What Is Inside a Ski and Who Is Behind It?

What is inside a ski and who is behind it?

1 2 © Marco Volken standard ski,thesameweight details were assumedandwere balancedwithconventional materials. For the ecologicalversion Earlybird Ski, asmall andexplicitlyecologicallyoriented company, hassuppliedthematerial data. For the Versions andtheircomponents sufficiently addressed. associated withenvironmental risks,which are not More thantwo boards. Theskiproduction iscostlyand Text: Tim Marklowski, Tanja Laube talks about this fact –until now. the production ofthese boards is associated with environmental risks. Hardly anyone ofSports Retailers about 200,000 ofskis are pairs soldin Switzerland every year. However, They are the Swiss people’s favourite winter toy: according to the Swiss Association what is inside –and who aski is behind it? Black industry: box ski © Earlybird Skis Ecological Standard ski ski classification of Hardwood Hardwood FSC possible) (no specific Core Laminates Glas fibres fibres Flax

recycled primary Edges Steel, Steel,

with thatofan«ecoski». LtdServices –thelife cycle assessmentofatraditional touring ski decisive environmental impactandcompared –withtheexpertsofESU- p. 7 and showed thewillto invest timeinto thetopic ofsustainability (seetable Only sixofthecompaniesinquired (28.6%) demonstrated transparency and offered deadline extensions, themajorityofcompanies remained silent. Swiss market.Theresults were sobering:even after repeated requests sustainability inskiproduction andsentitto 21skibrands relevant to the Teaming experts,we upwithindustry developed aquestionnaire on Inquired atSwiss’ favourite skibrands about sustainability inskiproduction? satisfied by vague statements. We wanted What to take acloserlook: At least seeminglysolooking attheirwebsites. However, we are not aware ofthisandtherefore pay more attention to sustainability aspects. and resources intensive anduseshazardous chemicals. Somebrands are at theEuropean Outdoor Group. After all,theskiproduction isenergy responsibility intheoutdoor andformer industry Head ofSustainability say expertssuch industry asPamela Ravasio, anexpertoncorporate topic, itdoesnotgetalotofinterest inregard to skis.«This hasto change» ready beentelling us:whilesustainability inclothingisapermanent data from Mountain Wilderness Switzerland confirmswhatourguthasal- A study publishedinApril2020theMarketing ReviewSt. Gallenwith / 8). Thismotivated usallthemore to research. We identifiedthe ethylene, ethylene, recycled primary Poly- Poly- Base

Petroleum biobased wax Petroleum (no data on available) Wax wax wax green electricity Electricity electricity, electricity CZ available) (no data on Green Czech mix CH

raw material, 157km transport Transport to CH,100km 800km CZ raw material, to Barcelona transport 1000km CH 800km CZ collection, 157km to CH Incineration, Recycling,

disposal

Waste

CH ES

3 transported to Barcelona and therecycling plantthere isoperated withconventional electricity. Recycling theecologicalversion doesnothave thedesired effect inthestudy astheskihasto be (49’599 EP).Themaindifference liesintheenvironmental impactdueto electricityconsumption. The ecologicaloptionhashalfasmuch total impact(26,337EP)astheconventional option the USto Europe ismore significant. different outcome. Consequently, the transport ofaskibyair from Chinaor pean transports bytrucks were balanced.Transport byairwould have a reason for thetransport impactbeinglow isdueto thefact thatintra-Euro and packaging ismarginal in comparison to and material the energy costs. One In ourlife cycle assessment,theenvironmental impactcausedbytransport sumption andtheuseofgreen electricityshouldbeamustinskiproduction. environmental impact(23,262EP).Therefore, con thereduction ofenergy instead ofastandard electricitymixleads to a47% reduction ofthetotal alternative (25,387EP).In particular, theuseofanecologicalelectricitymix is lessthanatenth (2,058eco-pointsEP)compared to theconventional same amountofelectricity, theenvironmental impactoftheecologicaloption used inthemanufacture oftheskis.Although bothalternatives consumethe greatest leverage interms ofenvironmental impactisthechoice ofelectricity What thelife cycle assessmentdemonstrates particularlyimpressively: the iscrucial mixinproduction The energy 4 Standard ski Balance (EP) 25 20 873 958 2

