The VELUX Group has seen a steady reduction in its emissions from own operations (scope 1 and 2) from 52kt CO₂e in 2020 to 21kt CO₂e in 2024. This is a total reduction of 60% - whereof 11% is achieved in 2024 primarily due to an ongoing switch to renewable energy sources and improvements in energy efficiency at VELUX productions sites.

The VELUX Group also continued its efforts on reducing scope 3 emissions in its value chain in 2024. Scope 3 emissions decreased slightly to 1,153kt CO₂e - a 0,53% decrease compared to 2023. This is primarily due to efforts to procure and incorporate lower carbon materials in VELUX products. VELUX furthermore entered a long-term agreement with ArcelorMittal to ensure a ten-year guaranteed supply of lower-carbon-emission-steel.

A strengthened focus on circularity and biodiversity
In line with the VELUX Group’s ambition to integrate circularity across its value chain, the company initiated four circularity projects across different markets in 2024 to test circular business opportunities in customer offerings. The aim is to gather insights into areas such as take back schemes, refurbishment and maintenance service to be able scale the principles.

In 2024, the VELUX Group accelerated its efforts to protect and enhance biodiversity - an essential foundation for resilient ecosystems and long-term business success. A new methodology was developed to assess biodiversity at VELUX sites, along with a catalogue of concrete actions to improve local ecosystems. The first assessments at six sites in Denmark, Poland, Italy, and Hungary established a baseline to guide future improvements.

Additional sustainability highlights from 2024:

• 3-percentage point increase in both women in management (to 31%) and women in senior management (to 35%) and compared to 2023
• For the second consecutive year, VELUX received a gold rating from the global sustainability ratings organization EcoVadis.
• VELUX signed up to the EV100 and increased its share of electric cars as part of its total car fleet by 8,74% in 2024
• VELUX set a new target on Energy intensity of a 56% reduction from baseline year 2015 to 2030 by increasing energy efficiency and energy management
• VELUX joined the coalition behind the Children’s Living Places project, led by SOS Children’s Villages Denmark. A project aiming to reform the childcare sector in Ukraine and help rebuild homes to foster families with a low CO₂ footprint and a healthier indoor climate based on the Living Places principles.

See more sustainability highlights from 2024: VELUX Sustainability 

Read the full 2024 Sustainability Report.

The project has won this year’s MIPIM Awards for its holistic approach to building more sustainably. It demonstrates how to build homes with a CO2 footprint that is 2/3 lower than the current Danish standard. This is achieved while ensuring a first-class indoor climate and by using existing technology and materials.

Before handing over the prize to representatives from the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, and Artelia, the jury member and partner at BIG, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, said:

The winner was announced at the international MIPIM real estate event in Cannes on March 14th, 2024, where the most influential players from all sectors of the international property industry gather.

In 2023, Living Places Copenhagen won the EY Sustainability Award in the innovation category, the Innovative Design Award of the Bo Bedre magazine’s Design Awards, as well as the “Sustainable Future Award” and the “Merit Award for Architecture” from the American Institute of Architects. 

About Living Places Copenhagen
In April 2023, the VELUX Group, EFFEKT, Artelia, and Enemærke & Petersen opened the doors to Living Places Copenhagen in the Railway District in Copenhagen – the first prototype of the overall Living Places concept. The vision behind the project is to lead the way in the building industry and show how rethinking buildings can help solve some of the global climate and health challenges. The concept is based on five key principles that aim to make homes that are healthy, adaptive, simple, shared over time and scalable. These guiding principles are relevant to both new constructions and established communities.

For more information about Living Places
Read more about the MIPIM Awards 2024

The sponsorship kicks off with the Strade Bianche and Strade Bianche Women Elite races during the first weekend of March . The Giro d’Italia, Giro d’Italia Women and Il Lombardia races will occur in spring and summer.

About the five races 

• Strade Bianche and Strade Bianche Women Elite: Known for its challenging gravel roads and picturesque Tuscan landscapes, this race kicks off the cycling season for men and women in March.
• Giro d’Italia: One of the three Grand Tours, this is a thrilling race that winds through Italy’s stunning countryside.
• Giro d’Italia Women: This race showcases the best female cyclists competing on the same challenging routes as their male counterparts. 
• Il Lombardia: Known as the “Race of the Falling Leaves,” this event takes place in the scenic Lombardy region of Italy.  

Learn more about the races here: RCS Sports & Events 

Cranes and robots will help prepare, pack and send roof windows, roller shutters and other accessories to customers throughout the Nordic region. This will take place in the VELUX Group's first large high-tech warehouse, located in a 24,000 m² building in Kolding.

Lars Petersson, VELUX Group CEO, looks forward to taking another step towards improving the VELUX customer experience:

Solar energy powers technology
In 2024, around 80 percent of the power for the automated warehouse will come from an adjacent 6,000 m² solar park. Electricity generated by solar panels will power robots, cranes and a monorail that will move pallets around the warehouse, with robots then packing windows and other products on top of them. Then the pallets are transported to a truck for onwards delivery to customers.

Sending windows, roller shutters, blinds and accessories in one shipment to customers will also reduce the number of trucks used for distribution, thereby cutting CO₂ emissions from transportation.

VELUX has set ambitious 2030 targets to reduce CO₂ emissions: emissions from its own operations are to be reduced by 100% and emissions throughout the value chain are to be reduced by 50%.

More windows to customers
The high-tech warehouse can handle up to 50 percent more goods than a manual warehouse, and the robots are programmed to handle more complex tasks. At the same time, the use of cranes and robots improves ergonomics for warehouse employees.

Facts:

• Building prepared from November 2021 to June 2022 to be ready for installation of automation system.
• System installed from June 2022 to June 2023.
• First intake of products happened in August 2023.
• First outbound deliveries to customers occurred in September 2023.
• Kolding warehouse combines three smaller manual warehouses into one: Previously, spare parts were located in Østbirk, blinds and other accessories in Skjern and roof windows in Kolding.
• A roof window weighs on average 53 kg.
• The warehouse contains 12 robots - two 2 picking robots and 10 pallet cranes.
• A solar park provides 80 percent of the power - to be completed in Q3 of 2024.
• The high-tech warehouse can handle up to 50 percent more goods than a manual warehouse.
• VELUX has invested more than DKK 100 million in the highly automated warehouse.