SG Armaturen:

SG Armaturen: Integrated sustainability and efficient EPD generation

Lillesand-based SG Armaturen, a leading family-owned company in lighting and installation materials, has taken a significant step towards sustainability by implementing LCA.no’s EPD generator.  

Operating in 13 countries with factories in China and Denmark, SG Armaturen demonstrates how a holistic approach to sustainability strengthens both its environmental profile and competitiveness. We spoke with Audun Skare, Sustainability Manager at SG Armaturen, about the company’s experiences.

SG Armaturen: A history of growth and innovation

Established in 1990, SG Armaturen has grown to become a significant player with 420 employees and a turnover of 2.5 billion NOK. The company focuses on efficient logistics, excellent service, and customer support in lighting, sockets, and other installation materials, primarily targeting electricians.

– We design and manufacture our products ourselves, giving us control over the entire value chain,” says Skare. “This allows us to focus on emissions, energy consumption, and the health effects of quality lighting.

Audun Skare, Sustainability Manager at SG Armaturen

With much lighting needing replacement to comply with new EU directives, the market is growing for SG Armaturen.

Sustainability as good business practice

SG Armaturen’s sustainability strategy is integrated into the company’s business model.

– Sustainability is about doing good business while considering the environment and people,” explains Skare. “We have a long-term perspective on products, employees, and the entire value chain. Satisfied employees contribute to a good working environment, both within our company and throughout the rest of the value chain, something we prioritize highly.

The company focuses on several initiatives, including increased energy efficiency in product use, reduced material consumption, and extended product lifespan. Junistar, one of their best-selling downlights, illustrates this well:

– Junistar has been significantly improved. We have increased its lifespan from 50,000 to 100,000 hours and reduced the amount of material, including a 2024 redesign that saves 72 tons of plastic annually – equivalent to the CO2 emissions from all our transport, says Skare.

We have also increased renewable energy production by installing solar panels at our main warehouse and at our factories in China.

Environmental documentation and supplier requirements

SG Armaturen uses a fact-based approach to environmental documentation.

– It’s not enough to just do things the right way; you also have to do the right things, says Skare. EPDs provide us with a solid factual basis for mapping our environmental footprint and working on continuous improvement. Customers are increasingly demanding environmental documentation in tenders, although price is still the dominant factor. However, this is likely to change as information becomes better and easier to compare.

SG Armaturen also sets high demands on its suppliers.

– Our products are designed by us and we work closely with our suppliers, mainly at our own factories, explains Skare. We challenge material usage and compliance with EU directives and our Code of Conduct. We regularly visit our suppliers to ensure compliance and to collaborate on product development and the preparation of EPDs.

– Some suppliers already provide their own EPDs to us, which simplifies our work and simultaneously increases the quality of the documentation, adds Skare. However, tracking and documenting the origin of materials, especially recycled materials, can be challenging. We are constantly learning along the way, and the long-term relationships with our suppliers are crucial here.

Collaboration with LCA.no and the learning process

SG Armaturen began its collaboration with LCA.no two years ago.

– LCA.no helped us prepare our first EPDs, says Skare. Elektroscandia was an important partner in this phase. LCA.no has helped us obtain good data sets. Through the first EPDs, we understood how little transport actually contributes to the total environmental footprint per product, while material use and the use phase account for a much larger share.

Skare highlights the value of LCA.no’s analytical functions.

– Today we have over 750 products with EPDs, but we want to develop EPDs for all our 2,500–3,000 products, says Skare. The analysis tool will be important going forward to compare different materials and optimize our products in terms of climate footprint and costs. The analysis tool can also illuminate the effect of reuse and recycling, both important elements in a more circular world.

Impact and future plans

SG Armaturen focuses on influencing where they have impact.

– We do our part to reduce our environmental impact and focus on processes and phases where we can have the greatest influence. We are also working on sharing EPD data with wholesalers to facilitate more transparent climate accounting.

Skare points out some challenges related to EPD calculations.

– Calculating energy use is straightforward in principle, but it is complex to compare from project to project and in different markets. An example is variations in energy mixes between countries. This also changes over the product’s lifetime as more renewable energy is constantly being built. Accurately calculating the use phase for each individual light fitting over 15 years is also difficult, as usage patterns can vary greatly. However, EPDs still provide a good picture of the environmental impact and provide a basis for informed choices.

– EPDs are crucial for doing good business in the time to come, concludes Skare.

– A fact-based approach and good documentation are essential for taking responsibility and continuously improving.

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