We aim to be the
world’s most sustainable furniture company

How do we get from where we are…
To where we want to be?
First, let’s hear what Jan Christian has to say
So, let's look at where we are now
Carbon emissions are on the international scope. Experts have warned us for decades that inaction will lead to drastic hunger levels, mass migration due to flooding, the collapse of financial markets and many more socio-economic disasters.
We need to reduce our environmental impact and one of the most significant ways to do this is by reducing our carbon footprint. This starts with monitoring our carbon emissions, by following GHG’s comprehensive guide.
What is the
GHG protocol exactly?
GHG Protocol supplies the world's most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards. These standards are designed to provide a framework for businesses to measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions in ways that support their missions and goals.
According to GHG, a company’s greenhouse gas emissions are classified in three scopes:
All direct emissions from the activities of our organisation or under our control, such as company vehicles, heating sourches, air conditioning units and manufacturing.
Indirect emissions from electricity purchased and used by the organisation, such as purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling.
All other indirect emissions from activities of the organisation, occurring from sources that we don’t own or control. This is a large scope and contains, among other thing, business travel, waste, purchased and capital goods.
Mapping our own carbon footprint has revealed that scope 3 is where our efforts need to be focused
Scope 1 & 2 yearly emissions
Scope 1, 2 & 3 yearly emissions
Key indicators show that there’s room for some improvement on carbon intensity
Scope 1 & 2
Scope 1, 2 and 3
So, what do we need to do to reach our goal?
Vestre firmly believes that every company needs to look into its core business primarily, but also to extend global solidarity through external partnerships. Let’s dive into what we do internally first.
The internal section encompasses the entirety of the value chain, from raw material through production up until end of life and recycling the materials to give them new life again. We aim to be a business that contributes a net positive to society, and through full transparency we invite you to take part of that journey.
According to the stats above, to achieve our goal of becoming the world's most sustainable furniture company, we need to…
Cutting carbon emissions is paramount in the situation we find ourselves in, and the longevity of products is a vital part of the solution. Anti-throwaway has been in our backbone since we started, and our goal is that all Vestre products shall have the possibility of "eternal life"

This is one of the rare cases where environment and economics go hand in hand. We need to move away from considering the price solely at the time of purchase and into a lifecycle perspective. After all, if you must buy two items for a slightly lower initial cost over the same period as an alternative single item would have lasted, which is really more economical?
Certifications
A certain way to know that what you are buying is a good product also for the environment is to look for a type 1 ecolabel, such as the Nordic Swan. To know the business is well run, and wood is sourced sustainably, look for ISO and FSC certifications. It can be hard to know which ones are the real deal though, so Vestre is pushing for international alignment on this
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Sustainable forestry management
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Quality & environmental governance
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Type 1 ecolabel ISO14020
Although we believe all businesses need to have a sustainable core business should they be allowed to survive and thrive in the future, that is not all. In deep contradiction with Milton Friedman’s pursuit of profit mantra we deem it high time that business took global solidarity seriously. We set aside 10% of profits every year to initiatives that support the SDGs.
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. We are supporting initiatives locally and globally, and aim to follow the ‘Patagonia-model’ of supporting initiatives and activism to achieve maximum impact. We believe a combination of direct grants and impact investing will be the best way forward
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Ongoing initiative with the Oslo Church City Mission to alleviate job insecurity and include people that for whatever reason has fallen out back into the workforce.
kirkensbymisjon.noMeasurable results
- Hours of meaningful work provided in 2019: 346
- No. of people helped into regular job 2019: 8 people in programme, 1 into full-time employment
Sustainable Development Goals
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Partnering with global organisations is sometimes the only way to reach out to people on the margins of society. Vestre is aiding MSF financially to provide field hospitals where hospital care is non-existent.
msf.orgMeasurable results
- Contribution equivalent to running an operation theatre serving 700 people annually
Sustainable Development Goals
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Vestre partners with UNICEF to be able to provide education to children in parts of the world that don’t have a great school system in place. Through a financial donation this partnership allows Vestre to contribute far from our own headquarters.
unicef.orgMeasurable results
- Contribution equivalent to providing school for 3.500 youths in conflict areas
Sustainable Development Goals
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Young Sustainable Impact is a movement of young people interested in doing something to solve the SDGs. The team has been successful in attracting tens of thousands of youth into an intensive accelerator programme, culminating in an investor day in Oslo, of which Vestre is a proud sponsor.
ysiglobal.comMeasurable results
- Contribution to building a global movement of youths to advance the SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals
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A start-up whose mission is to end the plastic pollution problem through putting a value on plastic and employing local workforce on the ground for cleaning up, thus providing a good for society as well as employment in fringe areas.
empower.ecoMeasurable results
- Developing the micro-loan solution and contributing to remove 600 kg plastic in 2019
Sustainable Development Goals
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In an innovative three-part collaboration, we are building a design-thinking curriculum for youths at the vocational centres in occupied Palestine. Being competed out by international competitors, innovation in the local furniture industry is paramount. First cohort expected to enrol autumn 2020.
kirkensnodhjelp.no/enMeasurable results
- Initiating the project with a workshop in Palestine with AHO and Church Aid
Sustainable Development Goals
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Food scarcity and unemployment often go hand in hand. That’s why Vestre is proud to be an investor in the FFF initiative which aims at tackling both of those.
http://facebook.com/FFFTanzaniaMeasurable results
- Investment of 185,000 NOK towards a silo that will help store yield to ensure better prices
Sustainable Development Goals
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A solitary landscape architect can do a lot of good, especially when she acquires an excellent team of locals and internationals to help her. Line Ramstad and Gyaw Gyaw is one of the projects that truly show an immense impact on a relatively small funding.
gyaw.orgMeasurable results
- Contribution towards the team’s operations on school projects in Myanmar
Sustainable Development Goals
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An incubator in Africa, Techbridge is a Norwegian startup that is trying to help startups in Africa thrive, and guide investors from all over the world into impact opportunities here. An example is SUNami, that is a micro-grid solar company, providing power to people where there is none.
techbridgeinvest.comMeasurable results
- Investment of 200,000 NOK in TechBridge towards their accelerator in Africa
Sustainable Development Goals
We have come far, but we still have a way to go
Vestre is currently focusing on the goals lined out above, and through the mapping of our carbon footprint we have found where our main contributors to global warming lie. Steel in particular and transport will need to become carbon free over the coming years.
The longevity and anti-throwaway culture is something most people get intuitively, but there is quite a bit of unlearning to do, if we are to stop rampant consumerism. Through our external partnerships a small Scandinavian furniture company can become part of global solutions, even if our dollar contribution is but a drop in the ocean. After all, everyone can do something.

Institutional structures are legitimate insofar as they enhance the opportunity to freely inquire and create, out of inner need; otherwise, they are not.