Mountain sports equipment manufacturer Salewa is extending its commitment to sustainability by doing away with plastic packaging. From July 2019, the company has been shipping 60% of products purchased via its ecommerce site in a speciallymade Salewa Grassbox.
The new ColomPac® boxes have a special paper outer layer made of 40% grass from regional sources. The grass is harvested from compensation areas to ensure that animal feed supplies are not affected. Dinkhauser Kartonagen GmbH manufactures the eco-friendly paper in Tirol using 99% less water than is required to produce corrugated paper.
Plus, this makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50%. The short supply path of being just 90 kilometres from the Salewa headquarters and carbon neutral production further underpins the sustainable packaging concept and its significantly reduced environmental impact.
Inside the box, Salewa uses FSC-certified cardboard with high recycling content from sustainably managed forests in Europe. To return goods, the Grassbox comes with a self-sealing returns seal so that it is easy to send items back.
The entire packaging is 100% recyclable and the manufacturing technique produces a genuine natural material that is pleasant to touch. Salewa prints the boxes to ensure appropriate presentation of its products and to inform consumers of the advantages for people and the environment as well as the benefits of doing away with plastic packaging.
Salewa’s General Manager Stefan Rainer said, “We have to think long term. As a mountain sports company, we want to introduce every possible measure to support social responsibility and reduce our environmental footprint. We are confident about the Grassbox and are proud to be able to send Salewa products to our customers in natural, sustainable packaging.”
Environmental protection is an integral part of the overall sustainability strategy of its parent company, the Oberalp Group. The Salewa Grassbox is just one example of a number of projects that the Oberalp Group is introducing with its brands Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca and Wild Country. The family-owned group’s sustainability strategy is extensive, ambitious and at the heart of operations as seen in its Sustainability Report 2018.
Summary of its main achievements
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) Leader status since 2017.
Over 97% of Salewa apparel production is independently audited.
76% of Salewa apparel is made with PFC-free fabrics.
Salewa is committed to minimising waste and making the most of resources.
Over 20% of its apparel collection is made with recycled material, such as wool or polyester. In addition, it reuses leftover fabric to make new products.
60% of all Salewa insulation products are made with Tirol Wool from welfare-friendly, regional suppliers.
Salewa actively practises social responsibility via charity projects in Germany, Italy, Kenya and Nepal.
The Salewa Garden at the company headquarters in Bolzano is a model for the successful integration of refugees.
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