143 387 238

Ecological ski Energy Material Packaging Transport Waste disposal/Recycling 2 18 873 2 3

058 315

079 electricity mix instead of a standard electricity standard a of instead mix electricity 011 -

environmental impact. environmental

47 a to leads mix

oekoprofil mountainwilderness.ch/ (only available inGerman). «Ecoprofile Skis» access thedetailed study Scan thecodeto byair.person 1,000 EPequal4.5kmoftransport for one and compareFor itwithothers. example, mental impactofaproduct orprocess possible to calculate thetotal environ mental impactfactors. Thus, makingit compare orcalculate thevarious environ scarcity method(EP-Method) isusedto the destructionofhabitat. Theecological animals through radioactive radiation or soil, theendangermentofhumansand impact ofpollutants onair, water and natural environment –such asthe negative influenceonor change ofthe Environmental impactisdefinedasa Eco-Points (EP) grave»). production waste («from cradle to use, to thedisposalofproduct andits of raw materials, through production and impacts ofaproduct from theextraction assessing ofalltheenvironmental approach. Thisinvolves therecording and assessment isbasedonalife cycle tal impactofaproduct. Thelife cycle a methodofmeasuring theenvironmen The original life cycle assessment(LCA)is lifecycleassessments Product In particular, the use of an ecological an of use the particular, In

% reduction of the total the of reduction % - - - The problem areas of a ski Base (4), Sidewalls, and Edges(3) (Touring) skis are not simply two boards. Their structure is complex The gliding surface of a ski is generally made of extruded petroleum-based and the potential problems regarding sustainability are manifold. polethylene. The sidewalls are also made of plastic (ABS). The base is surroun- ded by a steel edge, which ensured the necessary edge grip. Core (1) Even today, the heart of high-quality skis is still a wood core. Often woods The problem: the ski components consist of non-renewable raw materials with fancy names such as Balsa, Caruba, or Paulownia are used. These which are extracted and processed in a resource-intensive way have ideal qualities for touring skis. They are light, flexible while at the same The solution: The components can also be made from recycled material, the 5 time providing high stability. side walls even from wood. The use of recycled materials is an advantage if they would otherwise have to be disposed of, or if recycling eliminates The problem: Exotic woods in particular run the risk of coming from particularly energy-intensive steps in the new production process. For the life unsustainable sources, or even from overexploitation. cycle assessment, we compared steel edges made of primary steel (conven- The solution: Timber should be completely traceable and come from tionally produced skis) with those with a 50% share of recycled steel (ecologi- certified sustainable forestry (i.e. FSC, PEFC, or Swiss timber). At least five cal alternative). The difference is clear: the use of recycled material reduces of the six producers who have replied to our query state that they use the environmental impact by 67% (700 EP). However, this has only a minor certified wood. impact on the difference in the total impact of the two ski options. The companies that replied to us at least use partially recycled materials. However, there Laminates (2) is still a lot of room for improvement. The layers surrounding the wood core are composed of (mostly) synthetic fibres and resin. Usually glass or carbon fibres are used, less often natural Wax (5) fibres in combination with epoxy resins. The gliding surfaces of the skis are treated with wax to increase the gli- 4 ding ability. Especially in racing, but also in mass sports, so-called fluoride The problem: so far these components cannot be reasonably recycled. In waxes are used, which contain per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC). addition, the carbon or glass fibre dust produced during the grinding process The International Ski Federation FIS has officially banned fluoride waxes poses a health hazard and require special labour protection measures. The from the 21/22 season onwards. However, the waxes may still be sold and same applies to epoxy resins. These are usually labelled with the symbols used outside the FIS. «Warning» and «Dangerous for the environment» in the globally uniform system for the classification of chemicals. Skin contact must be avoided and The problem: PFC, which by the way are also used in weather protection the respiratory tract must be protected from the vapours and dust. Without clothing, decompose extremely slowly in the environment and are suspected 3 3 appropriate safety measures, there is a risk of health damages such as allergic of being carcinogenic and endangering reproduction. reactions, respiratory or skin diseases and even cancer. The solution: There is a wide range of products which do not require PFC and 2 The solution: Particularly in the case of products from countries with weak still provide the best gliding properties. Our survey shows that such waxes legal requirements (e.g. the Far East), extra care should be taken to ensure are already being used successfully. that labour and environmental protection standards in the factories are in no way inferior to those in Switzerland or the EU. Ski manufacturers should be able to provide credible proof of this. Flax is also a natural product which serves as alternative to synthetic fibres. The life cycle assessment shows that the environmental impact of flax is 44% (1,820 EP) lower than that of glass fibres. In lieu of conventional epoxy, biogenic epoxy resin can be used. It is The use of recycled material 1 based on vegetable oil instead of crude oil. Although biogenic epoxy resin has for the edges reduces the lower CO2 emissions as well as a lower toxicity, the majority of ski manu- environmental impact by 67 %. facturers uses conventional epoxy.

