Prevex
Today, Prevex water traps consist of 60 percent recycled plastic.
Sustainability journey continues with plastic-free packaging
WHEN PREVEX started its sustainability journey a few years ago, the big question was how we could start using recycled plastic in our products. Today, we have made good progress as our water traps already consist of 60% recycled plastic. Thanks to this, we managed to reduce our carbon emissions more than planned in 2024, by a full 45% compared to 2018. It is worth noting that we are not talking about the operational footprint alone but the total carbon footprint.
The idea is to further increase the proportion of recycled plastic in products in the future, but right now we believe that we can achieve more environmental benefit if we concentrate on other things. Last year, we focused on introducing plastic-free packaging and phasing out hazardous metals. As a result, in spring 2025 we were able to start offering plastic-free packaging, in practice, cardboard packaging and paper bags, to all customers who request it. As plastic packaging accounts for half of all plastic waste in Europe, we recognise that this is an area where we can make a difference.
LAST YEAR, we also announced that we would stop using lead in our products, as analyses clearly show that it is one of the single most important actions we can take to reduce our environmental footprint. Our water traps did not contain large amounts of lead, but for example the screw that holds the trap together was made of metal with a small quantity of lead. As we start replacing the metal parts with engineering plastics in 2025, our products no longer contain added lead and are therefore non-toxic. At the same time, delivery reliability increases because we can manufacture the parts ourselves.
Our sustainability work is of course founded on a desire to contribute to the environment, but sustainability work has proved to be a wise investment from a business perspective as well. Sustainability is a strong selling point and we gained almost all our new customers last year largely due to our environmental initiatives. I am very proud that we managed to increase our sales in 2024 by gaining new market share in Western Europe and elsewhere, even though the construction industry and thus our major customers are still in a recession. It is good to see that customers still value sustainability despite the tougher times and even though environmental issues have slipped further down the list of priorities among end consumers as purchasing power has declined. We still believe that we saw the bottom of the recession in 2024, even if it will take some time before the recovery starts in earnest.
Thanks to a high share of recycled plastic, we have managed to reduce our total carbon footprint by as much as 45%
ONE POSITIVE aspect of last year’s sluggish economy was that we were able to focus on improving internal processes. Among other things, we invested in developing the skills of supervisors and carried out other HR work, which is reflected in improved results in staff surveys.
Prevex is a major employer in its local area, and we are grateful for our good reputation. Since we want to give back something in return to the local community, we decided last year to intensify our collaboration with the wellbeing services counties. The collaboration involves offering work to five people who cannot find jobs in the normal labour market because they are only partially able to work. This is a win-win situation for all of us and we hope it will serve as inspiration for other employers as well.
Marko Nylund
CEO, Prevex
Prevex – unique, sustainable water traps
Production in Finland:
Prevex is one of the few companies in the world specialising in water traps for kitchens and bathrooms. All products are manufactured in Finland.
Smart features:
The water traps combine many smart features: they are flexible, space-saving and easy to clean. Unique customised water traps are also developed in close cooperation with customers.
Focus on sustainability:
In recent years, Prevex has invested heavily in sustainability and is by far the industry leader in this area.
○ The company’s products contain 60% recycled raw materials.
○ All the energy the company uses has long been emission-free.
○ Since 2018, Prevex has reduced its total carbon footprint by 45%.
Share of KWH Group's
turnover
personnel
gross investments
Turnover: 35 MEUR
Investments: 4 MEUR
Personnel: 177
Management team
Camilla Wikman
Director, Marketing & People
Sasha Laitinen
CFO
Kenneth Forsman
Director, Product and Business Development
Mikael Gäddnäs
COO
Filip Jankowski
Sales Director