Within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, President of the Rockwool Group of Companies - a manufacturer of heat and sound insulation made of stone wool - Jens Birgersson spoke at the panel session “Taking responsibility for the future: a long-term business investment strategy”, where he spoke about the sustainable development strategy in the context of large-scale urbanization, ways reducing environmental impact and efficient use of resources.
The population of large cities is growing rapidly in the world, which entails climate change, an increase in energy consumption, and an increase in noise pollution. The increase in the volume of high-rise construction and the density of buildings also actualizes the problem of fires.
In his speech, Jens Birgersson, President of the ROCKWOOL Group of Companies, noted that an important task of business today is to bring to the consciousness of politicians that there are simple and affordable solutions to the main problems of our time. “Competent stone wool insulation is one of the most affordable ways to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment. For example, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-50%,”said Jens.
“We believe that on the path to sustainable development, it is necessary to focus on the construction sector, because this is the industry that, for example, produces the most waste. We need to think over a plan for cooperation between business and government in this direction. There is a lot of joint work to be done on the transition to a cyclical economy, and we are ready to actively participate in it,”added Jens.
Today, there is more and more a direct relationship between the sustainable development of companies, their social responsibility and long-term commercial success. For example, energy efficient and fire safe buildings are becoming more profitable for their owners and investors. The use of ROCKWOOL stone wool materials in construction allows to increase the environmental rating of buildings according to the international LEED and BREEAM assessment systems and to increase the cost of the facility by 3-9%. The payback of the project using environmentally friendly materials from stone wool will be from 3 to 15 years due to resource-saving technologies. The use of stone wool helps to achieve thermal energy savings of 50 to 90%, protects against fires, and provides acoustic comfort. As customers' interest in building sustainable, safe and energy efficient buildings is growing, so is the demand for stone wool materials.
Jens Birgersson shared his experience of conducting a socially responsible business aimed at solving the main problems of our time: “ROCKWOOL not only minimizes the consumption of energy and other resources, but also constantly reduces its own production waste. Our sustainability strategy is based on a culture of production that has evolved over eighty years. This is expressed, first of all, in the fact that we use an inexhaustible natural resource - stone”. In 2016, the company adopted a sustainable development strategy until 2030, which is already showing itself to be effective. For example, in three years, they achieved a 4.1% reduction in waste and a 3.8% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Within the framework of SPIEF, Jens Birgersson also holds a number of working meetings with the heads of Russian regions.
About company
ROCKWOOL Russia is part of the ROCKWOOL Group of Companies - the world leader in stone wool solutions.
The products are used for insulation, sound insulation and fire protection and are intended for all types of buildings and structures, as well as for shipbuilding and industrial equipment. ROCKWOOL provides consulting services in the field of energy efficiency of buildings, supplies system solutions for facade insulation, roofing and fire protection, decorative panels for facades, acoustic suspended ceilings, sound barriers to protect against road noise and anti-vibration panels for railways, artificial soil for growing vegetables and flowers.
ROCKWOOL was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Denmark. ROCKWOOL owns 45 manufacturing sites in Europe, North America and Asia. The staff numbers over 11,000 specialists. Russian production
ROCKWOOL enterprises are located in Balashikha, microdistrict. Zheleznodorozhny in the Moscow region, in the city of Vyborg in the Leningrad region, in the city of Troitsk in the Chelyabinsk region and in the SEZ "Alabuga" (Republic of Tatarstan). Website: www.rockwool.ru
