elka-Holzwerke in Morbach, Germany, was certified as a climate-neutral company in August 2021
by the Initiative for Climate Protection for the Wood Industry.
For many years, elka has been committed to healthy living, reducing emissions, and sustainability. The company has been working with wood as a renewable raw material for 115 years and has always maintained a close relationship with nature.
In a unique and exemplary value chain, the round timber used is processed into useful wood products for the construction industry.
As early as April 2021, elka's innovative esb product line became the first wood-based panels on the German market to be certified as climate-neutral. Renewable and CO2-neutral building materials help conserve fossil and mineral resources, while the wood used binds CO2 already absorbed over the long term.
Individual elka products were followed by the elaborate CO2 certification of the entire company, achieved by employing a detailed CO2 eco-balance. This is how elka is consistently pursuing the path to reducing the corporate carbon footprint (CCF) while providing transparency throughout the entire production and supply chain. In summary, 0.021 of CO2 were determined for the total production of 1m³ elka wood products.
Current CO2 emissions, which are unavoidable, were offset thanks to targeted funding of climate-friendly projects. Ultimately, the future will see these results form the basis for identifying reduction potential and planning operational measures to reduce CO2 in manufacturing.
elka demonstrates its responsible use of wood resources by having both its products and processes certified accordingly. The sustainability of elka products has already been certified by the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) for the wood-based materials sector. The use of wood from sustainable and environmentally friendly forestry is proven thanks to PEFC and FSC certification. For years, ISO 50001 – an extensive energy management system – has been used to monitor all energy-relevant processes of the company.
Not only are the operational processes at elka permanently optimised, but so is the quality of its workspaces. A health management system was already established for the employees in 2018, which has proven its worth during the COVID pandemic.
With its consistent commitment to CO2 certification as a climate-neutral company, elka once again underscores its active approach to sustainable wood processing for the benefit of social developments.
