Sustainability

Our commitment

At Elfa we take pride in our long heritage of steadily progressing towards sustainable products and production. We recognize that sustainability is a value creator for Elfa, our owners and to society as a whole, and we are committed to continue contributing to a sustainable future for all of us in our society.

Naturally, we work very hard to reduce our company’s impact on environment and resources, in particular in areas where we can make the most significant contributions to society. Our trade demands high attention on product quality, manufacturing techniques, used and wasted resources, and not the least, employee health and safety. These are areas we measure and follow up on closely, and also publish in our yearly sustainability report.

Codes of conduct

It’s our belief that sustainability starts with ourselves. On the journey from idea to any of the products we produce, you can rest assure we do everything in our power to ensure our, our suppliers and our partners wellbeing. This concerns matters such as our work environment and how we work and relate with one another.

We all have a shared responsibility to improve, so we expect the highest ethical standards, both of ourselves and our suppliers. This code is subject to all Elfa employees and helps us in everything we do, every day. From our suppliers, who are subject to an adapted version of the code, we expect them to share our respect for human rights, business ethics and the environment.

Environmental sustainability

Elfa are strongly committed to work towards a sustainable future for all of us in our society. We continuously work to reduce the environmental impact our products have over its lifecycle.

We take great pride in the fact that the vast majority of Elfa’s assortment are produced in our own factories. Having the means to in detail manage product development, manufacturing and transportation, make us in control of the environmental impact our products might have on our environment.

Elfa and the global goals

Across Elfa, we fully understand our role in helping to solve some of the world’s most complex problems. To act upon this, we are a signatory to the UN Global Compact. This means we are actively improving our operations to support UN in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. Our strategy is focused on: people centricity, a sustainable supply chain, and a focus on the environment. We have identified three goals to be of particular importance to us.

SDG8 – Decent work and economic growth

Indisputably, employees are any company’s most important asset. Elfa endorses the UN SDG number 8, which addresses the need to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

We contribute by ensuring fair dealing, by combating corruption, by creating a fair, healthy and safe workplace and by having a zero tolerance regarding all forms of offensive treatment, harassment and discrimination.

SDG12 – Responsible consumption and production

Elfa agrees whole-heartedly on the UN SDG number 12, to move towards a more sustainable production and consumption. It is our belief that for this to be achieved, our products must be easy to reuse and recycle.

In fact, this is the way we have developed products for more than 70 years. We make a large variety of durable products, all with a high proportion of reused material, all possible to reuse in endless ways. If you have an old Elfa storage system from the 50s and would like to add a few more brackets, you can be certain that new ones will fit. In this area, we contribute by:

Reducing the environmental impact at all stages in our product’s lifecycle
Reducing and when possible, eliminating the use of hazardous substances in our products
Having an environmental management system in place at all three manufacturing sites

SDG16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions

Protecting and promoting fair competition and fair dealing is a founding principle of Elfa, it comes without thinking. It is therefore a given to endorse UN SDG number 16, which includes commitments to fight corruption, increase transparency, tackle illicit financial flows and improve access to information.

This is an area where we go to great lengths by raising awareness of the importance and ensuring the understanding of these matters within the company and our supply chain. We ensure our business is conducted ethically, fairly and in compliance with applicable bribery legislation and anti-corruption laws.

SUSTAINABILITY AT ELFA