Building on our commitment to make progress against the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, we track our contribution to SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth. This means that we estimate the jobs and economic value ROCKWOOL creates directly or indirectly, as well as the socio-economic value of the energy our products save.
Local Communities & Engagement
How do we create an impact?
ROCKWOOL helps create economic growth and supports job creation through three main channels:
- Our own activities and purchases from suppliers;
- The energy savings created by the use of our products; and,
- Contribution through employment
One of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals - SDG8 – specifically focuses on sustainable growth and full employment. The aim of SDG8 is to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Nearly half a billion people worldwide lack decent jobs, according to a new ILO report[1]. Responsible companies can help create sustainable social economies both globally and locally by creating economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
Our business is local, meaning we produce close to our customers and hire from the communities where we operate[2]. Currently 16 of Rockwool’s 19 stone wool producing factories in Europe are in non-urban areas. These areas are often associated with higher unemployment and lack of opportunities for local jobs. For ROCKWOOL, building and operating a production facility is a long-term investment. We believe that communities and countries can be empowered when corporations become active neighbours and contributors to the economy.
As a large business, with factories in 23 countries around the world, we recognise our duty to be a responsive and generous corporate citizen. To this end, we form international alliances with carefully chosen partners, to support causes ranging from environmental conservation and children in need to those affected by the war in Ukraine. For example, our shareholders approved using between 100-200 MDKK (approx. 13 to 27 MEUR) on reconstruction activities in the Chernihiv region northeast of Kyiv.
Engaging local communities
With 51 manufacturing facilities in 23 countries, ROCKWOOL plays a significant role in supporting thriving communities around the world. We aim to sell our products in the regions where they are produced, thus generating employment, investment and tax revenues in our host communities.
One of the ways in which we establish and maintain good relations with our host communities is by engaging in meaningful two-way dialogue with all relevant stakeholders. For example, we host community days, organise school visits and offer tours of our factories to interested community members, local elected officials and members of the surrounding business community.
In 2022, we have updated our internal guidance on community engagement to ensure that our global business units follow best practice in the way they communicate and interact with local communities in which they operate
"ROCKWOOL is very much aware of its significant environmental and social responsibilities towards the local community and supports a wide range of projects to enhance residents’ quality of life. In recognition of these efforts, we gave ROCKWOOL Adriatic a certificate of appreciation on the feast day of St Roko on August 16. This is our annual Municipality Day”. Dean Močinić, Mayor of Pićan Municipality.
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In 2023, ROCKWOOL Group’s activities created:
- Around 43 000 jobs locally at our facilities worldwide and with suppliers;
- EUR 3 620 million economic value globally;
- A net lifetime saving in energy costs of more than EUR 83 billion for customers in households and industry from ROCKWOOL’s insulation products sold in 2023.
Measuring our socioeconomic impact
- In 2021, we worked with National Contact Point (NCP) Denmark that resulted in a report with recommendations on how ROCKWOOL Group could improve its risk-based due diligence and community engagement practices. The primary focus has been to strengthen our community engagement activities and implement new community engagement policies and procedures globally to enhance our environmental and social responsibilities.
- Since 2019, ROCKWOOL has followed our SDG impact metric and methodology, created in collaboration with Copenhagen Economics, to estimate ROCKWOOL’s global and local contribution to creating local jobs and economic growth [3]. Three types of impacts are included in the methodology:
- Direct impact counts the impact from the number of people directly employed and the direct GDP contribution (wages, taxes and profits from ROCKWOOL);
- Indirect impact pertains to the impact from companies supplying ROCKWOOL with goods and services; and,
- Induced impact, which is the impact from purchases by the employees working for ROCKWOOL and their suppliers.
Download the methodology
We collaborated with Copenhagen Economics to develop the SDG impact metric and methodology to estimate ROCKWOOL’s global and local contribution to creating local jobs and economic growth
[1] ILO, 2020, ‘World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2020’.
[2] For instance, around 90 percent of our sales do not cross a customs border.
[3] The calculation model is an Input-Output model using EUROSTAT data. The methodology, assumptions and information about the study are available here: www.rockwool.com/group/about-us/sustainability/socioeconomic-impact/