Would the environment be significantly prevented from damage if ski production were to rely mainly on biogenic materials? Not necessarily. «As a rule, biogenic materials lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However, the cultivation of the necessary biomass causes environmental pollution due to pesticides, fertilisers, land and water use, which, when vie- Was steckt im Ski und wer dahinter ? wed as a whole, partly offset the benefits,» explains Nils Jungbluth, CEO Hier geht es zur deutschen Version unserer at ESU-Services Ltd. It is therefore important that biogenic materials come Recherche : from organic agriculture. mountainwilderness.ch/ski-recherche

5 6 Dynafit Earlybird Faction Kästle Rossignol, Dy- Armada Atomic Black Black Blizzard DPS Fischer Hagan K2 Line Movement Nordica Salomon Scott Völkl Skis nastar Crows Diamond

Head office Italy Switzerland Switzerland Austria France USA Autria France USA Austria USA Austria Austria USA USA Switzer- Italy France Switzerland Germany land

Country of Austria Czech Europe Austria, Czech France, Spain Austria, Bulgaria Austria, Bulgaria Austria, Austria Austria, USA Austria, Austria China China Tunesia Austria, Austria Bulgaria Austria Ukraine Germany, production Republic Republic Slovenia, Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine China Bulgaria

Own No (Fischer) No No Yes Yes No (Atomic) Yes No No (Blizzard) Yes Yes Yes No (Fi- Yes No (K2) Yes No (Bliz- No (Atomic) No (Fischer) Germany yes, (production) (no info) mainly scher) zard) China no (K2) factories 1 Atomic)

Parent Oberalp Circular No Group ConsilSport, Group Rossignol, Amer Sports Group, Amer Sports Group, None Clarus Tecnica None None None Kohlberg K2 Airesis (in- Tecnica Amer Sports Group, Youngone Tra- Kohlberg & company Group, Italy Economy Czech Republic France (Finland) < Anta (Finland) < Anta Corporation, Group, & Compa- vestment Group, (Finnland) < Anta ding, Südkorea Company, USA Company AG, Sports (China) Sports (China) USA Italy ny, USA holding), Italy Sports (China) (Mehrheitseig- Switzerland < Mascot JVCo < Mascot JVCo Switzer- < Mascot JVCo ner), Beat Zaugg, Limited (Cayman Limited (Cayman land Limited (Cayman Switzerland Islands) Islands) Islands)

