Together we can build tomorrow today

Under the title, “Building tomorrow today”, ROCKWOOL Group’s 2017 Sustainability Report details our efforts to continuously improve existing and create new solutions to tackle today’s big issues, including climate change, urbanisation, and resource scarcity.  We’re empowering our customers and society at large to create healthier, more resilient places for people to live, work and play, while reducing our own environmental footprint in the process.

On this year’s Sustainability Report, ROCKWOOL Group CEO Jens Birgersson, says, “Commercially, we had a strong year in 2017, with seven percent organic growth in sales. I firmly believe that this growth is influenced by the close alignment of our purpose with the genuine needs of society. What’s good for our business is good for the world, and that’s a great position to be in”.

Energy efficiency is a common theme in several of the 10 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ROCKWOOL has committed to pursuing. As you will read in the report, by far the biggest impact we have is through our products. Whether it’s reducing energy consumption, creating healthier indoor environments, or enabling efficient food production, our products play a central role in creating a sustainable future.  Did you know, for example, that the carbon emissions saved in the lifetime of ROCKWOOL’s technical insulation sold in 2017 exceeds the annual carbon emissions of Germany? Or that our building insulation sold in 2017 will over its lifespan save 85 times the energy used to produce it?

Among the highlights in this year’s report, we reduced our CO2 emissions intensity by almost four percent, while sending four percent less waste to landfill.  Compared to soil-based alternatives, our Grodan products sold in 2017 resulted in an estimated 90 million litres less water being used, equivalent to the drinking water needed to sustain 85,000 people for a year; and covered 26,000 fewer hectares, the equivalent of 300 Central Parks. Very importantly, we had no fatalities in 2017, though we did experience four serious incidents; corrective actions have been taken to avoid similar incidents the future.