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Love for
sustainability

Spreading love is at the heart of everything we do—love for people, our planet, life in all its forms, and of course, for sustainable business practices.

  1. We're constantly developing new, smart solutions to reduce our energy use, water consumption, and waste production.
  2. We provide our diverse team of ice makers with every opportunity and a family-like working environment to help them reach their full potential.
  3. We donate part of our profits to charity.

Timeline

  • 2019
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2023
  • 2025
  • 2050

528 Milestones

  • 2019
    We moved to our current location, an innovative industrial building concept that won several sustainability awards.
  • 2019
    We introduced a 100% closed water system, ensuring not a single drop of water is wasted.
  • 2020
    We installed 700 solar panels, which provide over 10% of our total energy needs.
  • 2023
    Our waste ice is given a second life—it’s now used for cooling during production processes.
  • 2025
    We introduce new packaging with 50% less plastic and cardboard.
  • 2050

    Net Zero Mission: by 2050 at the latest, we aim to reduce our CO2 emissions to zero.

Closed Water System

Not a drop of
water wasted

Our ice production runs on a fully closed water system. A water recovery system captures all residual water and, after intense purification and treatment, reuses it into the next cycle. This way, not a drop of water is wasted.

Solar Panels

Green, solar-powered
ice production

Our facility’s roof is covered with 700 solar panels (with 200 more coming in 2025), providing over 10% of our energy needs. The remaining 90% comes from renewable green energy sources.

Minimising waste

Energy, water,
and waste reduction 

Nothing is wasted. We’re relentlessly looking for new ways to reduce our energy use and waste. Some examples: 

  • Waste ice is collected to pre-cool the ice production pipes.
  • Heat from our cooling equipment is used to warm our offices and production areas.
  • We fully recycle all plastic waste from our packaging.
Sustainable Construction

Innovative
industrial building

For our new facility, we chose an innovative and sustainable construction concept. What makes it innovative? It’s built using recyclable concrete elements. The walls and roof are double insulated, both in the outer shell and the interior, which keeps the heat out in summer and the cold out in winter, reducing energy consumption. Our production facilities are three stories high. This vertical design makes it easier to insulate, further reducing energy use.

Our innovative industrial construction concept

Vision 2050

2050 Net Zero 

Our goal? By 2050, we aim to reduce our carbon emissions and environmental impact to zero. To achieve this, we are currently taking the following actions:

  • We are developing a new recipe for plastic packaging, which will contain 50% less plastic without compromising strength or functionality. Timing: early 2025.
  • We are also working on a new composition for cardboard packaging boxes, with 50% less cardboard (recycled and FSC-certified). Timing: second half of 2025.
  • We’re reducing the number of packaging box sizes and printing on only one side, cutting down ink usage, waste, and CO2 emissions from transport. Timing: 2025.

Love stories

Supporting
charities

Spreading love is at the core of 528’s mission; it’s even part of our name. This is demonstrated in many ways, including our commitment to donating a part of our profits to charitable organisations like orphanages and hospitals.

Read the brand story

Other sustainability initiatives

  • Production Process
  • People
  • Our offices

  • Certification

    528 holds both BRCGS (BRC Global Standard for Food Safety) and IFS (International Featured Standards) certifications, ensuring we meet the highest safety and quality standards for ice production and packaging. Our transport partners also comply with strict IFS standards.

    Sustainable cooling equipment 

    We produce our premium ice products using Hoshizaki ice machines, the highest quality and most sustainable equipment on the market.

    Intensive maintenance program

    We maintain our cooling systems daily. Outdoor condensers can collect dust, which causes them to operate less efficiently and consume more energy to cool the ice. By cleaning them frequently, we keep them running at peak efficiency and minimise energy consumption.

    CO2 cooling

    We cool our ice products using CO2 cooling, a natural, energy-efficient, and sustainable alternative to synthetic refrigerants. For example, a traditional refrigerant like freon has a GWP (Global Warming Potential) of 1810, whereas CO2 has a GWP of just 1. This means 1 kg of freon has the same warming effect over 100 years as 1810 kg of CO2.

    Data-driven efficiency gains

    Our production equipment is equipped with smart sensors and IoT technology, giving us real-time data on energy use, material consumption, waste, and more. We monitor this data to gain insights and make structural improvements to our production process. For example, if one team generates significantly more waste than others, we address it by providing additional training, thereby reducing waste production.

    Less-is-better approach in R&D 

    Our R&D team is trained to minimise the amount of packaging material when developing packaging for clients.

    Waste recycling

    We sort waste into different streams (e.g., cardboard, printed plastic, unprinted plastic) and work with a recycling partner to process it.

  • Diverse, inclusive team 

    We welcome everyone, regardless of background, language, sexual orientation, or gender. The proof: our 528 team includes ten different nationalities from around the world. We also make efforts to adapt communication during meetings to suit the language preferences of our team members.

    Providing opportunities with a personalised training program

    We hire many untrained people who may have difficulty finding work elsewhere. This is possible thanks to our extensive and personalised training program, tailored to the profile and needs of each employee. A lack of formal qualifications is not a barrier here. If someone shows ambition and the right mindset, we provide them with opportunities and resources, such as external training, to grow into management roles.

  • LED lighting 

    We use only LED lighting throughout the building. Our home automation system is connected to motion sensors, turning lights off automatically when no one is in the room.

    Fleet electrification

    All newly purchased company vehicles are electric. Our car park is equipped with seven charging stations where employees and visitors can charge their cars.