A corporate project rooted in sustainability and heritage
Idea
As part of the establishment of the Metro site in the new Fridhaff business park, sustainability and environmental responsibility were central to the project from the initial planning stage.
Olivier Jacob, director and representative of the third generation the family, emphasises with conviction: “It is essential to give back to nature what our society takes from it.” True to the values passed down by his ancestors, he aims to embed the site in a sustainable, harmonious, and future-proof development. At Metro, the goal is to bring employees together around a shared corporate project that focuses both on improving quality of work life and respect for the natural environment.
This commitment is tangibly reflected in the building’s architecture. Right at the entrance, a wall honours all those who have contributed to the company’s success, emphasising the continuity of the founding line and Metro’s collective spirit
Design
Nature-focused landscaping
In addition to infrastructure supporting renewable energy and future electric mobility projects for employees, the idea of enhancing green spaces to create an active ecological ecosystem quickly took hold. The immediate proximity of forests and meadows offered a unique opportunity to develop a project in support of local biodiversity.
Collaborative design with beekeepers and landscape architects
The concept was developed in close collaboration with a landscape architect and a local beekeepers’ association. Several major ecological elements were integrated: planting regionally typical fruit trees, creating flower-rich meadows with high plant diversity, installing shelters for pollinating insects, and setting up beehives—all in harmony with the natural environment.
Particular attention was given to harmoniously integrating the project into the existing ecosystem to provide real added value for both fauna and flora. The cooperation agreement with the beekeepers’ association ensures the sustainable management of the hives and the honey harvest.
Implementation
Ecology in Its simplest form
From spring onwards, the fruit trees were planted and the wildflower meadows sown. The beehives were installed in consultation with apiarists to provide optimal conditions for the bees’ development.
Olivier Jacob highlights an additional advantage: “These installations require almost no maintenance, unlike traditional green spaces. Nature regulates itself and maintains its own balance.”
Results
Today, the Metro site in Fridhaff represents far more than a modern workplace: it embodies a model of respectful integration within a preserved natural setting. The flowering meadows, the buzzing of bees, and the self-sustaining ecosystem demonstrate a successful coexistence between economic activity and the protection of natural habitats.
Improving one’s knowledge in the fields of energy and sustainability through targeted and professional training
Achieving an effective energy transition within a company and meeting sustainability goals depends not only on adopting new technologies, but above all on the active involvement of employees. Their daily behaviour, understanding of the issues, and proper use of equipment have a direct impact on the company’s energy and environmental performance.
To this end, it is essential to regularly engage in targeted training programmes tailored to the company’s specific needs, whether related to production activities, mobility, internal procedures, or overall business management.
Here is an overview of the types of training and contact points available in Luxembourg.
Sustainable and circular procurement is a process of acquiring goods or services which aims to maximise environmental, social and economic benefits throughout the life cycle.
By adopting sustainable and circular procurement practices, businesses contribute to a greener and more resilient economy. This also includes favouring, where possible, suppliers engaged in ecological and ethical practices, which reduces the overall environmental impact. This approach will help reduce acquisition costs in the long term as products last longer and are reused. In addition, it strengthens the company’s image by positioning it as a responsible player committed to protecting the environment and social values. By promoting these ethical and sustainable practices, companies also improve the resilience of their supply chain, making it less vulnerable to disruptions and fluctuations in resources.
Conducting a staff awareness campaign for the eco-responsible use of water
Deciding to commit to an eco-responsible water management policy in a company, or strengthening its actions in a sustainable manner in this area, requires the support and engagement of all employees.
Raising awareness is an important step in generating interest and motivating employees. It ensures that everyone understands the objectives and challenges involved, the role they have to play, and how they can contribute to the success of initiatives and the performance of actions implemented by their organisation.
Keller Minimal Windows is a global player renowned for its innovative, high-quality aluminium window and door systems.
At the heart of Keller’s philosophy is a commitment to sustainable business processes and approaches. The company is constantly pushing architectural boundaries while minimising its environmental impact. Its aluminium systems are designed to deliver reliable, long-lasting performance.
Since 2020, Keller has been part of the AluK group, a world leader in aluminium systems, combining family expertise with financial strength. Despite its international presence, Keller retains a personalised and flexible approach, with made-to-measure production based in Luxembourg.
Idea
Reducing carbon footprint while ensuring a sustainable product
Keller is committed to reducing its carbon footprint while maintaining the excellence of its top-of-the-range windows. This ambition is based on several principles:
Eco-responsible materials: giving preference to materials from suppliers who comply with environmental standards
Optimising production processes: reducing waste and energy consumption
Sustainable logistics: minimising environmental impact through reusable packaging and more environmentally-friendly means of transport
Design
Carrying out a carbon audit of the entire value chain
Carrying out a full carbon audit enables us to identify the precise sources of emissions at each stage of the process, from product design to delivery. This carbon footprint is more than just a diagnosis. It provides a strategic basis for implementing concrete, measurable solutions.
Implementation
The stages of the carbon footprint
The implementation of the carbon footprint assessment was structured in several phases:
Analysis of activities: identification of the sources of direct emissions (production, energy consumption, etc.) and indirect emissions (suppliers, transport, end-of-life products, etc.)
Data collection: precise compilation of the information needed to assess the overall impact
Report and recommendations: a detailed report was drawn up, highlighting the main areas for reduction and proposing concrete measures to minimise the carbon footprint.