Associate Salewa, Wild None None Sporten, Level Rossignol, Salomon, Arc’teryx, Salomon, Arc’teryx, None Pieps, Sierra Nordica, None Löffler None Line, K2, Marker Le Coq Blizzard, Atomic, Arc’teryx, Lizard, Bach, Do- Line, K2, and companies/ Country, Dynastar Ap- Peak Performance, Peak Performance, Bullets, SKI- Tecnica, Marker Dalbello Sportif Tecnica, Peak Performance, lomite, Outdoor others without brands Dynafit, Pom- parel, Lange, Suunto, Wilson, Suunto, Wilson, Pre- Nourishment Lowa, Dalbello Völkl, and Lowa, Suunto, Wilson, Research, bold relevance to oca, Evolv Look, Kerma, Precor, Atomic,, cor, Armada, nve, Moonboot, Völkl and others Moonboot, Precor, Armada, cycles, Avanti, skiing Risport, Enve, Louisville Louisville Slugger, Rollerblade others without Rollerblade Enve, Louisville Malvern Star, Raidlight, Slugger, Demarini, Demarini, Sports without relevance Slugger, Demarini, Syncros. Vertical, Felt, Sports Tracke Tracker, Enve, relevance to skiing Sports Tracker Dale of Norway Louisville Slugger, to skiing Demarini, Sports Tracker

Information Yes Yes No No Yes No No No Yes No No No No No No No No Yes No Yes on sustainability 2

Wood cores Asia (not FSC/ Swiss FSC (Europe) FSC (70% Germa- Spanien, China certified) Lignum ny 30% outside (FSC, PEFC) (Switzerland, Europe) Ecuador)

Resin Conventional Biogeneti- Conventional Conventional Conventional brands/companies who have Epoxy cally based Epoxy Epoxy Epoxy completed the survey SuperSap 305, entropy- brands/companies who have resins.com NOT completed the survey

Fibres Glas, Carbon Flax (Euro- Glas fibres Carbon, Glas, Glas, Carbon, pe), Carbon- Hanf, Bast, Flachs hemp, bast, flax Stringer

Sidewalls Standard Robinia wood Standard Standard Plastic Standard Plastic Plastic (ABS) (FSC) Plastic (ABS) (ABS) (ABS)

Steel edges Ck60 steel CDW Wälz- Standard, C60 Steel (30% re- Steel with a Innsbruck holz Austria, Reycling cyceld, production varying recylcing Company inquiry shows: 50% recycled degree unk- site ISO 14001, ISO percentage nown 50001) We have to demand more Base Polyethylene CPS 2100, Polyethylene Polyethylene Polyethylen e (UHMWPE) 100% recy- (HDPE) (UHMWPE) 10% transparency and sustainability 10% recycled) cled recycled) Wax Transparen- NZero, 100% No info Holmenkol, Paraffin wax from ski manufacturers tes Universal biobased Nordic SWAN Eco Wachs certified

Transport Trucks, air- Trucks Trucks, ships train, trucks, ships Trucks, ships Teaming up with industry experts, we developed a questionnaire on planes sustainability in ski production and sent it to 21 ski brands relevant to the Swiss Packaging Plastic foil Cardboard cardboard Cardboard for Cardboard 1 Brands without own factories sometimes (FSC) smaller quantities, change their production partners every year. market. The results were sobering: only 6 out of the 21 companies have metal stand for larger quantities Therefore data is short-lived and should be responded. The rest remained silent even after repeated requests and offered treated with caution Ski No Yes No No No deadline extensions. recycleable 2 Detailled information on sustainability in ski Electricity No info 100 % green No info Austria: natural main facility: production and/or corprate social responsibility mix during electricity gas, Czech Repub- 100% green are available on the company's website. production lic: no info electricity; branch facility: conventional 7 8 Ski-Recherche

What we demand

Based on the findings of our research, we demand the following from the ski industry: © Flotography 1 Transparency: We want to know which corporations and investors are behind the brands, and who profits from our purchase – and not just after investing hours for research. © Earlybird Skis © Earlybird Reveal who owns you.

