AVK sustainability report 2023 with links A4 - Flipbook - Page 5
INTRODUCTION BY
NIELS AAGE KJÆR
I am pleased to present our sustainability report
for the financial year 2022/23.
During the past year, the global economy has
been affected by several factors, including
the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the
subsequent crisis in global supply chains.
These factors have been further influenced
by the geopolitical conflicts, which have had
a significant impact on the finances of many
projects. Supply chains have stabilised, but
subsequent inflation and higher interest rates
have had a negative impact on investment in
most markets.
At the same time, we are seeing increased
protectionism, with trade barriers requiring local
supply chains. To meet these demands, we
continue to invest in local production and supply
chains, and as a result have a strong presence
in key markets.
Despite these challenges, the AVK Group has
achieved a good result, which will contribute to
securing our future development with a focus
on long-term and sustainable investments for
the benefit of the company, our employees,
customers, and the environment.
AVK was founded in 1941 by Aage Valdemar
Kjær and is based on the core values of
quality, innovation, reliability, sustainability, and
customer service. Sustainable development
is thus one of the cornerstones that set the
direction for our way of doing business.
AVK’s purpose is to develop, produce and
market high-quality, long-lasting products
that are part of vital infrastructure, including
water supply, wastewater management and
energy supply, as well as a wide range of
industrial applications. Together, these products
contribute to sustainable development, human
health, and a better environment.
We are a global Group of companies operating
within three business units: AVK Water, AVK
Industrial and AVK Advanced Manufacturing.
Our companies provide solutions for a wide
range of areas, and in this report, you can
read about how we have developed several
innovative products and solutions in recent
years. The products help ensure sustainable
development, including our PREMIUM 100
valve, Smart Water solutions, products for
intelligent irrigation, valves for responsible
wastewater management and production of
geothermal heat, as well as the development of
products that contain a high amount of recycled
plastic.
place to work, which also means that we work
in a structured way to reduce the number of
work-related accidents.
In addition to investments in product
development and new business areas, we
focus on continuously optimising processes and
reducing environmental and climate impact.
For example, we have invested heavily in
automation in several production units, which
ensures stable production with a high level of
quality as well as optimised work processes
and productivity.
Water plays a crucial role in solving many of
the underlying problems that have led to the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 6
related to clean water and sanitation, and SDG
9 related to infrastructure, sustainable industry,
and innovation, are particularly relevant to AVK.
We have a strong focus on our environmental
and climate efforts, and we have launched an
initiative in relation to Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration
(EPD) to create accurate calculations of CO2e
emissions throughout the value chain for a
given product. This year we have achieved our
first certified EPD. We are working focused
to minimise energy consumption and at the
same time increase the proportion of green
energy sources, among other things through
investments in solar panels and low-energy
solutions, as well as phasing out cars using
fossil fuels. In addition, we focus on waste
management and the use of recycled materials
in the manufacture of new quality products.
AVK works within several business areas
that are in the process of an interesting
development. In recent years, there has been
an increasing focus on the management of
drinking water and wastewater, which has a
huge impact on health and quality of life, as
well as energy consumption and climate.
At the same time, we consider SDG 17 related
to partnerships for sustainable development, to
be crucial for achieving the goals of the other
SDGs. We are part of several partnerships
across local, national, and international
authorities, organisations and companies
that focus on SDG 6. In addition, AVK also
contributes to other SDGs, which you can read
more about in this report.
Niels Aage Kjær
Chairman of the Board and owner of the AVK
Group
The AVK Group has companies in many
different countries, and our employees therefore
have many nationalities and backgrounds. We
respect the differences of our employees and
consider diversity to be a strength in our local
anchoring and global development. The fact
that we work across geographical and cultural
boundaries helps to create an interesting and
evolving working environment. AVK wants to be
a healthy, professionally challenging, and safe
AVK Sustainability report 2022/2023 | 5
