Sustainability.
Environment, Circularity and Community.
The Nord Agency recognises the responsibility to fully understand the social and environmental impacts of our brands. From supply chains to environmental impact - we work collaboratively with our partners to reach our sustainability objectives. When selecting brands to work with, we consider how they respond to the environment, the community, circularity and whether our values align.
Sustainability is a natural choice.
At Skagerak, sustainability runs through our veins and lives in our hearts. For the past fifteen years we have actively sought a sustainable path, and we genuinely believe that we can make the world a better place if we try harder, together.
At Skagerak, we frequently adjust our organisation to meet a greener reality, and we try to help our customers to do the same. In 2020 we initiated two new services that make it easier for consumers to act more responsibly: Reclassic and RENT.
Our sustainable initiatives
Reclassic is our take-back guarantee where you can sell your Skagerak furniture back to us. We then restore and resell them. The furniture thus recirculates and achieves an even longer lifespan.
RENT is a concept that allows you to rent your outdoor furniture instead of buying it. When your subscription ends, we re-rent the furniture to someone else keeping the orbit rolling. At this time, RENT is only an active service in Denmark, but who knows what the future will bring?
An interview with Jesper Panduro, Skagerak CEO
Why and how is sustainability a part of Skagerak’s DNA?
Sustainability is an ongoing journey. In the beginning, we worked with quality as our main priority, but in 2003 we started to use FSC certified wood for our production. It was a small step in a new direction that proved challenging at times because it wasn't always easy to obtain FSC certified wood in the right quality. That has fortunately changed, and each year we increase our share and aim to use 100% FSC certified wood by 2025. Our share of FSC certified wood was 85% in 2019.
To us, sustainability is about contributing to a better world. To take responsibility and behave appropriately. That is why our Code of Conduct was a natural next step - by taking production processes, our employees’ welfare and human rights into consideration. Our requests concern human and labour rights, environment and the reduction of fraud. Together with local experts, our suppliers are required to pass an audit every three years to ensure that they fulfill the demands.
Our materials and our products constituted our first green steps. Now we’ve started improving every other aspect of Skagerak to create a sustainable and responsible business. B Corp helps us look at our company as a unified whole with the ambition to become the best for the world and not in the world. Sustainability is part of our daily life and the way we make decisions. It can be anything, from the electricity and computers in our offices to a mutual decision about not flying individual orders in for customers.
Is it possible for sustainability and business to intertwine without compromise?
Business and sustainability can go hand in hand, and one doesn't necessarily exclude the other. We used to say that we can't be something for everybody, but something for somebody. That has fortunately created loyal consumers and earned us new ones.
Responsibility permeates most of the things we do. Thus, there is always room for improvement, and when you are working with people, things change naturally. It is a priority, and we strive to comply with a responsible process for as long as possible. To me, it is about minimising the negative footprint and maximising the positive. We have never estimated if sustainability would pay off. It just feels right and has become a natural choice and the way we develop our business.
What are your sustainable ambitions for Skagerak in the next five years?
We have committed ourselves to Net Zero in 2030, meaning that we must decrease our CO2 to zero in 2030. It is about limiting your CO2 outcome, and what you can't reduce, you compensate with in other ways. It is a huge task, and we are going about it humbly. We make changes in our everyday routines and we would also very much like to grow and preserve forests. We love wood.
What is the most crucial thing in your work life?
To feel that we have made a stand and have an ambition to make a positive difference – both large and small. To encourage people to act responsibly and be able to do something. We believe that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something.