With a focus on reducing its long-term greenhouse gas emissions, Fagerhult now choose extruded aluminium profiles containing 75% recycled material from end users. The material is used for product families manufactured and sold in larger volumes — and where the material can make a real difference. The initiative reduces Fagerhult’s climate footprint by approximately 225 tons of CO2e per year.
Aluminium is a lightweight and durable material that can be reused multiple times if recycled properly. Its environmental impact depends on several factors, including whether it is made from virgin aluminium, how it is produced, whether fossil fuels or renewable energy sources were used in its production, and if it is derived from recycled materials.
Niclas Thulin is Sustainability Manager at Fagerhult:
“We are taking a significant step forward by moving from renewably sourced aluminium to recycled aluminium (post consumer). The Notor family – together with several other product families – is now made of extruded aluminium that is 75% recycled. This results in around 70% lower climate impact than the average impact from European primary aluminium and 88% lower than the global average for primary aluminium*.”
The change affects products sold in larger volumes. The products Notor 65, Notor Recessed, Notor 36, Fjord, Vil, Multilume Hydro, and Sentra are now made of recycled aluminium.
“We intentionally upgrade the materials for our larger product series because it significantly impacts Fagerhult's greenhouse gas emissions. For the Notor family alone, we used approximately 65 kilometres of aluminium profiles in 2024, and nearly all of this volume has now been replaced with recycled material,” says Niclas Thulin.
The change is part of Fagerhult's systematic sustainability work and a considerable step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 3: the company's indirect emissions from purchased materials. The Science Based Targets validate Fagerhult's climate targets, and the ambition is to achieve net zero emissions from the entire value chain by 2045.
“This is our most important decision regarding materials, at least with reduced climate impact as the fundamental incentive. The majority of our emissions come from Scope 3, and through this change, we are making a difference where it has the greatest impact. Based on last year's volumes, the switch to recycled aluminium can reduce emissions by approximately 225 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually.”
*Climate impact excluding the extrusion process. EPD compared to the European average for primary aluminium (European Aluminium) and the global average for primary aluminium (International Aluminium).
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We were reusing reflectors from old TV sets for that product, and I mentioned that we were looking for more residual materials to reuse.” Niclas went on to explain that the company needed a steady flow and consistent quality over time – and, ideally, the same format as well. “And then my Dad, who’s worked in the printing industry his whole life, suddenly says, ‘What the heck, we’ve got loads of printing plates. They’re of the highest quality, always the same format – and they’re recycled.’ The next day, he brought home a couple of printing plates, which I then took to work and gave to my colleagues in the development department. “I could tell right away that they were similar to the materials we use in many of our luminaires. In addition, there were a large number of them, the quality was high and consistent, and they were roughly the same size. All the qualities we were looking for were there.” Quote Niclas From printing works to luminaire When the printing plates arrived at Fagerhult’s development department, they quickly attracted a lot of interest – could they be used in the new Wrapped luminaires?“I was in touch with the printing works about Wrapped and how we could use paper for the actual luminaire body. The printing plates were in the back of my mind at the time, so I raised the issue with them. They jumped at it immediately,” says Jonathan Levinsson, Design Engineer at Fagerhult.The printing works uses a great many printing plates, and some of these are now being used for Wrapped Corner and Wrapped Surface (ceiling). The sheet metal is installed on the inside, as part of the structure. Here it contributes to electrical safety, for example, by acting as an insulation and earthing layer. It also provides stability and can be used to secure cables and other components, for instance. Circular flow. Waste from one industry creates value in another. “The fact that the plates maintain the same dimensions and specifications over time ensures a stable material flow and makes it possible to plan production. This is a major advantage for us,” says Jonathan. Start with the material – not the product The work also highlights an important principle when it comes to industrial symbiosis. It is often easier to find a use for a residual product than to first decide what product you want to make and then try to find suitable recycled material.“I think you have to start with the raw material and then design the component based on that. If you design a component first and then try to find a suitable material, it can be really difficult,” says Niclas.The printing plates are a clear example. If Fagerhult had instead started by asking itself, ‘Where can we find sheet metal as a residual product?’ the search would probably have focused on the metal industry.“We might have been looking for a business that bends or punches sheet metal. We would never have thought about printing works, which are a completely different kind of business. That’s what makes industrial symbiosis so interesting.”At the same time, finding new connections is not easy.“It’s hard to know what residual products other businesses have, especially when you don’t always know exactly what you’re looking for yourself. I think we need more forums where people can gain an insight into other industries and businesses, and where we can discuss industrial symbiosis with a more open mind,” says Niclas. By sharing and developing ideas, Niclas and Jonathan enable new and innovative collaborations. 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NEWS ARTICLE |
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