E.T. Listat – building a more sustainable future

Sustainable development and responsibility issues are essential and noteworthy issues for all modern and responsible companies. Responsible production processes are key in reducing the construction industry’s environmental impact and promoting more sustainable operating methods.

Examining the key responsibility areas

  1. Overall consideration of environmental impacts: The production of construction materials causes a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions, particularly if the processes and raw materials used are energy-intensive. By reducing our carbon footprint, we can reduce our impact on the environment and help combat climate change.
  2. Responsible material procurement: Responsibility means using sustainable and ethically produced raw materials. For example, with wood raw material, it is important to ensure that the material is sourced from sustainably managed forests.
  3. Energy efficiency and recycling: In a responsible production process, we take care of our energy efficiency and seek to use recycled materials in our production where possible. This reduces the need for new raw materials and reduces the environmental impact of production.
  4. Social responsibility: The production of construction materials is also tied to the rights of our employees and the well-being of the local community. Responsibility includes ethical working conditions and fair trade principles.

E.T. Listat Oy’s carbon footprint, measuring and results

Carbon footprint refers to the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by a specific activity, product or service, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent units (CO2e). It covers the entirety of the product’s life-cycle from the procurement of raw materials to the manufacturing, transport, use and ultimately disposal or recycling.

As part of our responsibility processes, we conducted a carbon footprint assessment calculation for our company in 2022. The goal of the calculation was to provide a clear understanding of the emission sources of E.T. Listat and therefore allow us to target our emission reduction measures as effectively as possible. The calculation was carried out in cooperation with Green Carbon Finland and conducted in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting standard and the Corporate Value Chain Accounting and Reporting standard. The GHG Protocol is the most extensively used international framework for the calculation of carbon footprints. The GHG Protocol classifies emission sources according to three Scope categories. The Scope 1 category includes direct emissions such as those generated by the company’s own energy production or vehicles managed by it from sources owned or managed by the company (E.T. Listat 188.13 (tCO2e)).

Scope 2 includes the company’s indirect energy consumption emissions such as from electricity. (E.T. Listat 471.36 (tCO2e)). Scope 3 includes other indirect emissions such as those from purchased products and services, fuel and energy, transportation and distribution, commuting of personnel, measured until the end of the life-cycle of sold products. The GHG Protocol has 15 different categories for Scope 3 emissions. From these 15 categories, the ones that are related to the operations of the company in question are taken into account in the calculation (E.T. Listat 7,531.51 (tCO2e)).

The carbon footprint calculation of E.T. Listat excluded the Scope 3 categories of use of sold products, leased assets, franchises and investments, as these emission categories are not applicable to the company’s operations. Additionally, the Scope 3 categories of upstream transportation and distribution and capital goods have been excluded from the calculations, as sufficient data was not available for the calculation.

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Conclusions and measures

As a Finnish company, we are proud of our nationality, our degree of domestic production, our products and comparatively clean and responsibly managed environment. However, as an industrial company, we must do our part to bear responsibility for our impact on both our local environment and global biodiversity. The measurement in 2022 was a clear step towards enabling even better implementation of this responsibility.

After the analysis in 2022, we have focused on improving our processes to reach a better result in terms of our emissions. Our actual emission reduction plan will be specified in early 2025 when our responsibility strategy is completed.

Related to this, E.T. Listat has an ongoing life-cycle assessment for its wood- and MDF-based moulding and panel products. Our goal is to calculate the environmental impacts of our wood- and MDF-based products throughout their life-cycles even more precisely using life-cycle assessment (LCA). The verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) will be published in the Finnish RTS EPC database, through which the data can be shared with our stakeholders.

In the recycling and sorting of packaging waste, we are participating in Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd‘s recycling system since 2017. As part of this system, all packaging waste is recycled. The recycling is a point of investment, it is monitored and our personnel have been instructed to carry out the measures related to it in accordance with guidelines.

