„How green is our business?“

Everything gets a green light.

Sustainability is not an isolated goal, but an integral part of FSB's corporate strategy. Since the early 1990s, we have been working continuously to improve the ecological impact on the environment at our production site in Brakel.

FSB makes a valid contribution to sustainable architecture - and actively supports a global idea that understands sustainability as an integral approach with equal ecological, economic and social weighting. Sustainable action permeates all aspects of our work, from minimising our environmental impact to promoting social responsibility and ensuring long-term economic viability.

Over the years, many large and small projects have been initiated and realised, bringing us step by step closer to climate-friendly production and a sustainable corporate culture. For example, the use of REDUXA aluminium with a footprint of 4 kg CO₂e/kg Al - a quarter of the global average - and the new Aluminium Pure surface, which saves another 37% energy compared to other surfaces.

Read more below about our ‘green’ history, environmental product declarations and certificates as well as sustainable packaging at FSB. Join us as we repeatedly ask ourselves the key question: How green is our business?

The “greening” of FSB

1991 Germany’s first works agreement on environmental protection
1992 Company organised along environmentally responsive lines
1993 First Environmental Declaration
1994 German Environment Prize for Eastern Westphalia-Lippe
1995 Environment Manual as provided for in ISO 9001
1996 EU Eco-Audit certification
since 1996 Certification to ISO 14 001
2009 Free drinking water dispensers for all employees
2010 Affiliation to DGNB 2009, Preparations for ISO 14 025

2010 FSB becomes the first builder’s hardware company anywhere in the world to issue Environmental Product Declarations pursuant to ISO 14 025
2011 - 2014 Participation in the learning energy efficiency network OWL 2 (LEEN OWL 2)
2013 Energy monitoring system E3Con is introduced
2013 Certification of the company-wide energy management system to ISO 50001
2014 - 2017 Participation in the learning energy efficiency network OWL 2 (LEEN OWL 4)
2017 Leasing ebikes for employees

2019 Monitoring system E3Con is expanded with a reporting system and key figures
2022 Membership in the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V.
2023 Certification and 750 kWp photovoltaic system goes live
2023 Publication of the first FSB sustainability report in accordance with GRI standards
2024 Green electricity procurement at 100%
2024 Commissioning of the additional 112 kWp photovoltaic system

Environmental product declarations + certificates

The objectives of sustainable construction are based on minimising the consumption of energy and resources. The consistency of this approach, which was formulated in 2007 and formed the basis for the DIN EN 15804 standard, among others, is groundbreaking worldwide: this concept consistently pursues the evaluation of the entire value chain and all life cycle phases of a building.

Both the building materials and the components are taken into account and assessed using product-specific life cycle assessments. These balances record the environmental friendliness of the production, utilisation and recyclability of a product.

We have been recording the environmental impact of our products throughout their entire life cycle since 2010. By continuing to develop an energy management system, we were able to have our company certified in accordance with ISO 50001 in 2012. In recent years, we have updated our environmental management standards to comply with the EMAS regulation (until 2023) and ISO 14001.

As a member of ARGE, the European association of lock and hardware manufacturers, we use the association's Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), published by the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. (IBU).

Although these general EPDs do not exactly reflect the specifics of our FSB products, they do provide information on potential environmental impacts and thus enable us to fulfil our environmental responsibility and commitment to transparent communication.

In addition, the FSB 1292 product family from Foster + Partners is certified according to Declare, a label for building products that discloses all the ingredients of a product and thus helps specifiers to identify products that meet their project requirements.