This Lifetime Carbon Neutral method is an exciting new way to not only address the current and future climate issue but also to accept responsibility for previous contributions. The corporation estimates that it has created around 4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide throughout its eight decades of operation (from 1941-2020).
That is the same amount of carbon dioxide that a coal power unit emits in 332 days. VELUX has established this carbon-neutral pledge in collaboration with WWF International, with the goal of being Lifetime Carbon Neutral by the company’s 100th anniversary in 2041.
“The recent IPCC assessment indicates that time is running out and that action must be taken immediately. If we are to succeed in reversing the trend, all players in society, including companies, must play a role “IFLScience spoke with Ingrid Reumert, Vice President, External Relations & Sustainability at the VELUX Group.”
If we wanted to have a real effect and be loyal to our company’s DNA, we had to be ambitious in our ambitions at VELUX, thinking long-term and of societal advantages. It’s not an easy undertaking; we have a massive change of our company and the whole construction industry ahead of us; nevertheless, if we all work together, we can achieve our objectives.”
VELUX will collaborate with the WWF to stop habitat loss, deforestation, and land degradation, which are harming the biodiversity of many ecosystems throughout the world, as part of the Lifetime Carbon Neutral pledge. VELUX will invest in forest and biodiversity initiatives designed expressly for them, collaborating with and benefitting local people, who best positioned to protect natural resources. The first forest project, which will take place in Uganda, is already underway.
In order to reach zero waste in production, the VELUX Group is also working for more material reutilization and recycling in its manufacturing and transportation. Because wood is a major component of its windows, the firm is committed to using only materials that do not harm the environment or forest biodiversity. It already assures responsibly sourced timber, with certified sustainable forests accounting for 99.6% of the wood used in VELUX roof windows in Europe in 2019.
By the end of the decade, the corporation has committed to being carbon neutral. This implies that by 2030, its products will emit half as much CO2 as they do now. By the end of the decade, it wants 30 percent of its goods to be automated and sensor-driven (to enhance interior climate), and all of its products and packaging to be plastic-free and 100 percent recyclable.
“Our objective is to make our firm carbon neutral by 2030 and halve our future carbon footprint in our value chain using the SBTi technique,” stated Reumert. “We will do this by making significant improvements to our overall energy consumption as well as the goods and materials we use to make roof windows. We have already started and have ramped up our energy-saving efforts, as well as transitioning to renewable energy throughout our factories and sites. We will use 100 percent renewable electricity by 2023, thanks to the correct power purchase agreements that result in fresh extra power to the system.”
