Sustainability

At LK we believe that there is always a better way of doing things. This attitude also permeates our environmental work, and we are constantly striving to reduce our environmental impact and develop more sustainable methods and solutions within our business.

As a leading company within the HVAC industry, we feel it is our responsibility to set a good example. We view laws and environmental regulations as minimum requirements, and we always strive to stay one step ahead of developments with the aim of achieving a sustainable future. In order to ensure a high level of quality and a sustainable production process, we are certified in accordance with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. We also impose requirements on our suppliers and their environmental performance through our Code of Conduct.

However, in order to constantly develop more environmentally sound products, solutions and systems, it is not enough to simply comply with regulations and set environmental objectives. It is also necessary to achieve long-term commitment and changes in attitudes, and to create practical tools that can be implemented in our daily activities. That is why we allocate time and resources to ensuring that our environmental objectives and measures are understood and adopted throughout our entire organization. At LK we work with improvement measures every day – this is our commitment and contribution to future generations.

We have divided up our sustainability measures into a number of areas which we work with simultaneously, and which are included in our action plan. The action plan covers projects and activities relating to all aspects of our business operations.

Our suppliers

Our suppliers are an important part of our business, and a major part of our environmental impact comes from the materials we purchase and use in our products. Therefore, in order to ensure control of our value chain, we promote long-term collaborations with our customers and suppliers. Our Code of Conduct permeates everything we do within our business. We do not tolerate corruption, bribery or other actions that limit or distort sound competition. Our Code of Conduct clarifies the requirements and expectations we have in relation to our suppliers, for example that they show respect for basic human rights and treat their employees fairly and with respect. All suppliers must sign our Code of Conduct or, alternatively, present their own version that equates to ours.

Our products

We continuously strive to improve and develop our products, with the aim of making them smarter and more sustainable. We also work closely with our suppliers to find new ways of utilising materials in the best possible manner. Together with our proprietary products, we focus on making the use of renewable energy sources efficient and profitable.

Packaging

Our paper packaging solutions carry the FSC label, Forest Stewardship Council, which is an independent, international membership organisation that aims to encourage environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable use of the world’s forests. We also reduce the use of plastic, and we adapt our packaging to the weight of the product in order to reduce consumption of paper packaging.

LEAN & the 5S method

Our production processes are based on LEAN, with the aim of reducing the use of resources. We are also in the process of implementing the 5S method, aimed at creating improved safety and organisation at our workplaces. The five aspects of the 5S method are:

Sort
Set in order
Shine
Standardise
Sustain

Waste management

Our waste management process involves the handling of metal, plastic and paper.

We are members of FTI - Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen - which is a nationwide organisation responsible for the collection and recycling of packaging and newspapers in Sweden.
We are members of El-Kretsen, which is the Swedish trade organisations’ service company for the collection and recycling of electrical and electronic products and batteries.
We are also constantly improving our ability to manage, re-use and recycle waste through the application of today’s refined recycling processes. This is particularly important as we work with finite raw materials and natural resources. At present the majority of our brass products consist of around 75% recycled material.

Energy-saving measures

Thanks to our smart systems, we have halved our energy requirements at our facility in Helsingborg. Our energy-saving measures include:

Installation of solar panels on the roof. The solar panels are controlled with the help of LK 150 SmartSol.
LK 162 SmartStove® helps to make our pellet boiler more energy efficient.
We re-use the hot air from our air compressor.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

At LK Armatur, we think it is important to give back to the community. We do this by getting involved and contributing to the community in many different ways. We hope that our commitment to CSR will lead to the achievement of a better society while also creating new forums that will strengthen our relationships with our customers and colleagues. In 2010, LK was named employer of the year (the “Show the Way” award) by Samhall for our commitment and ability to highlight the business benefits of having diversity in the workforce. In 2017, one of our employees was awarded the scholarship "IF Metall against racism and for the equal value of all people". More information about our commitment to CSR is available here.

ISO environmental and quality certification

Our management system meets ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 requirements regarding the development, manufacture and sale of HVAC equipment, automated temperature control systems and prefabricated system solutions.

Read and download here:
Download ISO certificate

Our sustainability report

LK’s sustainability report is produced with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of our sustainability measures, our objectives and how we work to achieve them. We hope that this report will increase knowledge about sustainability and inspire more sustainable initiatives, both internally and externally.

We review our business activities on an ongoing basis, and the sustainability report helps us to ask relevant questions and act accordingly. Not only does the report illustrate what we are doing well, it also highlights the areas where improvements can be made. It strengthens our resolve not to rest on our laurels or be satisfied with the status quo. We strive each and every day to achieve increased sustainability for our customers, for ourselves and for the world around us.

Read and download here:
Sustainability Report 2017
Sustainability Report 2018
Sustainability Report 2019