Results
The results of the carbon footprint on the company’s sustainable development
This assessment has made it possible to implement concrete solutions, such as:
The use of materials with a low carbon footprint
Increased energy efficiency in production facilities
Optimised logistics to limit transport-related emissions.
This analysis and the resulting actions illustrate Keller’s commitment to responsible production and actively contributes to the ecological transition, while guaranteeing top-of-the-range products.
Reckinger peinture & décors is a family-owned company founded in 1946 and currently managed by the third generation. Specialising in finishing work and decoration, the company employs 50 people today. Known for its expertise and craftsmanship, the company has earned a strong reputation in its field. At the same time, it is aware of its environmental impact and is committed to reducing it by integrating sustainable practices into its daily operations. The company’s sustainability commitment is supported by management and embraced at all levels of the organisation.
Idea
Advancing sustainability together with employees
For Reckinger peinture & décors, transitioning to sustainability is a collective challenge that requires the active involvement of all members of the organisation, especially the employees. Their engagement is crucial to transforming ecological intentions into concrete and sustainable actions. The goal is to adopt an inclusive and collaborative approach where every team member plays an important role.
The success of this transition relies on listening, training, and creating actions with employees.
Design
Finding the right framework for the environmental strategy
As part of its environmental strategy, Reckinger peinture & décors participated in the ministry of the Economy’s “Fit 4 Sustainability” programme. This programme allows companies to assess their ecological impact and develop an action plan to reduce it.
One of the first actions was to establish an internal environmental committee. This committee (« Ëmwelt-Komité »), composed of members of management and volunteer employees, is tasked with defining environmental priorities, implementing concrete actions and monitoring progress.
Implementation
Actions of the environmental committee – « Ëmwelt-Komité »
Committee formation: the company set up a mixed team bringing together different hierarchical levels, favouring a participative approach..
Planning: regular meetings are held during which the committee discusses the implementation of measures to improve sustainability within the company.
Responsibility allocation: committee members were assigned different areas to oversee, such as monitoring energy or resource consumption and waste management.
Implementation of concrete measures, such as:
improving waste management and sorting, both internally and on worksites.
using reusable bottles to reduce plastic waste
Result
Success of the environmental committee
Following an initial implementation phase, the environmental committee is now a well-established team integrated into the company’s daily operations. The first measures have been successfully implemented.
Founded in 2003, the University of Luxembourg is a public higher education and research institution. It boasts 3 faculties, 4 interdisciplinary centres and 3 campuses (Belval, Kirchberg, Limpertsberg). With almost 7,000 students, including 1,000 PhD students, 2,400 members of staff, including 300 professors, it is ranked among the top 250 universities in the world by THE (Times Higher Education).
Idea
Reducing energy consumption
Like many other public institutions, the University of Luxembourg took action during the Zesumme Spueren campaign to set an example by reducing its gas consumption during the winter of 2022-2023. For this reason, it launched an awareness-raising campaign among its employees to encourage them to adopt energy-saving behaviour. In addition to the more technical aspects of managing its buildings, the University wished to mobilise its community in support of possible energy savings to encourage behavioural changes and achieve long-term sustainable results.
Design
Developing a holistic approach
To meet this goal and the relevant economic requirements, the University of Luxembourg designed a holistic approach that incorporates both technical interventions and behavioural changes. In terms of technical solutions, they identified specific measures necessary to optimiser the heating, power supply and cooling management of the buildings.
Implementation
Technical measures and behavioural interventions
The campaign was officially launched in 2022. The University introduced a dedicated intranet page, effectively centralising the technical and behavioural actions taken as part of the initiative. In terms of technical measures, the heating of its buildings was optimised. The temperature of the premises has been limited to 20°C during the day and 16°C at night and on weekends, contributing to a more efficient energy use. Furthermore, weekend and holiday opening hours were reorganised to further reduce energy consumption.
As for its electricity consumption, a number of strategic adjustments were put in place. The brightness of common areas was reviewed, so that every other light source can be turned off provided that the minimum legal requirement (in terms of brightness) is met. A similar review and adjustment was carried out to the ventilation systems in the auditoriums and laboratories, by installing motion detectors in auditoriums to shut off ventilation when the rooms are unoccupied.
In terms of human behaviour, the campaign focused on raising awareness on multiple fronts:
Members of the university community were made aware of the importance and their impact on reducing heating consumption, while at the same time ensuring that their offices stay properly ventilated.
To promote a reduced electricity consumption, the university raised awareness on the appropriate use of lighting in common areas, corridors and offices, as well as how to efficiently use personal electronic equipment, such as computers and monitors at night, at weekends and when working from home.
Result
Lower energy consumption
The University of Luxembourg closely monitored its energy consumption from late 2022 to the end of May 2023, introducing energy-saving measures starting in October 2022. The results show a considerable 19.2% reduction in heat consumption in its buildings at Belval, Kirchberg and Limpertsberg as compared with the same period the previous year, and even a reduction of almost 25% when compared with the average from 2019 to 2021. These measures have resulted in estimated savings of around €600,000 and a reduction of 311 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, accounting for 6% of emissions linked to energy consumption. The impact on electricity consumption by staff and students is less pronounced, with around a 3% reduction from June 2022 to May 2023 compared with the previous 12 months and more than 5% compared with 2019-2021.
Individual behaviour has a major influence on resource consumption. To make employees aware of the impact of their actions, an awareness campaign is ideal.
The details below provide guidelines for setting up a staff awareness campaign, to ensure responsibility and lasting commitment to the themes of energy, resources, and climate within the organisation.
