Nastola factory to reach carbon neutrality

Uponor's first factory to reach carbon neutrality is in Nastola, Finland

Uponor has set an ambitious target, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2040. To support its commitment to leading the construction industry towards net zero by example, Uponor has created a Carbon Neutral Factory concept, which highlights the company’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Furthermore, this initiative promotes the sustainability work of Uponor’s customers and partners, helping them decrease their carbon footprint.

As the first Uponor factory to achieve the status of a Carbon Neutral factory, Uponor’s factory in Nastola, Southern Finland, reached full carbon neutrality in its own operations on 4 December 2023. The factory manufactures, among other things, Uponor Blue products, which are based on renewable materials and help customers lower their CO2 emissions.

Reducing the factory’s carbon emissions has been a long-term focus area in Nastola. In 2015, Uponor invested in heat pumps to utilize lost heat in the heating of the Nastola factory, and since then, the factory has further expanded the use of green electricity and optimized its electricity consumption. In addition, the factory’s energy system is certified in accordance with the ISO 50001 energy efficiency certification. Uponor has also invested in green electricity capacity by installing solar panels and starting the building of a solar power plant next to the factory. The capacity of the solar power plant will be 240 MWh.

Furthermore, the sustained work towards achieving carbon neutrality has included, among other things, tracking various data, reducing the amount of waste, and training the factory staff. As a result of these efforts, the Nastola factory’s emissions have reduced by roughly 98%. The remaining emissions will be compensated through a combination of tree-based carbon removal verified and retired using the Verra registry and biochar-based carbon removal using the Puro.earth or Carbon Standards International registry.

With the Carbon Neutral Factory in Nastola, Uponor not only decreases its own climate impacts but also reduces the emissions of its partners’ supply chains, thereby lowering the carbon footprint of the construction industry. Moreover, Uponor seeks more responsible operating methods in cooperation with other local operators in Southern Finland to promote sustainability in the industry. Following the example set by Nastola, Uponor’s objective is to replicate the Carbon Neutral Factory concept in other Uponor factories.