Sustainable products in the building and technical trade

Our classification of sustainable products presented in the Sustainability report and Kesko.fi Sustainable products webpages complements the turnover KPI in accordance with the EU Taxonomy and is based on our division-specific definition of sustainable products. At K-Rauta and Onninen, we define sustainable products as those that promote energy saving, green transition, values of nature or safe living and working. Furthermore, the definition includes products with qualities meeting the criteria based on researched and verified data, official environmental labels and certificates. In our online stores, we have also identified and labelled products with sustainability labelling according to five categories.

At K-Rauta and Onninen, we define sustainable products as follows:

  • Green transition products:
    solar cells, heat pumps and EV chargers related to electricity distribution.
  • Energy saving: 
    energy-efficient equipment and insulation affecting the consumption of heat energy.
  • Values of nature:
    green yard products such as seeds and seedlings as well as composters.
  • Safe working:
    personal safety equipment (hearing protectors, respirator filters, eye protectors, protective helmets, protective gloves) as well as protective clothing and footwear.
  • Verified or certified product information.

 

Sustainable products at K-Rauta and Onninen stores:

K-Rauta and Onninen want to help their customers easily find and choose more sustainable products. Therefore, we have reviewed our selections to identify products that meet strict sustainability criteria. Products we have classified as sustainable have been given one or more of the following sustainability classifications: Energy efficiency, Water saving, Healthy building, More sustainably produced and Circular economy. The sustainability labelling is presented alongside other product information in the K-Rauta.fi and Onninen.fi online stores.

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Energy efficiency

Reduces energy consumption and carbon footprint

The product has an energy efficiency class that is better than reference products or the product promotes energy efficiency otherwise. Energy Label helps identify products that consume less energy. The energy label indicates the energy consumption of the product during use on a scale of A to G. Some product categories still have the old rating scale, with categories A+, A++ and A+++ that are better than category A.

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Water saving

Saves natural resources and energy

The product meets water consumption limits according to EU requirements. The sustainable level of water consumption in accordance with EU requirements is assessed according to the water consumption rate (litres/minute) of water equipment. For example, for toilet and kitchen taps, the permissible consumption is no more than 6 litres/minute.

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Healthy building

Clean indoor air and safe materials

The product has been proved to reduce harmful effects on humans, animals and the environment, or the product has been manufactured using natural materials found to be good for health.

For example, products in this category may have received one of the following certificates or ecolabels: M1Nordic Swan Ecolabel and Blue Angel.

In addition, products for which the VOC value (Volatile Organic Compounds) is in the category Low are included. More information about VOCs can be found e.g. from the pages of Sisäilmayhdistys. 

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More sustainably produced

Verified origin and reduced climate impact

The environmental and social impacts associated with the procurement or manufacture of the raw material or product have been assessed. A certificate or another proof of the assessment is available from a third party.

For example, products in this category may have received one of the following certificates or ecolabels: PEFCFSCNordic Swan EcolabelEU EcolabelCradle to CradleBCI (Better Cotton Initiative) and OEKO-Tex.

In addition, products for which CO2 limit values have been defined (metals, aluminium, copper) based on the Environmental Product Declaration according to the EN15804 standard are included. 

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Circular economy

Recycled materials, repairability and recyclability

It can be proved that the product has been manufactured from recycled or bio-based materials, for example. The proportion of recycled material may also have been included in the product data. In addition, the category includes products that are repairable (easy to disassemble, and spare parts are available).

Products in this category may have received, for example, one of the following certificates or ecolabels: Nordic Swan Ecolabel and EU Ecolabel.

Percentage of sustainable products:

Percentage of sustainable products of building and technical trade’s net sales in 2023: 18%.

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