Our sustainability disclosures focus on key environmental and social factors relevant to our operations to provide a comprehensive understanding of our company’s development, position, and performance.

Marie and Jenny, founders and owners of Zilenzio.

While legally not subject to this requirement yet, we believe that a commitment to responsible business practices is essential for businesses of all sizes to contribute to a better future. Therefore, we have decided to voluntarily report sustainability disclosures in accordance with Swedish law and ISO 26000. 

Sustainable solutions since the beginning

Our business idea from the very beginning is about a sustainable solution. Jenny and Marie wanted to create a silent work environment where people feel good, where they can focus and thrive.

This has developed over time to include design and quality, but has never deviated from the foundation of having a sustainable business idea when it comes to durable materials, absorption ability in products, and the social improvement for the workspace. This is Zilenzio. We sell a solution.

With our competence in sound absorption, we can create a solution with the right number of products, with different kinds of products, and the right placement based on the customer’s needs and budget. 

See how it all began in our series with Jenny and Marie:

“The people we work with are our biggest asset.”

Jenny Helldén, co-founder of Zilenzio

Our team

We have surveys every second month where we measure the well-being of the employees by asking questions about workload, stress, and the possibility of recovery. In the survey, everyone can bring up something that they are not satisfied with, which is discussed in the workplace safety team. So far, the result has been: 

Meet Linnea

“I’ve been working at Zilenzio for just over a year, and time has truly flown by! They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s definitely true here.

The best thing about Zilenzio is that no two days are the same! We work with a wide range of clients in several different countries and have many exciting projects in motion, which makes the job both challenging and fun,” says Linnea Dokler, working in the support team.

She continues:

“Working at Zilenzio has truly opened my eyes to how much it means to have an employer who values their employees. Here, you genuinely feel seen, heard, and respected. At previous workplaces, the pace was often high and the support low, but here we help each other and find good solutions together. That creates both balance and joy at work.

On top of that, we have an amazing team spirit—there’s a warmth and sense of togetherness here that makes you genuinely enjoy coming to work, and that culture is reflected throughout the entire company.”

Our safety work

The workplace safety team meets four times a year to go through questions that concern workplace safety and workplace environment, and we offer a health check every second year to keep track of your personal health. One thing that we believe separates us from others is that we believe in social events like after-work, which are much appreciated by the employees and contribute to our team spirit.

Our productions work with the work environment in many ways. A KPI: s that Fogia and POD share is to measure workplace accidents and security-related incidents.

Other initiatives that regard workplace safety are Risk analysis mitigation. Workplace safety policy, training and compliance, hazard elimination and equipment safety, external audits and testing (for example, the fire protection system), and proactive measures for improving the working conditions.

This is followed up in our communication and discussions with our production partners and is something that we review when we visit our production partners, which is a few times a year. 

We are proud of our achievements, and we don’t take them for granted. Each achievement gives us the confidence to aim higher. We know that there is more that we can do, and we are open to new opportunities and businesses, even if it means adjustments and gaining new knowledge. Being well prepared is our internal motto.

Möbelfakta

Möbelfakta is the foundation of our continuous sustainability work. Möbelfakta is an environmental label that promotes the production of safe, high-quality furniture that has a sustainable and ethical aspect in consideration. 

At the end of 2024, we had 25 products, which represent 78% of our product range, and 75% of our turnover during 2024 was certified products. All our products follow the requirements in Möbelfaktas standard, even if not all are certified. Our latest certified product is a brand-new type of product for Zilenzio, a lamp named Hikari.  

In 2022 we developed a sustainability strategy based on some of the goals that TMF had identified from UN’s Global Goals as significant for the wood and furniture industry. You can read about which goals and sub-goals we chose in 2022 and have been working with. In 2024 we reviewed this sustainability strategy and updated it in a workshop with the management group. All updates will be according to ISO 26000.

These were the goals and targets set in 2022:  

Increase the filling rate of our transport by 20% 

Previous way of packing

New way of packing

We aim to be climate-neutral by 2030

Our goal is to be climate neutral before 2030 and we are in the very beginning of collecting climate data. We are an SME company with limited resources but with an ambition to be well prepared and to start before we are forced by law. Our challenge is to find a sustainable way of working with the resources we have. We are slowly setting the framework for a process that we believe in, that will provide the information needed to reach our goal by 2030 and to have the answers that our customers are requesting today and will in the future. 

As a manufacturer it’s a great challenge to become climate neutral without production and this is something we have discussed with professional consultants in the area. This doesn’t mean that we absolve ourselves of our responsibility but instead look at what is possible to do with the information from our climate calculations, implemented efficiency measures and appropriate investments. We always look to improve. 

