Sørlandskjøkken aims to inspire others to pursue local carbon capture

Partners with Trefadder for local climate forest planting

Since its establishment in 2006, Sørlandskjøkken has focused on local production and maintaining a short distance between production and customer. This approach sets the company apart from other kitchen suppliers. The company is now partnering with Trefadder to further reduce its climate footprint.

– Our concept is based on purchasing large volumes from suppliers, allowing us to offer highly competitive prices while minimizing emissions from long-distance transport. We stock almost everything needed to produce our kitchens locally in Søgne, giving us a unique proximity to our customers.

– In addition, our production is certified through Eco-Lighthouse, and we continuously work on waste management, recycling, and reducing energy consumption. Today, we sort more than 97 percent of our waste. We are also committed to social sustainability, investing in employee development, equality, and digitalization of production. Digitalization not only improves efficiency but also creates a better working environment.

– Now, we are expanding our environmental efforts through local climate forest planting in partnership with Trefadder,” says Ingun Eikli, Marketing Manager at Sørlandskjøkken.

Sørlandskjøkken has production facilities in Søgne and stores in Sørlandsparken (Kristiansand), Stoa (Arendal), and Forus (Stavanger).

Pushing suppliers

Eikli acknowledges that the company is a relatively small player in a large market, but that this does not limit its climate ambitions.

– Even as a smaller company, we actively challenge our suppliers and subcontractors to find more sustainable materials where possible. We continuously review our products and always assess whether better alternatives exist.”

She explains that Eco-Lighthouse certification provides the tools and structure needed for long-term sustainability work.

– Being environmentally certified means we regularly review our operations and continuously work to improve. We also maintain carbon accounting for raw materials and waste, giving us clear insight into recycling rates per material. This helps us identify where we can improve,” she says.

– For us, it’s about taking environmental responsibility seriously. That starts with analyzing our own operations and identifying where we have the greatest environmental impact—and where the biggest improvement potential lies.”

Local climate forest

Trefadder collaborates with local farmers and landowners across Norway. Through the partnership with Sørlandskjøkken, a suitable site was identified with a farmer in Lyngdal.

– For us, this partnership is an opportunity to continue working with local climate initiatives through our own climate forest. Trefadder enables us to carry out carbon capture in collaboration with local farmers, which also creates local jobs. This approach aligns well with our own concept, and we are excited to get started.”

The company plans to plant one tree for every kitchen produced—around 1,000 trees annually—capturing approximately 230 tonnes of CO₂.

– The more kitchens we sell, the more trees we plant. It’s incredibly rewarding to establish climate forests here in Southern Norway, and the partnership with Trefadder makes it possible,” she says.

Continuous climate efforts

She emphasizes that all companies must take responsibility for their own environmental impact, which requires insight into their operations.

For us, it’s about taking environmental responsibility seriously. That means starting with an honest assessment of our operations and identifying where we negatively impact the environment. From there, we can see where the greatest opportunities for improvement lie.

– We will continue working on energy efficiency, reducing production waste, and using more sustainable materials. We have also begun exploring circular production.”

The company now hopes to inspire others to actively work with sustainability.

– We want to go further, and our partnership with Trefadder is a unique opportunity to do so. For us, it’s about taking the next natural step toward climate-neutral operations. As a company, we are doing what we can to reduce our footprint.

– If others are inspired by what we do, there is nothing better than that,” Eikli concludes.

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Sørlandskjøkken
Ingun Eikli, Markedssjef
993 495 00
ingun@sorlandskjokken.no