A ten-year sustainability strategy from VELUX Group

Cross-disciplinary research has shown that bringing more natural light and fresh air into buildings can benefit the health of occupants, improving productivity, mood, sleep, and general quality of life.

And so, making buildings healthier for people and for the environment are two goals that the VELUX Group, Europe’s largest manufacturer of roof windows, is taking very seriously. In 2020, with the Paris Agreement’s targets just a decade away, VELUX Group launched its own ambitious sustainability strategy, called 'It’s our Nature'. This 10-year transformational journey has three core pillars: 1) to pioneer climate and nature action, 2) to innovate sustainable products, and 3) to secure an environmentally responsible business.

According to VELUX, the first focus area, to ‘pioneer climate and nature action’, will be mainly achieved by reducing the company’s own carbon emissions and footprint (including reductions in its supply chain), plus working with WWF on global forest projects to capture its historical carbon footprint. In addition, VELUX will advocate for more sustainable buildings and communities through activities such as its Build for Life Conferences and sustainability initiatives.

The second area of focus, ‘innovate sustainable products’, involves utilising the latest digital technologies, re-designing products with more sustainable materials, and switching to completely recyclable packaging free from plastics. The third focus area, ‘secure a responsible business’, is the most far-reaching. Internally, it encourages workplace diversity, inclusivity, safety, greener transport, reduced travel, and a zero-waste policy. Externally, it focuses on sharing sustainable innovations and promoting a circular economy.

In line with these ambitious goals, VELUX also hosts a number of professional knowledge-sharing events that feature relevant presentations from industry experts and thought leaders. One of these events, the celebrated Daylight Symposium, is a biennial conference organised for researchers, architects, and others with a professional interest in the importance of daylight for creating healthy and resilient buildings. Since 2015, VELUX has also published the Healthy Homes Barometer, an annual research-based report that highlights the importance of improving buildings to address health and climate concerns.

This Autumn, VELUX will host the three-day Build for Life Conference 2021, live from Copenhagen from 15–17 November, during which more than 90 speakers from around the world will address a number of key social and environmental challenges faced by the building industry. The key question at the centre of the conference is, ‘How can we create well-being for people and planet through building design?’. Presenting from two main event stages, the conference will feature architects, engineers, builders, researchers, and other international experts who will address this question in a number of inspiring and innovative ways.

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