Sustainability - part of the big picture and the detail

Sustainability is seen as a principle covering all aspects of operations and every stage of the production chain, from the environment in which products are manufactured through their life to re-use and recycling.

Energy choices affect the world on a global scale, but are typically taken locally. The Inha Works and the Nuutajärvi glassworks, for example, have both switched to using locally produced wood pellets to heat their sites. Pellets are both a pro-environment fuel and more cost-effective than heavy fuel oil.

Fiskars is working to reduce its energy consumption in a number of ways. The Home business area joined an Energy Efficiency Agreement of Finnish Industries (EK) in 2008 that will commit the company to cut its energy consumption by 10% by 2016.

Taking recycling into account early on

Fiskars develops its production processes with an eye to reducing emissions and waste. Well-designed products make efficient use of raw materials. Re-use and recycling begins at production plants, where waste glass, porcelain, plastic, and metal is collected. Fiskars also produces products from recycled material.

Environmental, health, and safety issues are always reviewed before new products and processes are introduced. The basic thinking is that no substances harmful to the environment should be released at any point, during production, storage, or waste disposal.

Sustainable forestry

Forestland owned by Fiskars is certified under the PEFC system, and some areas have been granted an FSC certificate as well. Productive forestland is managed using traditional sustainable methods, and various environmental protection programs cover 10% of the company's land. Fiskars also works towards a number of voluntary protection goals such as protecting the natural state of its shorelines.

Did you know that Fiskars' cookware plant in Sorsakoski, Finland, was recognized with the granting of ISO 14001 certification in 2008?