About the VELUX Group

For more than 80 years, the VELUX Group has created better living environments for people around the world making the most of daylight and fresh air through the roof. Their product programme includes roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products, and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. These products help to ensure a healthy and sustainable indoor climate for work and learning and for play and pleasure. The Group works globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 38 countries and around 11 000 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by non-profit, charitable foundations (THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) and family. In 2022, the VELUX Group had a total revenue of EUR 2.99 billion, VKR Holding had a total revenue of EUR 4.29 billion, and THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS donated EUR 181 million in charitable grants.

Looking forward to the positive impact

The quality of steel is particularly crucial for ensuring optimal performance of the hinges used to operate VELUX roof windows and the brackets used to install them. The VELUX Group is working towards halving scope 3 emissions by 2030 and working with suppliers of materials for its products is essential to achieve this.

“This spring we are ordering the first delivery of low-carbon emissions steel from ArcelorMittal,” says Jesús Villalba, Senior Director, Direct Procurement at VELUX Group. “We are very excited about the journey that ArcelorMittal has started to move from emissions-intensive energy for steel production towards lower carbon steelmaking. Cooperations like these will enable decarbonisation of our products and we look forward to seeing the positive impact on our product and company carbon emissions.”

XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel

ArcelorMittal’s XCarb® recycled and renewably produced flat steel is produced using a minimum of 75% scrap steel and 100% renewable electricity. It will now be tested in larger volumes in a VELUX factory in Gniezno, Poland to see how it performs in hinges and brackets. In parallel, VELUX and ArcelorMittal will work together to lower the carbon footprint of steel used in some other components for roof windows.  

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of many months’ work with our colleagues at VELUX Group, as well as in our testing laboratories and production lines in Europe”, said Laurent Plasman, CMO Industry, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. “Thanks to the interest and support of our customers, we are able to manufacture XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel for a growing number of applications, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible when we launched XCarb® two years ago. I would like to thank VELUX Group for its commitment to this project so far; while we are at the start of this journey, I look forward to seeing the results of this long-term cooperation to reduce the environmental impact of steel used in VELUX roof windows."

The collaboration between the two companies was announced at BAU – the world's leading trade fair for architecture, materials, and systems, in Munich on 19 April 2023.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
© VELUX Group and ArcelorMittal