An anniversary for the future

In 2021, several of the foundations celebrated their anniversaries. So did the VKR Group, and although their dates of birth differ slightly, a common thread runs through each. The company, the foundations and the family.

It goes all the way back to the idea and wish of the company’s founder, Villum Kann Rasmussen. The idea of fresh air and light – and the desire to contribute to a brighter future. VELUX. VE for ventilation – LUX for light.

These basic conditions for life are also the founding principles of the group, with 19,500 employees and an annual turnover of over DKK 21.5 billion. Each employee has played a part in enabling the foundations to distribute almost DKK 13.5 billion over the years. For enlightenment, in the original sense. To make the world wiser, healthier and brighter.

The common thread running through it all is the relationship between nature and humans and the balance between them. This balance has drastically shifted in our time, with disastrous consequences for the world as a whole. And there’s no turning back. We need to think and act in new ways.

A specific target is a 70% reduction of Denmark’s carbon emissions by 2030. We must reach this target. But it can’t be done with carbon equivalents alone. We need a fundamental transformation, rooted in both passion and science.

We need to understand ourselves and the world from a new perspective that encompasses culture, nature and science. We need much more ingenuity, courage and experimentation. In short, we urgently need change. We must use our knowledge in far smarter ways than we do now.

Therefore, in 2021, the foundations distributed almost DKK 2 billion for research, dissemination and change. For the future.

The funds were distributed between the six foundations: