Climate and nature

Forest conservation projects

Reducing and removing our historical emissions

We are committed to reducing and removing CO2 equivalent to our historical carbon emissions (Scope 1 and 2) since our foundation in 1941 and up until 2041 – our 100th anniversary. To help us deliver on this commitment, in 2020 we entered a 20-year partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to protect and restore tropical forests in some of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes.

The forest projects are designed to protect existing forests (thus avoiding the release of stored CO2) and restore degraded areas (so new trees can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow).

The restored or protected forests are carefully monitored, and the CO2 reductions and removals will be registered as verified carbon units.

The partnership aims to contribute the verified carbon units to the host countries’ national climate targets under the Paris Agreement. The verified carbon units will not be traded or used for offsetting by the VELUX Group or any other organisation.

Young plant growing in garden soil surrounded by grass and leaves.

Photo: WWF Uganda

Our CO2 impact target

By 2041, it is expected that the forest protection and restoration projects will have reduced and removed at least 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of all CO2 emitted by the VELUX Group (Scope 1 and 2) since it was founded in 1941. To increase the likelihood that the forest projects will reach this target, the projects will be designed with a 25% built-in CO2 buffer bringing the total potential carbon reductions and removals to approximately 5.6 million tonnes of CO2.

How we are progressing

3 projectsare currently in implementation in the partnership with WWF

+1,300 hectaresof natural forest have begun the process of restoration in the Kagombe Central Forest Reserve.

Collective action for change

Climate change and biodiversity loss have reached a point where it is no longer solely an environmental crisis - it is an existential crisis – and today, it is widely acknowledged that we, globally, still have seen limited progress in reaching the Paris Agreement goals.

Watch the video featuring Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, and Fleming Voetmann, Vice President of Public Affairs & Product Regulatory Affairs at the VELUX Group, as they discuss this topic and explore how companies can take action beyond the value chain.

Listen to the full conversation here

Two people discussing climate change and biodiversity loss in a modern setting.

VELUX Group and WWF partnership for CO2 reduction through forest conservation.

Forest conservation projects with a focus on people, nature, and climate

Sunset over a lush landscape with rolling hills and distant mountains.

Photo: Jonas Lysholdt Ejderskov / WWF Denmark

The challenge of calculating historical emissions

No standard methodology exists today on how to calculate a historical carbon footprint. Therefore, we developed a method to calculate our historical carbon emissions based on the recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard and applied this to our historical data. This unique methodology, including the underlying assumptions, was independently verified by Carbon Trust and reviewed by scientific experts at WWF.

Carbon reductions and removals are calculated using standards created by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It is a key source of scientific information and technical guidance to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The partnership will ensure ongoing monitoring of all forest projects and include third-party verification according to internationally recognised standards – the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standard (CCB) developed and managed by Verra.

Celebrating four years of the WWF-VELUX partnership

As of September 1, 2024, we mark the 4th anniversary of the WWF-VELUX partnership, an initiative dedicated to protecting and restoring forests and improving livelihoods. Over the past year, our joint efforts have seen substantial progress within the countries in which we work.

The forest project portfolio

Uganda: Natural forest regeneration in the Albertine Rift

The project in Uganda is located in one of the world's most biodiversity-rich landscapes, the Albertine Rift, which stretches over six countries in East Africa. This area is severely affected by deforestation and forest degradation. The project aims to restore degraded forests, plant new trees, and protect the existing natural forests. Since the project's initiation, the restoration of more than 1,376 hectares of natural forest has begun (approximately half of the expected restoration area). Native trees were planted in-between the remaining and naturally regenerating trees in the project area.

Read the case story

Two people in a forest clearing discussing conservation efforts.

Photo: Jonas Lysholdt Ejderskov / WWF Denmark

Madagascar: The Green Shores Project

The mangroves in the Manambolo-Tsiribihina landscape in western Madagascar are classified as wetlands of international importance due to their unique coastal biodiversity. Mangroves in this landscape are critical for supporting small-scale fisheries and crab fishing which sustain the local population, and for providing vital natural protection against storms and cyclones that hit the island nation. The project aims to protect mangroves and related hydrological systems as well as restore degraded and deforested areas through REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) and ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation) activities, improve biodiversity and increase the resilience of local communities. The project is expected to reduce and remove more than 0.5 million tonnes of CO2 (Carbon impact figures are estimated and may be subject to change upon validation).

Photo: Jonas Lysholdt Ejderskov / WWF Denmark

Viet Nam: The Saola Project - Reviving the silent forests

Located in the mountainous Central Annamites Landscape of central Viet Nam, the Tay Giang district is home to a variety of ethnic minorities and incredible biodiversity. Forest cover is under heavy pressure due to encroachment for acacia plantations and the harvesting of non-timber forest products such as medicinal plants, bamboo, and rattan. Shifting agricultural practices and illegal logging add further to the pressures that threaten the area’s rich biodiversity and people’s traditional ways of living. This project will be delivered through a mix of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) and ARR (Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation) activities. The project is expected to contribute to reductions and removals of more than 2 million tonnes of CO2 (Carbon impact figures are estimated and may be subject to change upon validation).

Photo: Jonas Lysholdt Ejderskov / WWF Denmark

Together we can achieve more

In the VELUX Group, 98% of our carbon footprint relates to Scope 3 emissions, of which the majority are in the materials used to make our products and the equipment we use to manufacture them. To achieve our emission reduction goals, we therefore must work closely with our partners and suppliers.