In addition, in 2023–2024 we have carried out the following measures to reduce our emissions:

  • We have focused on the inclusion of less polluting materials in our production by, for example, transitioning from solvent-based paints to mainly water-based paints. This measure has allowed us to significantly reduce the VOC emissions generated in our production processes – more specific emission calculations will be confirmed in 2025.
  • Our products’ side stream products, woodchips and saw dust, are utilised as fuel in our energy production’s pellet-based heat plant that provides heating energy for our plant area’s heat distribution network.
  • To promote the circular economy, we have implemented coagulation processes for the waste paint of our paint shop. The coagulation process turns the paint waste into solid or more easily separable substances so that they can be reprocessed in an environmentally friendly manner at a waste plant, minimising the environmental impact of the chemicals’ life-cycle.
  • We are currently in the process of building a new “solid” production line and production facilities with the purpose of making as complete use of our raw materials as possible. Production in the new line will start in autumn 2025.

To support the impact assessment of the implemented and planned measures, we intend to publish a new carbon footprint report every two years, starting from the next report in autumn 2025.

Focus areas of our upcoming responsibility strategy

In our upcoming responsibility strategy and the future planning of our operations, we seek to increasingly take into account the following focus areas in terms of our environmental management and production measures:


More detailed selection process for the raw materials used in our production
The use of wood, plastic and metal in production affect the carbon footprint. Sustainably produced wood can store carbon dioxide and have a lower environmental impact compared to energy-intensive materials such as plastic and metals. We seek to continue to improve our operations in this area.

The energy efficiency of production processes significantly reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Production processes that use renewable energy and reduce their energy consumption also reduce carbon footprints. We are assessing even better solutions and innovations to make our production process more efficient while taking the environment into account.

The transportation of products from the production site to sales and then to their end user causes emissions. Materials produced locally reduce the carbon footprint caused by transportation. Therefore, domestic production should be the clear choice for both the manufacturer and end user. For our part, we seek to increase our investments in the reduction of emissions from logistics in cooperation with our partners and distributors.

Long-lived, high-quality, sustainable and recyclable end products reduce the need for new materials and therefore also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Recyclable materials reduce the amount of waste and the consumption of raw materials. Therefore, we will continue to not compromise on quality and seek to provide even better guidelines for the use of our products.

Environmentally friendly and innovative new production methods and materials such as bio-based plastics and energy-efficient processes can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the products produced. In this area, we will continue monitoring product development and the testing and implementation of new processes and materials where possible.

Responsibility certificates and standards

Production and refinement processes in accordance with sustainable development principles require continuous monitoring and certification. Responsibility certificates ensure that materials have been procured from sustainable sources and natural resources have been used sparingly. This reduces the overconsumption of natural resources and supports biodiversity.

We comprehensively make use of certificates applying to our industry to prove the responsibility of our products. You can find a more detail list of certificates granted to E.T. Listat here.

Read more about the PEFC certificate for our wood raw materials, the requirements for CE markings, the M1 emission classification for low-emission construction materials and the Key Flag mark awarded to us.

Guidelines for end users – using and disposing of our products responsibly


About the consumer’s responsibility
Consumers play an important role in reducing the environmental impact from construction, and responsible decisions in the use and disposal of construction materials help reduce carbon footprints and protect the environment.

  1. Make sure the purchase decision is an informed choice. Choose products made with sustainable and environmentally friendly materials such as PEFC-certified wood or recyclable raw materials.
    Examine and verify the origin and production methods of materials where possible to ensure they have been produced in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner.
  2. Favour high-quality and sustainable construction materials that are long-lived and need less maintenance and repairs.
  3. Minimise waste by procuring the correct amount of materials. Recycle unused materials or utilise them in other projects instead of discarding them.
  4. Investigate your local avenues for recycling and reuse when materials are no longer needed. Many materials, such as wood and metal, can be recycled. Construction moulding materials no longer in use may be reused in renovation projects or donated to recycling centres, for example.
  5. Ensure the proper disposal of non-recyclable materials. Some plastics and processed wood materials must be disposed of responsibly according to local waste management and sorting regulations. Improperly discarded materials cause an unnecessary burden on landfills and may end up in nature, causing harm.

Together, we can make more sustainable choices – through responsible actions, we can build a better future for all of us.