A future-oriented business – Vyrk's environmental efforts and sustainability goals

55,483 kg CO₂ sequestered this week

458,160 kg CO₂ total sequestered thus far in 2025

Today, Vyrk focuses on the environment and environmentally friendly products, so that you as an end user can feel confident that the environment is taken into account. We have already embarked on our journey towards climate neutrality and want to inspire more people to take part in the green transition.

Our path to a greener business

Vyrk is a future-oriented company that is constantly striving to take its social responsibility in the construction industry seriously. In this respect, the wood product industry has a major advantage compared to other building products.

This makes solid wood the most environmentally friendly building material we have in Norway today:

• Wood is a raw material, a renewable resource that is part of the natural cycle

• All living forests bind carbon – but so does processed wood

• By extending the life of the tree, the amount of sequestered carbon will be increased

Carbon storage – wood's contribution to fighting climate change

Vyrk refines and supplies wood as a building material and has chosen to calculate the value of the company's carbon stock. How much carbon is sequestered in all the wood that is run through our production facilities?

This tells us about the benefits of wood as a building material as opposed to, for example, steel or concrete. This provides a clear picture of our own production that can help us increase carbon productivity and create more value that involves less CO₂ – which is our goal.

Using materials that are part of the natural CO₂ cycle has a positive effect on the climate in the long run.

Trysilpanelet– the world's first panel with a deposit scheme

One of our most innovative environmental projects is Trysilpanelet ('The Trysil Panel'), an exclusive and environmentally friendly panel that is 100% recyclable and comes with a unique deposit scheme – the world's first for wood panelling.

Trysilpanelet is mounted with clips and rails, making it easy to take down and reuse without damage. This creates a flexible solution that provides the freedom to update an interior without generating waste.

By extending the life of the material through reuse, we maximize carbon storage and reduce our environmental impact. The panel is produced from renewable resources and with environmentally friendly processes that minimize our impact on the planet.

We are now working to introduce a new and improved version of the Trysil panel, with a further focus on sustainable solutions and circular thinking.

Eco-Lighthouse – documented environmental efforts

Vyrk is a proud Eco-Lighthouse certified company. This recognized certification is not only proof of our environmental commitment – it provides us with concrete tools for continuous improvement. Through targeted environmental efforts, we are both strengthening our own competitiveness and inspiring the rest of the construction industry to adopt greener practices.

Customers, employees and governments alike increasingly expect companies to take responsibility for sustainability. Buying products from environmentally certified companies is a concrete step to which everyone can contribute.

As an Eco-Lighthouse certified company, we can easily document our environmental work. Waste management, energy consumption, purchasing and transport are all systematically documented.

We are constantly seeking to improve our environmental efforts. We therefore encourage you to contact us if you see something we can improve on – post@vyrk.no.

Our climate and environmental report is available on request.

What makes carbon storage so important?

Norway aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. This is a major challenge for many industries but also gives us in the wood industry unique opportunities. Why? Because trees and wood products actually store carbon.

The wood industry is already environmentally friendly with very low emissions. But it has an additional environmental benefit: trees capture CO₂ from the air through photosynthesis and bind it into the wood itself. This captured carbon continues to be stored in wood products until the material is eventually broken down or burned.

Simply put, when you choose wood products, you choose materials that have removed CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Norway aims to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The Government's main goal is for Norway to become carbon neutral by 2030. This poses major challenges in many sectors, but for the wood industry it opens up new opportunities. It is both climate-smart and future-oriented to use raw materials based on green carbon. Active forest and wood use is therefore one of several policy instruments that can make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the future.

The wood industry is a clean and efficient industry with low emissions and little negative impact on the environment. One of the major advantages is the sequestration of carbon. Carbon is one of the building blocks of wood. The formation of wood takes place through photosynthesis whereby trees use CO₂ from the atmosphere and bind the carbon in the wood itself. The carbon is then stored in the wood product until it is released through natural decomposition or combustion.

Processed pine, for example, binds 490 kg of CO₂ per cubic meter.

But wait a minute – the forest also binds CO₂ while it is alive. So why cut down the trees? When we cut down mature trees, we are actually extending carbon storage. If they are left to die naturally in the forest, they decompose and release CO₂ back into the air. But in wooden buildings, the carbon continues to be stored for decades, perhaps centuries.

The wood chain becomes even more climate-friendly when we think holistically. First, the wood is used in buildings, then it can be recycled into other products, and finally it can be turned into bioenergy instead of fossil energy.

And what about the 'waste' from sawmills?

Nothing goes to waste. Sawdust, bark and other residue is turned into energy or other products. Of course, this requires sustainable forestry with environmental certification – something we always ensure in our products.bon

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Vyrk and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals – concrete measures

The forest is the most important tool we have in the fight against climate change. It has a major impact on the climate and is an important carbon sink. We at Vyrk are lucky to be a company that is based on renewable, locally sourced Norwegian raw materials.

We are aware of what we can contribute, but it is just as important to find solutions that bring the industry together towards the most sustainable business development possible. New innovative solutions must be developed to optimize operations and contribute to the UN's SDGs – something we at Vyrk work on every single day.

Our work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

#8 Decent work and economic growth

• Contributes to economic growth and more jobs in the municipalities

• We are certified by the Eco-Lighthouse Foundation

• Strong focus on HSE and a well-developed system for follow-up

• We strive for a diverse working environment, with room for everyone by taking on apprentices and being part of Trainee Innlandet

• Vyrk shall be a workplace that treats everyone equally

#9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Established a separate company aimed at circular innovation – read more here

• Sustainable panel developed with its own deposit system

• Development of a multi-purpose terminal at Sørli for recycled timber and the circular flow of goods

• Working actively with innovation projects to create Norwegian raw material producers, and using locally sourced raw materials

• Increasing Norwegian value creation through research and innovation

#12 Responsible consumption and production

• Separate carbon accounts for all production

• Utilization and recycling of our resources

• Waste management and waste reduction

• Preparing LCA analyses on our products

• Switching to a circular business model

#13 Stop climate change

• Using PEFC/FSC approved wood

• Goal of not cutting down more forest than necessary, and rather utilizing the resources we already have

• Aiming to get more square metres of wall per cubic metre of felled forest

• Piloting reusable covers as an alternative to plastic packaging