Salomon Announces New Sustainability Initiatives for Winter Sports Category

January 27, 2021

Clean sourcing, durability, recycling capabilities and collaborations will shape the brand’s future winter sports design

OGDEN, Utah (Jan. 27, 2021) — Salomon, the global leader in winter sports equipment, today announces the implementation of new, more sustainable design ambitions across its entire winter sports category. This more responsible approach to creating winter sports equipment—including hardgoods such as skis, ski boots, goggles and helmets—is another step toward realizing the brand’s overall commitments to lessening its environmental impact. Most notably, by 2030, Salomon has pledged to reduce its overall carbon emissions by 30-percent and is committed to creating 100-percent of its products with circular economy principles.

Recognizing that the future of alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and snowboarding are directly impacted by climate change, sustainability will be a major aspect of Salomon’s performance parameters in the brand’s future winter sports products. Salomon Winter Sports has set forth a plan to operate more sustainably by:

• Launching a range of progressive and highly sustainable winter sports products
• Defining a list of sustainability “basics” that all winter sports products must meet by 2025, in line with Salomon’s global sustainability strategy
• Close collaboration with partners, distribution channels and the winter sports community to collectively work towards Salomon’s sustainability goals

Salomon Winter Sports has already instituted a number of sustainability measures across its business, including reducing packaging, improving product durability and repairability, removing chemicals and materials of concern and integrating the use of more sustainable materials.

“As the global leader in the winter sports category, we have a responsibility to set an example of how our winter sports business can operate in an increasingly sustainable manner,” says Xavier LeGuen, vice president of winter sports for Salomon. “The health of the sports we love is dependent on the planet. It’s time for us to do our part and help guide the way by sharing our sustainability pillars inside our winter sports business. In the future, we are hopeful that the entire winter sports industry will work together to advance efforts in this area and make a positive impact on the climate threat we are all facing.”

The highly technical nature of winter sports equipment leaves little room for design variability, where space is often made to implement sustainable elements in products. The nature of products like skis—which are comprised of metals, glass/carbon fibers and wood—makes sustainable manufacturing a formidable task for R&D professionals. Despite this challenge, Salomon’s Winter Sports department is pledging to chart a new, more sustainable course in the years ahead, guided by the goals set forth in the company’s overall sustainability commitments unveiled in 2019.

NEW S/MAX eSKIN NORDIC SKI USES RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES IN CORE CONSTRUCTION

This month, Salomon introduces the new S/MAX eSkin Nordic ski, the company’s first ski designed with recycled plastic bottles. The new core is called S-CORE 45—the S standing for “sustainable” and “45” representing the percentage of the core weight that is made from the recycled Polyurethane (PET) foam from plastic bottles. The recycled PET is inserted into a Densolite mold, giving the S-Core 45 the perfect blend of lightness and durability.

The new S/MAX eSkin has the performance to push the pace. It features the same thickness profile and sidecut as Salomon’s World Cup racing ski, the S/LAB Carbon Classic, in order to maximize kick, glide and acceleration. The S/MAX eSkin ski will be widely available in the fall of 2021.

“The S/MAX eSKIN ski is the result of three years of research and development focused on reducing the impact of the raw materials, maintaining Salomon’s high durability standards and delivering the performance skiers expect—all at a competitive price,” says Aloïs Vacelet, Salomon’s product line manager for Salomon Nordic skis. “Through these developments, we are committed to making the sport more accessible.”

SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES ALREADY TAKING PLACE WITHIN SALOMON WINTER SPORTS

In addition to creating flagship products with a sustainable theme, the various categories within Salomon’s Winter Sports business have been working to incorporate sustainability “basics” that make a global impact in the following areas:

• PACKAGING: All cardboard packaging for Alpine and Nordic ski boots, snowboard boots, bindings, helmets and goggles is 100-percent FSC-certified; all single-use plastics in snowboard boot packaging have been eliminated; plastic bags around ski poles have been replaced with a small plastic clip, saving more than 5.4 tons of plastic per year (12.6 tons of CO2); the plastic window on goggle packaging has been replaced with a full FSC-certified cardboard box, eliminating the need for glue; the use of 1 million single-use polybags has been avoided since they were removed from snowboard binding packaging

• DURABILITY AND REPAIRABILITY: 100-percent of snowboard bindings are repairable, and baseplates now have a lifetime warranty, emphasizing re-usage over consumption
• REMOVAL OF CHEMICALS AND MATERIALS OF CONCERN: 100-percent of all Salomon snowboard boots are PFC/PVC-free; snowboards now use cork rails instead of rubber rails for a more eco-friendly ride on high selling boards; the entire Nordic ski boot range will be PFC/PVC-free by Fall/Winter 2023; the alpine ski boot range will be PFC/PVC-free by Fall/Winter 2025
• INTEGRATING THE USE OF MORE SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS: All skins for backcountry skiing, Nordic skiing and snowboarding split boards now use Mohair sourced from sustainable and cruelty-free production; snowboard cores are using more bio-sourced materials in their construction; in all black colored alpine ski bindings, 10-percent of the product is made from recycled materials

“Our athletes are extremely passionate about environmental protection and conservation. The climate crisis is a real threat to their lifestyles and livelihood, so they have been critical in helping us drive our accountability and commitment to sustainability,” says Joe Johnson, alpine & Nordic marketing manager for Salomon North America. “Longtime Salomon ski ambassadors like Cody Townsend, Mike Douglas, Chris Rubens, Leah Evans, among others share a dream of working with a brand that not only has the best performing skis, but is also a brand that is leading with purpose to ensure the longevity of skiing.”

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About Salomon: Born in the French Alps in 1947, Salomon is committed to pushing the boundaries of mountain sports through the creation of innovative equipment that allows people to play, progress and challenge themselves in their chosen outdoor sports. The company produces and sells premium footwear, winter sports and mountaineering equipment, hiking equipment, and apparel specifically designed for all of those disciplines. Products are developed in the company’s Annecy Design Center, where engineers, designers and athletes collaborate to create innovative solutions that continually improve the outdoor experiences of those who see nature as a vast playground.