Sustainability
We want to lead the way in responsible lighting manufacturing. Here you can find our ways to reduce Secto Design’s environmental impact.
Timeless design
Our lamps are designed and manufactured to last from generation to generation.
Finnish handcraft
Secto Design lamps are responsibly manufactured in our own factory in Heinola, Finland.
Sustainable materials
Our lamps are made from premium, certified Finnish birch, a renewable, carbon-binding material.
Our Sustainability report 2023 is now published.
Environmental responsibility
Secto Design lamps are ethical and ecological. Renewable Finnish PEFC certified birch as a material, local production in Finland, short supply chains and waste minimisation make our production sustainable. Thanks to the timeless Scandinavian design and premium quality, our handmade lamps last from one generation to another and take a stand against throw-away culture.
Sustainability is at the centre of our business. We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our environmental impact. For example, we have championed LED light sources for low energy consumption and endurance as long as this technology has been available, and we continue to follow the development of LED technology closely.
Secto Design lamps are made of Finnish PEFC certified birch.
We base our plans on verified facts and share the impacts of our actions. We have conducted a thorough Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for all our products according to EN 15804 standards.Based on this data, we have already published our Sustainability report 2023. Next,theresults of the LCA will be used to create Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for all Secto Design models. The EPDs are independently verified by a qualified auditor and will be published in the EPD library later this year.
Our efforts and impact areas have been aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serve as a guideline for how we conduct our business and set our goals.
We have calculated our carbon footprint since 2020.
Social responsibility
Secto Design is a family business based in Finland. Our employees work in a modern, ergonomic and safe environment where everyone knows each other by name. Our values, production and impact on society are discussed on our Social responsibility page.
Carbon footprint
In 2023, our carbon footprint was 317 tonnes of CO₂e, which equals the annual CO₂ emissions of 31 Finns. We have calculated our carbon footprint since 2020, starting with direct emissions, owned or controlled by Secto Design (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2). For the first two years, Scope 3 indirect emissions calculation was limited to business travel. We have extended the scope of our reporting since and will continue to do so in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of our impact on the climate.
We use a compensation service that restores peatlands.
To prevent emissions, we have for example changed to renewable energy and will invest in a new heating system at our factory based on geothermal energy combined with renewable electricity. This will happen in 2024–2025. As a part of our energy renovation process, we will install solar panels to create our own energy on site. Our head office has been using geothermal energy already since 2018.
Offsetting is a tool we use when we cannot reduce our CO₂ footprint. We are offsetting all business travel by 150%. We have used the Finnish Hiilipörssi compensation service for this process. Hiilipörssi restores peatlands that have been modified by human activity, after which the peatlands are permanently protected.
Minimising waste is one of our main principles.
Waste sorting & recycling
Minimising waste has always been one of our main principles. In autumn 2023 we reviewed our waste management and conducted a joint waste audit with our selected service provider.
We have since updated our waste management approach and are now able to monitor not only our total waste, but also how well we separate the waste into different waste types for recycling on a monthly basis.
We monitor our total waste as well as how we separate it.
In 2023, our factory in Heinola generated 16 tonnes of waste in total. Nearly 40% of this was one-off building waste, mainly from renovating our loading bay. 100% of the waste, other than building waste, was either reused, recycled, composted or used for energy. All wooden waste is delivered to a waste-to-energy power plant.
As a manufacturer of electric goods, Secto Design is responsible for the recycling and waste management of its products. The obligations of the European Union's WEEE Directive are fulfilled together with WEEE Europe AG and the SELT Association. As for recycling of the packages Secto Design manages its obligations in collaboration with Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI LTD.
We have invested in plastic-free packaging.
Packaging
To minimise the use of plastic and further lower our carbon footprint, we have invested in two startups that have developed alternative materials to plastic packaging, Paptic and Woamy.
We are proud to report excellent results in terms of being able to replace existing plastic packaging with more sustainable alternatives. The packaging of our Petite product line has been completely plastic free from February 2024. We are also preparing to make the packaging of our other lamps recyclable and align them with the principles of the circular economy.
Our cardboard boxes are made of locally produced ecological cardboard. They are also really strong so you can use them in many ways before recycling, for example for storage or as moving boxes.
Our strong boxes work well for storage before recycling.
Logistics
The birch used for the Secto Design lamps shades is grown in central Finland which makes for short transports from the local woods to our factory.
We produce physical items that require physical transport to our customers. We work towards identifying means of reducing impacts created by logistics. Our main distributor, GLS, calculates and offsets the carbon footprint of the distribution logistics. GLS also offsets all of its freight internally.
We avoid air freight whenever possible. Also, we have rented a warehouse in Miami that serves the US market, in order to ensure that distribution in the US can be made as efficiently as possible.
In the video Sustainable by nature, Joakim Jusélius, the owner and second-generation entrepreneur at Secto Design, describes how sustainability has always been a core principle for Secto Design. He also talks about our LCA project and future goals.
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