The heart of a ski is the wood core made «Recyclability» an environmental benefit only in the future 2 Production with clean energy: in times of «Fridays for of certified, sustainable forestry. According to the Federal Office for the Environment, every Swiss person Future», production with fossile fuels is no longer appropria- produces 60 tons of municipal waste in a lifetime. Of this, 19% is composite waste, which includes skis. In our study, in the conventional way, skis are te and destroys exactly what we are looking for. Powder! incinerated at the end of their life in a Swiss waste incineration plant (MSWI). In the ecological option, they are taken to Barcelona for recycling, where 3 Wood from controlled sustainable forestry: currently the only plant in Europe stands equipped for this purpose. The Who proves that our Caruba wood core was not sourced transport and the process, which uses conventional electricity, mean that recycling results in a higher environmental impact than incineration in the through overexploitation? MSWI. This is an area where the whole industry would have to work together to establish a meaningful recycling system. Hanno Schwab reveals why 4 Alternative materials: Wherever possible and reasonable, recycling is the future in an interview on page 11. renewable raw materials or recycling materials should be The ski industry network: From Austria to the Cayman Islands used. The sustainability thereof must be proven by life cycle The intransparency of the ski industry begins long before the actual produc- assessments. tion. It is also often surprising to see who is behind a brand (see table p. 7/8). Swiss people’s favourite winter toy: In Switzerland, 200,000 pairs of skis are sold every year. It is probably news to most ski enthusiasts that the brands Armada, Salomon 5 Investments in recycling: it is unacceptable that high- and Atomic belong to the same corporation, namely the Amer Group. The Amer Group in turn is largely owned by the Chinese investor consortium quality products such as skis end up in bulk waste. Ski Mascot Bidco Oy, with branches in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands. A companies should invest in a network of collection points feeling of unease strikes with Black Diamond. The hip manufacturer of touring and recycling facilities. skis and climbing equipment belongs to the same group (Clarus Corporation) as the ammunition manufacturer Sierra Bullets. Among other things, it Driving 100 kilometres for a ski tour produces ammunition for small arms, explicitly for the defence of the own 6 Sustainability standards: if production takes place

causes about the same amount of EP © sierrabullets.com family. In the US, this fact has already led to calls for boycotts from members in low-income countries, we expect the same labour and as the production of an ecological ski! of the mountaineering community, in Switzerland, however, hardly anyone environmental protection standards as in Switzerland, knows about this. This begs the questions, when we buy Black Diamond skis, does part of our money go into the weapons industry? even if these are not legally required at the production site.

Anyone can do this 7 Sustainability reports: We expect an easy-to-find It is in our power to influence the industry and to minimise our own foot sustainability report on all relevant areas of ski production print. By asking critical questions and doing our research before the purchase (energy mix, materials, origin of wood, social standards, («Recommendations for sustainable mountaineering equipment» on p. 12), Belongs to the same corporation as Black Diamond: we can make an important contribution to this. Furthermore, not only our etc) Efforts and progress should be concretely documented Sierra Bullets, American manufacturer of ammunition for firearms. purchasing behaviour counts but also our mountaineering habits once you and backed up with figures. leave your own front door: driving 100 kilometres in a car for a ski tour causes about the same amount of EP as the production of an ecological ski!

