Välinge Innovation has shared new information about their sustainability mission and their FSC certified Välinge Flooring products. The FSC certification was a major milestone in the Swedish company’s sustainability goals — having worked closely with the FSC to adapt their production and work practices to satisfy the high demands of the Forest Stewardship Council.

“Since we created our production unit, one of the main goals was to offer FSC certified products,” says Pär Jönsson, Supply Chain Manager, Välinge Innovation. “We built and adjusted our operation to fulfil the criteria for receiving the FSC label and when we received the certification in 2018, we couldn’t have been happier.”

Välinge Innovation’s high-volume, state-of-the-art production facility at their HQ in Viken, Sweden has an annual capacity of 6 million M2 of flooring — produced with their patented Woodura® and Nadura® surface technology. These products all proudly display the FSC label.

The FSC certification is periodically reviewed — much like an ISO certification — ensuring the sustainability and responsibility standards introduced in the certification process become an engrained part of the company’s work practices, and is something Välinge sees as a foundation to build upon, rather than the pinnacle of their environmental mission.

“It’s incredibly important to us that the raw materials in our products come from legal and sustainable forest management and that the employees in those forests and factories are treated fairly. For example, a large percentage of our high-quality oak veneer used in our Woodura® surface tech comes from our sister company’s forests in Croatia,” says Pär Jönsson. “We’ve noticed that our customers demand the same traceability, it’s really positive that people are engaged and want to know where the wood is sourced and what impact it has on the local population and on the planet.”

The FSC’s goal is to protect the planet’s forests for future generations and the FSC is a strong defender of the amended Lacey Act in the US which aims to ban the illegal trade of timber — aspects that are crucial to Välinge’s code of conduct.

“We are continuously working on decreasing our environmental footprint and getting the FSC certification was an important part of our sustainability strategy,” says Pär Jönsson. “The FSC is a demanding standard with rigorous regulations which means that it is a solid certification and a seal of quality for our customers.”