Low-impact production

Our achievements in 2023

• Transitioning to more energy-efficient LED lighting at our premises in Molde and Volda.
• Invested a double-digit million amount (in NOK) to install 7,400 square meters of solar panels at its factory in Molde.
• We are continuously working on reducing residual waste, i.e, waste that cannot be sorted into recyclable fractions. This number has been reduced from 77 tonnes in 2019 to 34 tonnes in 2023. This is a reduction by 56%.

Modern production and integrated value chain

We focus on in-house production in our facilities located in Molde, Volda and Dalen, avoiding outsourcing of important skills and knowledge. Investments in modern production technology and lean principles help us continuously improve our productivity, which is essential when producing in a high-cost country.

Our philosophy is that an integrated value chain provides us with a competitive benefit granting us control, flexibility and capabilities both in daily operations and for the purpose of innovation.

Responsible supply chain

Brunvoll’s suppliers are subject to our environmental criteria in addition to screening on quality, price and delivery precision. Through our purchasing policy, we favour long-term partnerships and the use of local suppliers when they can offer competitive conditions. Our suppliers are made familiar with our ethical guidelines, and it is a prerequisite that they comply with international law on wages, working conditions and health & safety. Our supplier mapping shows that a large portion (>80%) of our Tier 1 suppliers are situated in the Nordics and northern Europe.

In 2022 we implemented a separate Supplier Code of Conduct to further communicate our expectations and requirements towards our suppliers and business partners.

Logistics and transportation of goods is an important part of our supply chain, and we aim to collect data on our impact from this activity and reduce this impact over time. We have a high ratio of upstream goods transported by truck, and a high ratio of downstream goods transported by sea freight. 2023 is the first year where we have measured emissions from the transportation of goods, which amounted to 932 tCO2e.

Suppliers mapping

Material consumption and circularity

A large proportion of our scope 3 emissions is found in the life cycle of purchased goods, noticeable in our consumption of metals such as steel, cast iron and bronze-alloys. Our goal is to measure and increase the fraction of recycled content in our input materials, in order to support the development of a more circular economy and lower the footprint of our products. A parallel goal is to use less materials by increasing resource efficiency. Our emissions from purchased goods amounted to 10227 tCO2e in 2023.

Waste

We have a well-functioning waste management system in place. We sort and deliver multiple fractions of excess material to proper waste management companies. In 2023, we sent 1067 tons of waste to recycling. 82,1 tons were incinerated (energy recovered), while only 17,4 tons were sent to a landfill.

In 2022, we stated that our ambition is to continuously decrease the total amount of waste generated and to increase the amount of sorted waste sent to further processing to 80%. In 2023, the sorted waste sent to further processing was 93,8% - far more than our initial goal.

Energy consumption and carbon footprint from operations

The energy consumption at our facilities is largely covered by purchased electricity and diesel (85,6%). In 2023, we made investments to reduce our direct emissions and also to produce our own solar power. We have installed 7,400 square meters of solar panels at our factory in Molde, and this investment will lead to an annual energy production of 1,350,000 kWh. This is equivalent to about 25% of the factory’s electrical power consumption. In total, our yearly solar energy production will equal the electricity required to run about 70 residential buildings.

The results of our solar efforts will not be visible until our 2024 sustainability report, but our other 2023 investments have already made an impact. The result is a reduction in direct emissions (scope 1) by 77,6% and a reduction in energy consumption (scope 1 and 2) by 70% from 2019.

Norway is nearly self-sufficient with hydroelectric power, allowing industries such as ours to create value with low scope 1 and 2 emissions. Energy is nonetheless a resource that we must use with care. By 2025, our ambition is to reduce our scope 1 emissions by 90% and decrease our overall energy intensity by 5%.

2023 is the very first year where we are reporting on Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 includes emissions that a company is indirectly responsible for along its value chain, originating from activities not directly owned or controlled by the company. This encompasses processes such as the procurement, usage, and disposal of products obtained from suppliers. Essentially, Scope 3 emissions cover all sources beyond the company’s direct operational boundaries, distinct from Scope 1 and 2 emissions. As we lack historical data for comparison, the current figures will establish our baseline for Scope 3 emissions. In 2023, our Scope 3 emissions amounted to 10,227 tCO2e.

Greenhouse Gas emissions per Value Added (GEVA) is a measure of emissions (tCO2e) divided by Value Added (Revenue + payroll) in MNOK. An annual 5% reduction in GEVA is accepted as a guideline for corporate alignment with the goals in the Paris Agreement (Randers 2012 and OECD 2012). From 2022 to 2023, we had a reduction in GEVA by 42%, mainly due to a large drop in scope 1 emissions.