Systemair Cuts Scope 1 and 2 Emissions 10%, Launches Fans Cutting Energy Use 21%

Systemair reported a 10 percent reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared with its 2023/24 base year, alongside launching a new generation of energy-efficient axial fans that cut energy consumption by up to 21 percent in typical operating scenarios, according to the Swedish ventilation manufacturer's Sustainability Statement for 2025/26. This marks the company's first sustainability statement prepared under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and subject to limited assurance by external auditors. Systemair also generated 3.2 million kWh of renewable electricity through solar investments at several manufacturing facilities during the year.

 

Why Building Ventilation Carries Outsized Climate Leverage

 

Systemair frames its business explicitly around a specific climate statistic: the International Energy Agency's assessment that the global rate of energy efficiency improvement needs to double by 2030 to stay aligned with international climate goals, with buildings accounting for a significant share of global energy use. That framing positions ventilation efficiency not as a marginal product feature but as one of the more direct levers available for reducing building energy consumption at scale, since heating, cooling and ventilation systems typically represent a substantial share of a building's total energy draw across its operational lifetime.

The new axial fan generation's 21 percent energy reduction in typical operating scenarios matters cumulatively rather than as a single-product improvement, since ventilation systems run continuously across a building's operating life, meaning efficiency gains compound over years of operation rather than delivering a one-time saving. Systemair's demand-controlled ventilation solutions, which adjust airflow based on actual occupancy and air quality needs rather than running at constant output, deliver energy savings of up to 30 percent when combined with the company's SAVE units, extending that same principle of matching energy use to genuine need rather than continuous maximum operation.

 

UPCOMING WEBINAR

How Two Sustainability Teams Used AI to Get Audit-Ready

Online, 18 August 2026 · Cleaning spend data, building audit trails and meeting what auditors expect

 

Why the R-744 Refrigerant Award Signals a Broader Industry Shift

 

Systemair's Menerga CO2mpass air handling unit received an industry award for its integrated heat pump using the natural refrigerant R-744, which carries a global warming potential of 1, the lowest possible baseline reference value used to measure how much a given refrigerant contributes to warming relative to carbon dioxide. That distinction matters because conventional synthetic refrigerants historically used in heating, ventilation and cooling equipment often carry global warming potentials many hundreds or thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide, meaning even small leaks of these refrigerants can generate outsized climate impact relative to their volume.

Adopting R-744, essentially refrigerant-grade carbon dioxide itself, as a working fluid addresses that leak-related emissions risk directly, since any refrigerant that does escape during operation, maintenance or equipment disposal carries dramatically lower warming impact than the synthetic alternatives it replaces. The industry recognition for this specific technology suggests natural refrigerants are gaining commercial traction within HVAC equipment design, a shift that has been building across the broader refrigeration and air conditioning sector as regulations increasingly restrict high-GWP synthetic refrigerants.

 

RELATED EVENT

Reuters Sustainability Europe 2026

London, 20–21 October 2026 · 400+ sustainability, finance and procurement leaders on regulatory uncertainty and Scope 3 data

 

What the CSRD Compliance and Limited Assurance Milestone Means

 

This being Systemair's first sustainability statement prepared specifically under the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and subject to limited assurance from external auditors, represents a meaningful shift in reporting rigour compared with prior voluntary sustainability disclosures. Limited assurance is a lighter form of independent verification than full audit-level assurance, but it still requires external auditors to review the reported data and methodology and confirm nothing appears materially inconsistent, giving these figures a degree of external scrutiny beyond the company's own self-reporting.

That distinction matters for interpreting the report's other metrics, including the increase in taxonomy-aligned turnover to 28 percent from 27 percent the previous year, and the expansion of ISO 14001 certification to 67 percent of manufacturing facilities against a target of full certification by 2030/31. Both figures now carry the credibility of falling under a formal reporting and assurance framework rather than voluntary disclosure, which becomes increasingly relevant as more companies face mandatory CSRD reporting requirements across the EU.

 

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Moving Sustainable Procurement Beyond Cost to Strategic Value Creation

Online, 09 September 2026 · Balancing cost, managing supplier risk and building long-term value

 

What Sits Alongside the Environmental Metrics

 

The report also details workforce and social metrics, including a 50 percent reduction in injuries resulting in sickness absence over the past three years, and the launch of a mentorship programme for future female leaders aimed at increasing female representation in leadership positions, with the company describing strong engagement from both mentors and mentees in its first cohort. Systemair also reported a 33 percent increase in revenue from upgrades and retrofit solutions, framing this circular business activity as helping customers extend equipment lifetime and improve the energy efficiency of existing installations rather than requiring full replacement, extending the company's efficiency proposition beyond new product sales into its existing installed base.

Chief executive Robert Larsson tied the company's product development directly to the dual goal of improving indoor air quality while reducing building energy consumption, positioning energy-efficient ventilation as central to the company's commercial identity rather than a peripheral sustainability initiative. Whether Systemair sustains its emissions reduction trajectory as it scales toward full ISO 14001 certification and its science-based climate targets, and whether the CSRD assurance framework proves durable as reporting requirements continue tightening across the EU, will indicate how consistently this year's progress translates into the company's longer-term sustainability commitments.