The relevance of sustainability has continued to increase at FLECK and influences product development, material selection, machines and workplace design.
FLECK sustainability report for 2025
Integrated planning – report on sustainability for 2025
The best products, manufacturing methods and processes for everyone involved in construction.
This report has been produced for architects, designers, experts and specifiers as well as tradespeople and specialist suppliers, in order to inform the named construction participants about relevant sustainability measures at FLECK. As in the 2024 report – three areas on which FLECK has direct and indirect influence are examined in detail:
1. Products, 2. Production and 3. Processes.
In order to achieve positive effects for customers, markets, employees and all other persons involved, products, production and processes are subject to continuous optimisation and renewal, true to the motto:
In its sustainability report, FLECK examines the three topics: products, production and processes.
The 2025 sustainability report can be found here as a brochure or PDF.
Look at the FLECK factory in Oer-Erkenschwick.
FLECK administration and production building in Datteln.
PV arrays, green roofs, quality assurance and EPDs
The most important news about the sustainability of FLECK products.
With our solar product range we make an important contribution to the environmental energy transition. The situation with our green products range has been similar since 2025.
In addition, FLECK has set itself the standard of supplying very good and reliable products to the roofing trade through trading outlets. In-house tests are standard for us, but are not enough. Therefore, for years, FLECK has had many of its products tested and certified by independent institutes. For more safety on pitched, flat and solar roofs in Germany and in Europe. We are therefore pleased that we now have three EPDs and are allowed to use the VinylPlus label.
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EPDs for PVC roof products from FLECK
FLECK delivers very good arguments for participation in tenders through the so-called environmental product declaration for its roof products.
An environmental product declaration (EPD) is based on a so-called life cycle analysis. A life cycle analysis (also known as an environmental balance, ecobalance or life cycle assessment or LCA for short) is a systematic analysis of the potential environmental impacts and energy balance of products over their whole life cycle.
EPDs are important and offer advantages for those involved in construction:
- Transparency with regard to the environmental impacts of FLECK products
- Comparability with other products, to which the same standards or technical rules apply
- Required verification in tenders (e.g. for sustainable building certifications such as DGNB)
- Approaches for further optimisation of the manufacturing processes at FLECK in the direction of even more sustainability
What does an EPD say?
An EPD does not assess whether a product is “good” or “bad”, but instead provides transparent data for the environmental assessment. It includes, for example,:
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CO2 emissions
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Energy consumption
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Water consumption
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Resource consumption
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Waste quantities
These values are used, for example, in the life cycle assessment of buildings to calculate the overall environmental impacts of the building in an integrated way.
An EPD is a standardised, objective environmental document for construction products – comparable with an environmental profile. EPDs are based on international standards such as ISO 14025 and EN 15804. They are produced from exact quantitative determinations of the quantities consumed in manufacture, use, disposal, etc.
EPDs for FLECK products: PVC flat roof vents with rigid PP flange, PVC pitched roof vents and PVC flat roof vents
FLECK labels green
Certification of certain products was successful.
Since 2025, FLECK has been a member of VinylPlus Deutschland e.V. Here around 60 member companies represent the entire PVC value chain – from PVC manufacture to additives, machinery, compounders, processors, and product manufacturers to recyclers and service providers. The association is the voice of the German PVC industry, the representative of VinylPlus® in Germany and an active partner in the European network.
With VinylPlus®, FLECK is part of the European PVC industry’s commitment to sustainable development. Because through VinylPlus®, the European PVC industry is creating a long-term framework for the entire PVC value chain and is improving the sustainability and recyclability of PVC products as well as their contribution to a sustainable society.
FLECK undertakes to develop and produce PVC products so that high recyclability is ensured
Despite the economic challenges in 2025, the PVC recycling results exceeded expectations and largely remained stable. In total, in 2024 alone, approx. 724,638 tonnes of PVC waste were recycled within the scope of VinylPlus®. This is around 35 % of the total PVC waste in the EU-27, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.
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FLECK is a member of the sustainability committee of the BDB
In the Federal Association of German Builders Merchants (Bundesverband Deutscher Baustoff-Fachhandel e.V., BDB), FLECK is traditionally engaged in the Construction Focus workgroup. Recently, however, we also support the work of the Sustainability workgroup and have worked on the production of the guidelines on sustainability in the construction materials industry. The guidelines are made available to BDB members as a PDF document in the download area of the BDB.
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Sustainability certificate of the ZVDH
Following ECO FORM EASY, the MAX and BASIC variants of our FLECK ECO FORM product range – the alternative to rolled lead – have now been issued with the sustainability certificate of the Central Association of German Roofing (Zentralverbandes des Deutschen Dachdeckerhandwerks e. V., ZVDH).
RAL quality mark for certain FLECK flat roof products
Since 2021, certain FLECK flat roof products are regularly reviewed by RAL Gütegemeinschaft Flachdach e.V.
Kiwa for the ECO FORM product series
In 2025, an ageing resistance and long-term resistance as well as watertightness (10,000 mm water column) of at least 25 years was verified for ECO FORM by the Dutch test and research institute Kiwa.
