We recognise the importance of sustainable forest management as part of our efforts to protect the environment, ensure biodiversity, tackle climate change and protect the rights of local communities in forested areas.

All VELUX windows are manufactured at our own factories. All factories in Europe are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and/or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certified. Our factories in the USA and China are not PEFC or FSC certified, but use wood from controlled sources. The remaining 2% of wood is sourced as “controlled” wood according to FSC. This means that the origin of the wood is known and that it comes from non-controversial and legal sources.

All VELUX windows produced in Europe for the European market fulfil the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation.

98% of the wood used in VELUX products comes from certified, sustainable forests. The target is 99% in 2020. In comparison, only about 30% of the wood sold globally comes from sustainable and certified forests.

All wood in the VELUX supply chain comes from certified sources and can be traced back to a certified forest area. When a VELUX customer buys a certified window, the certificate can be verified on PEFC.org or FSC.org.

The VELUX Group does not purchase wood from non-controlled sources

	Percentage of wood from certified sources
	Percentage of wood from controlled sources
	Benchmark: Percentage of global roundwood from certified sources (FAO)

44% of the European forests are PEFC certified, 41% are FSC certified.

Member of FSC

In 2016, the VELUX Group became a member of FSC Denmark and FSC International.

Supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal no. 15

Our efforts in sustainable wood sourcing support UN Sustainable Development Goal no. 15, i.e. to promote sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forest and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

Through sourcing of FSC/PEFC wood we ensure that:

• No more wood is cut down than the forest can reproduce
• Endangered species and areas are protected against logging
• A certain number of trees per hectare can never be cut or removed when dead to ensure the best possible conditions for wildlife and vegetation.
• Indigenous people’s rights of ownership and use of land and resources are respected.

Facts about VELUX sourcing and processing of wood

• Softwood is used in VELUX roof windows. Hardwood is only used upon specific customer request and is in all cases FSC certified.
• We use Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) for wooden windows and Norway spruce (Picea abies) for PU windows.
• We source wood as close to our factories as possible. Our wood is sourced from Sweden, Finland, the Baltics, Russia, Poland, France and the USA
• All wood suppliers are FSC and/or PEFC certified
• Through FSC/PEFC, all wood lives up to the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation
• Processing of wood for window production:
• When delivered from the wood supplier, the wood is dried to the right moisture content
• The wood goes through cross-cutting where knots and other defects are removed
• The wood is laminated and profiled to fit the window type
• The wood is impregnated, lacquered or painted
• No wood waste results from production. Wood cut-offs and wood chips are used for recycling or heating purposes.

Did you know that use of wood helps combat climate change?

• Trees absorb large amounts of CO₂ as they grow. In fact, each cubic meter of wood can save a total of 2 tons of CO₂.
• Wood requires the lowest amount of energy compared to any mainstream building material. Steel, for instance, requires 24 times the energy needed to produce wood.
• Wood has the best thermal insulation properties of any mainstream construction material. 5× better than concrete, 10× better than brick and 350× better than steel.
• Wood is a reusable resource and wood recycling requires less energy compared to other materials such as steel or aluminium.
• Wood is a durable material. VELUX windows have a service life of 40 years or more.

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