SILVA SUSTAINABILITY
DESIGN
DESIGN
Silva's sustainability efforts begin in the design department. We design products that enable people to discover and enjoy nature even more. Our fundamental philosophy is that our products should be of high quality and last a long time, but that is no longer enough as the only argument for sustainability. In today's consumer society, one of the main problems is that consumers often purchase many products that are rarely or never used.
WHY THE DESIGN PHASE IS IMPORTANT
80% of our products' environmental impact over their lifecycle is determined during the design phase*. Therefore, we must change our way of working to create even more sustainable products with a circular design approach – products that are meant to be repaired, easily can be resold, and ultimately recycled when they have served their purpose.
*Source: EU Eco Design Directive
OUR GOAL 2030
We have set a goal that by 2030, all our products should be reusable or recyclable.As a first step, we are now developing new design guidelines that will be implemented in 2024. We have also initiated several initiatives to enhance our design process, which you can read more about below.
CIRCULAR DESIGN
Another high-priority topic is how we can design products that can be disassembled at the end of their product lifecycle, enabling the recycling or reuse of all components. In this area, we seek the assistance of experts from Stena Recycling.
Read about our three initiatives below:
Silva Curiosity Lab, Silva Terra and reduce the use of disposable batteries.
80% of our products' environmental impact over their lifecycle is determined during the design phase*.
*Source: EU Eco Design Directive
SILVA ”CURIOSITY LAB”
In 2022, we initiated the Silva Curiosity Lab to generate ideas that accelerate the transition to more sustainable products and find new solutions to various challenges throughout the product lifecycle. Silvas' design team, along with selected individuals from other departments within Silva and external experts, come together to explore different aspects of circular design, and alternative business models, and generate new ideas about what we should and should not do.
An area that we are currently exploring through the Curiosity Lab is how to best develop Digital Product Passports (DPP), which will soon be a legal requirement within the EU. A Digital Product Passport gives the consumer information about the product’s origins and its content. DPP is part of the "Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation" (ESPR) and a key measure under the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP).
To learn more, visit the following link:
Directive on Eco-design for Sustainable Products
SILVA TERRA
As a first step towards circular design, we launched the Terra project – our currently most sustainable products made from recycled materials. Terra means "earth" in Latin, and products with the Terra name are more sustainable and developed to have less environmental impact. The first products in the Terra series were launched in 2022, including the Terra Scout headlamp series and the waterproof Terra Dry Bags. In the spring of 2023, two new product categories were introduced to the Terra family: the Terra Rain Covers and the compasses Terra Expedition S, Terra Ranger S, and Terra Ranger SL.
One of the materials used in the headlamps and compasses is Trifilion Revo41, which is a blend of recycled polypropylene and natural fibers from hemp, resulting in a lower CO2 footprint compared to conventional plastic materials. We have also chosen not to color all materials in the series and have eliminated any unnecessary details that could have increased the product's negative impact. Our goal is to take the insights and knowledge gained through Terra and implement them across our entire product portfolio.
REDUCE THE USE OF DISPOSABLE BATTERIES
In 2019, we introduced headlamps with "hybrid functionality." This means that the headlamps can be used with either alkaline disposable batteries or rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Subsequently, we conducted a comparative Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on headlamps, making several assumptions about the use of a headlamp over a period of 10 years. The results showed that with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, CO2 emissions are a significant 63% lower over the lifespan of a headlamp compared to disposable batteries.
As a result, in 2022, we decided to stop selling alkaline disposable batteries to our headlamps, and this will be implemented across our entire range starting in the fall of 2024.
THERE IS ALWAYS MORE TO DISCOVER
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