Sustainability
1 instead of 2 is better than 2 for 1
The majority of our emissions come from production. Therefore, the best thing we can do for the environment is also the best thing we can do for you as a customer: To make products with a long lifespan, so you rarely need to buy new. The quality is reflected in our market-leading five-year warranty.
At the same time, we are constantly working to give each product a lower CO2 footprint. This form of environmental innovation is not straightforward. For example, replacing one component with another can reduce emissions from the production itself – but affect durability and repairability. Weight affects emissions from transport.
Nevertheless, we continually find new, good solutions – like when we change from styrofoam to cardboard in packaging or replace new plastic with recycled plastic.
Regarding what is considered hazardous materials, we work with registration, evaluation, and authorization of chemicals under the so-called REACh directive. We use refrigerants that have a low environmental impact, and none of our products contain brominated flame retardants, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, or PFOA.
No reason to wrap it up
A product from Wilfa should be easy to recycle, but also made from as high a proportion of recycled materials as possible. This also applies to the packaging we use to safely send the goods to your home.
The goal is for all packaging to be made from recycled materials by 2024.
In recent years, we have removed over 26 tons of styrofoam, for which there are currently no good recycling schemes. We have also switched to FSC-certified cardboard from sustainable forestry, where efforts are made to grow new trees and ensure good conditions for workers and those living in affected areas.
Fewer transport stages
Freight transport is an important part of the climate ledger. Here, we are in the midst of a rapid transformation from fossil fuels to electricity and hydrogen, both on the road, at sea, and eventually also in the air – with rail as an established alternative.
At the same time, there is much to gain from better planning. Together with the retail outlets, we work to be able to send more goods directly to their stores instead of the detour via intermediate storage. Carpooling with other suppliers also helps to reduce the number of transport stages.
This form of active transport planning also means that we can choose the most environmentally friendly shipping options on the relevant routes – like boat instead of plane for long distances.
Can it be fixed? Of course, it can!
Our blenders, waffle irons, and other small electrical appliances are made to last. We already offer a market-leading five-year warranty. In practice, they should be usable much longer.
Of course, they must also be easy to repair if individual parts break – something we believe is an industry responsibility for everyone involved in small electronics.
Through our websites, one can find a large number of spare parts and wear parts that are readily available in stock here in Norway. For selected products, we have parts available for up to 10 years, twice as long as the warranty period, and we are continuously training new service workshops so they will become experts at repairing our products. https://support.wilfa.com/en/support/home
Social responsibility and supplier monitoring
This includes our own Code of Conduct for everyone representing Wilfa: Supplier_CoC_3.0.pdf
We also conduct our own factory inspections with strict requirements before they can become a supplier to us. These requirements pertain to both the quality of production and compliance with all requirements for the working environment and social responsibility.
It is also very important for us to ensure that all our suppliers comply with requirements for the components they use in production. We always ask for complete documentation and certificates with test reports to ensure that we comply with all requirements for electrical safety, food contact safety, and other legal requirements.
Read about our guidelines for responsible business conduct for AS Wilfa here.
Our Eco-Lighthouse reports
- Wilfa AS Eco-Lighthouse report 2020
- Wilfa AS Eco-Lighthouse report 2021
- Wilfa AS Eco-Lighthouse report 2022
Environmental and Social Responsibility
All businesses covered by the law are required to conduct due diligence assessments and to account for these annually.
AS Wilfa publishes the statement for due diligence assessments in accordance with the Transparency Act, through a report from Ethical Trade Norway and generally on our websites. This report can be read here: Ethical Trade Report
At AS Wilfa, we strive to assure our customers and business partners that we follow, understand, and manage negative impacts on society and the environment through responsible business conduct. This includes conducting thorough due diligence processes in line with the OECD framework.
At AS Wilfa, we have long worked to incorporate transparency, responsible business practices, and sustainability (ESG) into our entire business structure. Our responsible business behavior is anchored in both the board and management. As a member of Ethical Trade Norway, we report in accordance with the OECD guidelines for responsible business conduct. The report is sent to Ethical Trade Norway, an organization that works to promote sustainability and responsible business practices across sectors.
AS Wilfa recognizes that our products may pose a risk of negative environmental impact, and that the production of the products may involve human rights violations. Since the vast majority of our products are produced in countries where there is a risk of human rights violations, we have implemented measures to avoid and counteract this. The greatest environmental impact also lies in the materials for the products, as well as through production. Our primary risk-reducing measures, therefore, occur in the purchasing phase and on our products.
AS Wilfa currently uses 59 suppliers on the production side of our products. 58 of these are from China. Our primary goal to avoid human rights violations has therefore been to map our factories.
Through long-term work, we have managed to get all our factories except 3, approved by Amfori BSCI (www.amfori.org). This is an organization that conducts factory inspections to ensure that there are no human rights violations and ensures that trade is conducted on ethical terms. AS Wilfa has also been a member of Amfori BSCI since 2021.
Beyond approval from Amfori, all factories must undergo a factory inspection from our China office, which also reviews how well the factory works with ethics, social responsibility, and the environment. This inspection results in a score within different areas that clearly shows where the factory has potential for improvement. These potentials for improvement are discussed with the factory and will be followed up at the next factory inspection. We conduct inspections at all factories at least every 3 years. All factory inspections are reviewed by the category manager, as well as the compliance manager, and purchases cannot be made before the factory inspection shows satisfactory results.
All our employees, as well as our partner factories, must also follow our ethical guidelines, known as the Code of Conduct. This can be read here: Supplier CoC
Wilfa also wishes to gain an understanding of our environmental impact, and since 2019, we have been approved by Eco-Lighthouse. Here, we have reported on our environmental footprint, albeit without the footprint that the products themselves give. We wish to improve this and have entered into a partnership with a company to map our entire CO2 consumption, including production, transport, use, and recycling of the products, so that we can get a total overview of where the greatest potential for improvement lies. Wilfa does this via so-called material lists, lifespan analyses, data from recycling companies, and data from our factories.
AS Wilfa is covered by the Transparency Act, and the statement above will provide an overview of how we work with due diligence assessments, how we handle possible negative impacts on fundamental human rights and decent working conditions. If you have questions about how we work with due diligence assessments or want more information about our work with social responsibility, you can contact us at contact@wilfa.com.