Products – sustainably improved
Real contributions to sustainability by FLECK products
The following table contains certified or distinguished FLECK products, which are regularly audited or have sustainable properties – or both, such as the flat roof plumbing vent (see below):
Among other things, the following FLECK products are particularly well suited to counteracting the effects of climate change on buildings and structures:
* FLECK has recalculated the benefits of many products for you:
New standards for Germany’s roofs
Three special FLECK products, with which the future is built.
4-in-1 – which can be a vent, the relief vent, renovation vent and plumbing vent
Distinguished with the RAL quality mark and on request with root-proof flange collar. The 4-in-1 saves storage area and transport costs because it can be four products in one. It is available in the MAX and CLASSIC versions with and without KWA condensate separator.
ECO FORM – the environmentally friendly lead substitute
Tested and distinguished by Kiwa, ZVDH Zert and, compared to conventional rolled lead, non-hazardous to health and easy to use.
Heavy rainfall: ROOFGUARD – the intelligent leaf screen
Awarded the RAL quality mark and the DETAIL Product Award, it protects buildings and roofs from overflows during heavy rainfall.
Production – optimised
Large energy savings achieved through relatively small but well thought-through investments.
Optimising processes
In previous years, successfully implemented measures included heating the production halls through heat recovery, the changeover to LED lighting and the reuse of 100% of the deep-drawing offcuts for pipe extrusion. Our commitment continues.
FLECK produces in Germany in the Datteln and Oer-Erkenschwick locations. The energy needed for this has been continuously reduced in recent years, because FLECK knows that these areas hold large potential for environmental and economic improvements.
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Thermoforming machines with flash emitters reduce energy consumption
Production at FLECK takes place, among other things, in injection moulding, extrusion and deep-drawing processes. In these processes, the machines must reach certain temperatures. While older deep-drawing machines, for example, were heated using quartz emitters, FLECK has invested in new machines with flash emitters. They ensure that these machines are only heated when necessary and thus save large quantities of energy.
New flash emitters heat the material faster and more efficiently.
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Timers ensure large energy saving
Large energy savings were also achieved by installing timers. These ensure that both the extruders and the injection moulding machines are heated to match the production start.
The timers were retrofitted and ensure large energy savings.
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Motion detectors in the warehouses reduce energy needs
Adequate lighting of warehouses is necessary and important for occupational safety. New installed motion detectors now ensure that our warehouses are only illuminated when accessed. They therefore reduce energy consumption noticeably.
Motion detectors were successfully installed in multiple halls.
Processes – recalculated
Good ideas and innovation management spare valuable resources.
Optimising processes
The packaging for the FLECK top 4-in-1 product was recalculated and redesigned. As a result, the cardboard box and transport volume were reduced significantly. The result is that more products can be carried in one delivery – a benefit for customers and the environment. An app for travel expenses calculation, paperless business transactions and improved safety concepts had already been successfully implemented.
The table compares the number of vents per pallet before and after the cardboard box changeover.
Other improvements in 2025
In 2025, FLECK successfully further optimised manufacturing processes, work routes, transport, package handling and internal processes in order to further reduce emissions.
Thanks to the smaller boxes (left pallet) the same pallet now holds 4 more boxes and thus 8 more products.
For FLECK, sustainability is not a trend but a permanent feature of the future.
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Reactivation of existing silos for less packaging
Until now, the granulate required for production was delivered in so-called octabins and then moved into the stores by forklift truck, then transported to the machines when needed and the octabins were disposed of. Today the granulate is delivered, pumped into two large silos and from there is carried directly to the machines by a pipe system.
Before the reactivation of the silos, six steps were necessary. Using the silos for the granulate reduces work and transport distances.
Continuously optimised: internal and external quality tests
FLECK products are quality products that have been certified many times and received multiple awards. Regular internal quality controls are therefore a matter of course at FLECK. In addition, an increasing number of products are also examined carefully by external test bodies such as RAL. In this way, FLECK ensures the durability of its products and thus a high degree of sustainability.
Internal visual inspections and quality controls are supplemented by the testing of external bodies.
Outlook
Standing still is moving backwards. This is why we already have the next sustainability projects firmly in our sight. They include the following:
- Optimisation of the load restraints of our products in cardboard boxes
- Enhancing our tender specification documents with information on sustainability
- Working on the further roll-out of the EcoGuide of COBABaustoffgesellschaft für Dach + Wand GmbH & Co. KG Osnabrück. This sustainability navigator of the well-known cooperation of roofing specialist traders already includes our ECO FORM product range. It is the digital assistant for environmentally aware building projects, as sustainability is a topic that has become indispensable. Particularly in the roof sector, it is and remains up-to-the-minute – whether self-motivated, because customers want it or due to further developing regulations. COBA has also concentrated on the topic. The result is the Der COBA EcoGuide. This innovative platform helps owners, roofers and other interested parties to implement their building projects with sustainable materials.
- Testing and certification of further products with the VinylPlus® label
Retrospect: 2024 sustainability report
In 2025, in its first sustainability report, FLECK reported about improvements in the three areas; products, production and processes.