Since 2022 we have invested in a project called Tropical Mix which is one of the few that is triple-certified. The project includes both environmental and social actions such as restoring biodiversity, creating a healthy forest ecosystem in Panama, protect forest that is home to over 15 red-listed animal species and creates over 150 long-term jobs with health insurance and pensions have been generated. 

2022: 334 ton (368 short ton) Tropical mix (CO2) 

2023: 400 ton (441 short ton) Tropical mix (CO2) 

2024: 347 ton (382 short ton) Tropical mix (CO2) 

2025: 308 ton (339 short ton) Tropical mix (CO2) 

“We don’t sell products – we sell a solution.”

Our way of working with sustainability

“We can help our customers with science-based and personalized calculations for a room and find the right placements for the products without overproducing products and with a good mix between products suitable for your budget,” says Hanna Loodin-Ek, Sustainability Manager at Zilenzio.

Code of Conduct

During 2024, we updated our internal Code of Conduct and separated this from our Code of Conduct so that we can communicate with our production partners. We use this document in our Supplier Evaluation process, and it is a document that we aim to have a discussion regarding each year with our production partners.

There is a clause in this document where our productions undertake to communicate our Code of Conduct with their suppliers, our sub-suppliers. Our Code of Conduct is one of many documents that we require from our sub-suppliers and in our supplier evaluation process. We follow up on all documentation needed in cooperation with our production partners and in our material mapping for each product. 

Our supplier’s evaluation process

A part of our supplier’s evaluation process is to perform a risk assessment according to the tools we received in Möbelfaktas Risk assessment course. The aim is to have a transparent supply chain for all our products and to know who the raw supplier is. This is an extensive task that we must take in stages and with certain assumptions based on the guidance available for risk analysis. Our goal is to perform 1-2 risk analyses on individual products per year. The risk analysis is based on a three-point scale, the risks are: low, medium and high. 

This year we performed a risk analysis on Zermatt, which was also reviewed by a third-party auditor, Trossa. We had an on-site audit for this product in Lithuania and the audit was approved. 

We performed our second risk analysis on Dezibel Table. 

We have found some medium risks connected to not updated documentation. The actions have been taken, and we are certain that this is a risk we can mitigate during 2025. 

Hans Bergström, CEO at Zilenzio

The CEO perspective: Zilenzio 2030

“Sustainability isn’t a sacrifice – it’s a part of our everyday work.

For 20 years, Zilenzio has been working to improve acoustic environments and reduce visual distractions in workplaces around the world. Creating well-functioning workplaces is incredibly important from a sustainability perspective, and the need for better work environments is enormous. Surveys, like those from Leesman, show that 2 out of 3 office workers consider the sound environment at their workplace to be poor. This affects not only productivity but also well-being, and a workplace with sick leave caused by poor acoustics is NOT sustainable.

“2 out of 3 office workers consider the sound environment at their workplace to be poor.”

We’ve accomplished a lot, but there’s still so much more to do – and our mindset is that we’ll never be finished. For us, it’s about continuously developing products that leave an even smaller footprint while contributing to even better workplaces. My promise is that we will make as little impact as possible by focusing on designing products with a smaller footprint that also enhance the work environment. This includes minimizing transportation impact and making production more efficient by reducing waste and using renewable energy,” says Hans Bergström, CEO at Zilenzio.

Production site statistics

We have agreed with our production partners to keep the following KPI’s: Energy consumption and waste from fabric and leather. We will also keep KPI to follow our resource efficiency by looking at the energy consumption/produced unit and waste/produced unit. 

Fogia

Zilenzio currently accounts for approximately 16% of Fogia’s production capacity.

All textile waste is recycled in the R1 process, through processing into the alternative fuel, that is used for energy recovery by companies such as cement plants or power plants. 

We switch to green electricity in 2022 year. 

KPI’s to follow the resource efficiency is energy consumption and waste per produced unit. The results from Fogia during 2022 to 2024 are: 

% of Fogias production: 2022: 16.5%, 2023: 16.7%, 2024: 16%.

POD

Zilenzio currently accounts for approximately 26% of POD’s production capacity.

In Lithuania, electricity supplied to the public comes from various sources, including both local production and imports. Renewable energy power plants generate 70% of the total electricity produced in the country. 

The main sources of electricity in Lithuania: 

• Wind energy
• Solar energy
• Hydropower
• Biomass and biogas

KPI’s to follow the resource efficiency are energy consumption and waste per unit produced. The results from POD from 2022 to 2024 are: 

% of PODs production: 2022: 30%, 2023: 29%, 2024: 27%.