As the second largest company in the roof window and pavilion staircase industry, FAKRO pays great attention not only to the smallest details when developing innovative solutions, but also to important issues such as ecology. The company is primarily concerned with conscious action to protect the environment. FAKRO products and their production processes are energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Ecophilic attitudes can be observed in the acquisition of raw materials, mainly wood, from planned forest management areas, the use of natural and eco-friendly products in the production process, and rational waste management.
Wood from sustainable forest resources
The main raw materials FAKRO uses in the production of windows are the highest quality pines. This natural material is obtained from areas with FSC and PEFC certification for sustainable forest management. FAKRO products made from this wood are FSC certified.
Ecological varnish
The protection of the natural environment is also reflected in the selection of measures for the protection of wood. In order to limit emissions of volatile organic compounds, FAKRO mainly uses environmentally friendly water-based varnishes.
Cashmere as an insulation material
To ensure excellent thermal insulation, FAKRO uses natural and specially impregnated sheep wool to perfectly fill the gaps around the windows with the right density and high elasticity. Regardless of the size of the installation opening, applying this flexible insulation material is a universal method of insulation of roof windows. Sheep wool is a natural ecological product that is odorless, skin neutral and non-irritating to the eyes during assembly.
Production waste management
FAKRO introduced a waste disposal hierarchy. The company strives to prevent its formation and to minimize the number. Waste is also recycled. FAKRO uses wood waste generated during production and does not emit substances harmful to the environment. "We heat the production and office spaces of all companies belonging to the FAKRO Group in an ecological way. The energy used for this purpose is biomass, which is obtained from the mixing of waste from the production process with energy willow flakes," commented Janusz Włodarczyk, executive director of FAKRO.
Energy Willow Plantation
FAKRO developed its own plantations of ecological raw materials, increasing its area by about 4 hectares per year. Currently, the plantation covers an area of nearly 20 hectares. Each hectare of energy willow provides dozens of tons of dry matter per year. Willow planting results in an annual increase of 20-25 tons of substance per hectare. In February 2017, we harvested 300 tons of energy willow sawdust. This year FAKRO will receive 3,300 GJ of energy from combustion, which will be used to heat the production plant," adds Janusz Włodarczyk. The cost of obtaining 1 GJ of thermal energy from energy willow sawdust is about 15 PLN, which is about twice as low as natural gas and more than three times lower than heating oil. The benefits of using this alternative renewable energy source are both ecologically and economically measurable.