Building sustainability into everything we do

Sustainable thinking is good. Sustainable action is better. Better for the communities that we live in. Better for the planet that we share.

As a market leading contributor to the built environment, our sights are firmly set on leading our industry in sustainability by 2025. We’re backing this ambition with real investment, real action, real outcomes and real leadership. Ultimately, our goal is to achieve Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2050.

Working with our customers, users and suppliers, we’ll design out carbon from every product and process that we’re responsible for. Our focus throughout will be to build healthier, more sustainable environments for all.

Our Sustainability Journey is well and truly underway at Wavin.

Let’s work together to help build a better future for generations to come. 

Mike Ward, Territory Director at Wavin UK explains how seriously we take sustainability at Wavin UK. Watch the video to see what we are doing to make a difference.

We continuously develop innovative solutions for safe and sustainable water usage that support vulnerable communities and help our customers meet the challenges of climate change. A big risk to human well-being worldwide is the lack of clean and safe water resources. It is an urgent problem and one of the effects of climate change we are already witnessing today. Wavin continuously develops innovative solutions to mitigate these effects. We contribute by building healthy and sustainable environments and by creating future-proof cities.

Goals:

• Use recyclate materials as much as possible and reduce, where possible, the number of materials used to minimize environmental impact (e.g. reduce CO2 emissions through freight). 
• Increase the number of innovative Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) solutions such as Indoor Climate Solutions, TreeTanks® among others. 
• Integrate a Portfolio Sustainability Assessment Framework company-wide that will stimulate innovative solutions and reduce our customer’s footprint.

Wavin has 45 production facilities throughout the world. Many of these are based in regions, mainly in Latin America, where potable water facilities, sewer systems and other crucial infrastructure are lacking behind.

Wavin is keen on supporting such regions in the development of these basic needs. Creating a positive impact on the community results in more prosperity in the area and an increase in local entrepreneurship. It enables Wavin to attract and attain motivated employees, supports their families while securing stable conditions around the production facility. At the same time, Wavin is aware of the relevance of a diverse composition of its workforce. Being an international company automatically provides an international and culturally diverse workforce. Through our hiring process and employee promotions, Wavin is committed to fostering a corporate culture of inclusion and equality – embracing of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation and identity, and age.

Goals:

• Expand water fund projects – from the distribution and installation of irrigation kits to 9 sites (2025).
• Increase volunteering and donation projects in Latin America and EMEA to 52 locations (2025).
• Improve diversity hiring rate throughout the organization to 40% (2025).
• Increase the number of WASH’N (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene & Nutrition) sites to 16 (2025).
• Introduce the implementation of standardized data collection and conduct impact assessments.

Our materials and products are designed to be reused and recycled to maximise environmental value. To close the material loop, we continuously improve our procurement processes and contribute to the increase of recyclate usage. 

Limited natural resources and climate change are important drivers of the circular economy. A circular economy preferably starts at the very beginning of a product’s life cycle. Wavin has been an early adaptor in using recyclate (internal and post-consumer/producer waste) in its products. Our materials and products are designed to be reused and recycled to maximize environmental and financial value. Circularity is a broad concept which does not only include product reuse or lifetime extension. Next to a focus on increasing recyclate usage and improving the rate of recyclability of our products, we will continuously improve our procurement processes.

Goals:

• Increase global recyclate usage to 25% (2025).
• Further, grow the recyclability of our products to 90% (2025).
• Reduce Zero Waste to Landfill to 100% by 2025.

Clear targets are key for a sustainability program. We want to create full transparency and disclosure to all stakeholders, so we develop tools, processes, and skills to collect high-quality data.

Through well-defined reporting processes with clear responsibilities on site level, Wavin monitors and steers its sustainability performance. This enables Wavin to actively respond to changes in the business environment and implement measures that contribute to reaching ambitious goals. Wavin has production facilities worldwide; therefore, it is key to define roles and responsibilities and fully engage with all stakeholders.

Goals:

• Continue to create awareness amongst employees on the relevance of collecting high quality data and provide them with the necessary tools and skills by 2025.
• Further, integrate and combine sustainability reporting in existing processes by 2025.

We continuously optimise our production and value chain processes to lower greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved with sustainable energy, SMART solutions, and other innovative fine tunings.

As an international company, with production facilities in over 40 countries, Wavin is fully aware of its environmental impact. Not only the effect our actions have but also the footprint of our customers and suppliers in the value chain. By monitoring and measuring emissions, Wavin can perfectly assess which improvements or changes can and should be made. Goal setting helps Wavin to steer towards lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the production process and to further fine-tune innovative processes and support the right decisions going forward. Wavin is taking broad measures to reduce GHG emissions and increase energy efficiency by, for example, installing LED lighting at production sites, by using more efficient machines or reorganizing production lines. Besides our concrete goals, we also work on increasing the number of sites, using 100% electricity from renewable sources. Six sites in the UK and Ireland complied with these objectives in 2020.

Goals:

• Increase the production of sustainable energy at our facilities worldwide – to 15 locations by 2025
• Pilot SMART supply chain solutions to reduce our GHG emissions, in alignment with market requirements
• Create a 100% sustainable car fleet in 2025, starting the EMEA’s implementation in 2021

We are actively involved in policy development and build strategic alliances to promote sustainability, act upon it and further grow awareness. 

With a rich history of over 60 years, Wavin has built a great network with a variety of relevant stakeholders. Next to our employees, customers and suppliers, we, directly and indirectly, engage with NGOs, legislators and various trade and business associations, all relevant stakeholders. With some of them, we interact on a daily or regular basis such as NGOs, Global Resilient Cities Network and TEPPFA (The European Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association) and with others, more project-based.

Goals

• Join forces and build active sectoral partnerships to promote sustainability, act upon it and further grow awareness by 2025.
• Move current developments on sustainability forward, while sharing our experience and knowledge as a frontrunner on sustainability with various stakeholders.

We are already making a difference

Our actions are helping to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges around water supply, sanitation, climate-resilient cities and building performance.