OUR COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE
At Stöckli, we imagine a future where passion for skiing and love for the environment go hand in hand. So, we are more committed than ever to the future of our planet and continuously invest in sustainability to enable future generations to ski too.
OUR CONTRIBUTION TO MANUFACTURING
Energy is required to manufacture skis, whether for processing the raw materials or for the various ski manufacturing processes, such as ski pressing. At Stöckli, we are aware of our responsibility and continue to implement measures to reduce our energy consumption and carbon footprint.
Our heat accumulator stores the heat generated during the ski pressing process. This is then reused for the other pressing processes, which accelerates the pressing process and saves 30% of the energy in manufacturing. You can find out more about our heat accumulator in the interview with our Chief Manufacture Officer.
We use only renewable energy for manufacturing at our production facilities.
We source over 90% of our materials from the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region. This means we focus on short transport routes and a local value chain.
The roof of our manufacturing site will convert solar power into clean and environmentally friendly energy from November 2023. This energy will cover part of our own energy needs.
Material waste from ski production is extracted directly at the machine in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. It is then carefully sorted and fed into a recycling process. Aluminum and plastic are recycled by a partner, while another company can use the wood chips for heating processes.
Our ski presses heat with water instead of the traditional method that uses steam. This means the ski presses consume around 30% less energy.
OUR HEAT ACCUMULATOR – FOR SUSTAINABLE SKI PRODUCTION
We developed an efficient heat accumulator last year. This was an important step in our sustainable production strategy. You can find out how such projects come about and how we take ski production to a new level with such innovations in the interview with our Chief Manufacture Officer, Christoph Fuchs.
Christoph, what exactly is a heat accumulator and how did the idea come about?
Christoph Fuchs: as the name suggests, a heat accumulator is a large accumulator that stores heat. Assembling the ski layers requires an energy-intensive pressing process, so the investment in this heat accumulator was a decisive step. This is because it enables us to reuse the existing heat, which is efficient, improves our energy balance and saves valuable resources.
Implementing something like this is not easy. How long was the process from the conception to the commissioning?
It took us two years from the conception to the commissioning of our energy-efficient heat accumulator. Considering the complexity of such a project, that is very good. We first had to check the technical feasibility and then start the planning before finally proceeding with tests and then implementing and installing the accumulator. We did all this alongside the production, which was obviously running at full speed.
The heat accumulator has already been in operation for a while. Can you already see an added value?
Yes, you can clearly see the benefits as the shorter heating time means the pressing time is notably shorter. We are very happy with this innovation because the heat accumulator reduces our carbon footprint and makes the production process more efficient and more environmentally friendly at the same time.
OUR CONTRIBUTION TO OUR PRODUCTS
We are striving not only to improve our products, but also to make them more environmentally friendly. As such, our research and development continues to focus on solutions that significantly reduce our carbon footprint.
Wood core is one of the most important components of a ski. We source the wood for our wood core from Europe whenever possible and we continue to optimize various suppliers and possibilities. For example, for certain skis we use European wood from the empress tree, which is one of the fastest growing trees in the world. This tree not only has an impressive growth rate, but also actively contributes to reducing CO2 with its large leaves.
We use recycled polyethylene for the blade of our freeride skis.
Our entire textile collection is designed in Switzerland and produced in Europe. We carefully select our production facilities and continuously monitor compliance with strict social standards. We continue to work on improving these requirements and strengthening our corporate responsibility.
Selected materials for our Stöckli textiles are BlueSign certified. This certification recognizes that we use resources responsibly and also offers the highest level of consumer protection.
We consciously choose not to use fur, real leather and real down in our textile collection and consistently focus on using certified merino wool.
Our Swiss-made sweaters are created in close cooperation with a Swiss producer. This producer uses local hydroelectric power in its factory to produce our Swiss-made sweaters and, therefore, knit the sweaters in a carbon-neutral way. A particularly efficient 3D-knitting process ensures that every jumper comes out of the machine complete and without waste, meaning less waste is produced.
OUR CONTRIBUTION AT COMPANY LEVEL
Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond our manufacturing and our products. We are striving to anchor sustainable thinking and behavior throughout our corporate culture, while consistently and continuously implementing and improving it.
We have worked in close cooperation with external experts to carefully analyze our carbon footprint. We have used the findings from the analysis to continuously develop and implement measures in order to gradually reduce our ecological footprint.
We interact responsibly with all our stakeholders (including those without a voice such as the environment/nature).
We also pursue sustainable thinking and behavior in our own sales and, therefore, in our retail business, and we are continuously reducing our ecological footprint. For example, we consistently choose not to use wax containing fluorine or from dispensing plastic bags.