9 10 change in mobility habits is besides nufacturers, there is a lack of stan- Reuse instead of incineration? the ecological products. There is no dards and overview. In general, one point in buying «sustainable» pro- can state that at least in Switzerland When ski recycling makes sense ducts if the journey to the ski tour is and the EU producers are bound to always by car. This kind of behaviour comply with applicable emission and The vast majority of skis are not recycled as their material composition is difficult to immediately ruins everything. This is labour protection laws. The situation «Someone just has to take the first separate. The German Ski Association estimates that 350,000 pairs of skis are being disposed where the work of Mountain Wilder- is different for Asian countries or the step and prove that it works.» ness and other organisations are Ukraine, for example, where several of in Germany every year. The fact that these are not recycled means is an immense loss of crucial. large factories are located. Cost-ef- resources. In this interview, Hanno Schwab, founder and production manager of Earlybird Skis, ficient production is not only possible explains how this might be different in the future. What is your take on the low trans- with low wages but with low environ- parency in the ski industry? What mental standards, too. Interview: Tim Marklowski measures must be taken that the In contrast to the textile industry, in topic of sustainability becomes as the hardware industry there are no well established in the ski sector as it eco labels or standards yet. In my opi- Tim Marklowski: Hanno, every year Currently this is the case. However, already is in the clothing industry? nion such standards are vital to give thousands and thousands of pairs of at this stage, it is a matter of a so- consumers clear decision-making skis end up in bulk waste and with it called «proof of concept» which One reason for the low response support. They have to be sensitised to expensively obtained resources which shows the industry that ski recycling rate to your questionnaire was that topic. Once the trade gets the © Fabian Hugo © Fabian have been processed under great ef- is in fact possible. The average life- certainly that the producers just pressure from customers, there will fort into the making of the much lo- span of a touring ski is approximately do not have any data yet regarding be changes, too. ved sports gear. How is this possible? six years. The goal is that in the the sustainability of their products. foreseeable future more manufactur- Many brands produce at several Hanno Schwab: Up until now the ers will rely on recycling technology, locations by various external ma- problem is that the glued individual and thus creating a network of components of a ski are very difficult recycling plants, which in addition to separate. Difficult, but certainly operate on CO2 neutral green electri- not impossible. city. The skis (as well as snowboards and other composite materials) will You claim that your skis are recycla- then be transferred to the closest ble, and thus that Earlybird Skis as a regional plant – this process would #2 Used instead of new #4 Sharing is caring company is part of the circular eco- be ecologically worthwhile. The Recommen- Think twice whether you really need A lot of equipment is often not nomy. Can you elaborate on that? sports sector is also often a pioneer a new item. Our Alpine flea market, being used. Besides rental offers for new technologies. If other indust- dations on the second hand outdoor shop 2nd in sports stores, there are many Beginning this season, we use a new ries, such as shipyards or car manu- Peak as well as the usual online mar- online platforms where you can epoxy resin system, which can be facturers follow suit, the impact will sustainable ket places usually offer great borrow equipment or make it dissolved at the end of a ski’s lifespan. be immense as we are talking about secondhand gear. available to others. Hanno Schwab is the founder, co-owner and CEO of Consequently, a ski can be separated completely different quantities here. mountai- alpin-flohmi.ch sharely.ch Earlybird Skis. He completed his degree as a graduate again into its individual components Someone just has to take the first 2ndpeak.ch leihbar.ch engineer FH architecture/construction engineering in and everything can be recycled step and prove that it works. gipfelbuch.ch pumpipumpe.ch Chur. In 2014, he founded Earlybird Skis as small side neering project, meanwhile it is his main occupation. The serial separately. sportboerse.ch 2ndpeak.ch production of their skis is done at two small family- What is the most important finding equipment owned manufactures in the Czech Republic and Italy. Our life cycle assessment showed from our life cycle assessment to The materials for the productionof the skis are selected according to the principals of Circular Economy: that the disposals of skis in a Swiss you? Where should the industry join sustainability, durability, recyclability. waste incineration plant pollutes in as one, and which conclusions have #1 Long usage #3 Pay attention to materials #5 Close the loop For these reasons Earlybird Ski is a the environment less than recycling you drawn for Earlybird Skis? With the right care and, if needed, and labels At the end of its life cycle, a pro- mountain sports partner of Mountain Wilderness. does. This is the case because skis a repair, the lifespan of a product can In some cases, the production of duct should be properly recycled or Members benefit from a 15 % discount! have to be transferred to a suitable The use of sustainable materials, new be extended. Large mountaineering mountaineering equipment makes disposed of. Many materials can facility in Barcelona, plus the re- technologies and renewable energies equipment stores and local craftsmen use of scarce resources and/or qu- be reused, converted into other cycling facility runs on conventional during the production process should (tailors, shoemakers) offer profes- estionable chemicals such as PFC. products, or split into raw materials electricity. Does this mean that ski become the new standard in the sional repairs. Professionals at Repair Read up on this matter and check which returns them into the eco- recycling does not make any sense industry. The technologies have been Cafés can also assist with repairs. for labels like Bluesign or FSC nomic life cycle. Big mountaineering at all? developed and work. As to Earlybird repair-cafe.ch (wood cores) before purchasing. equipment stores accept used goods Skis, the most important finding was 2ndpeak.ch and will dispose of them properly. that we have to make our customers even more aware of how important a

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