In tune with its ‘We Care’ strapline, The Mondaine Group has become one of the first watch brands to be carbon-neutral.
It now operates with net-zero carbon emissions across all four of its brands, encompassing the factory and offices and the manufacture of all the watches, watch parts and packaging.
The company says corporate sustainability and a sense of environmental and social responsibility has been an integral part of Mondaine Watch Ltd.’s DNA for decades.
The Swiss SME uses solar power and eco-friendly materials in its production processes and is renowned for its innovation, including in the environmental field.
Additionally, a proportion of the company’s revenue is donated to social and environmental NPOs, such as Fairventures Worldwide and Water for Water.
Co-owner of The Mondaine Group, André Bernheim, said: “When it comes to sustainability, there have been ongoing improvements across all areas of the company and the time is now right.”
Adding: “The entire Mondaine Group is one of the world’s first carbon-neutral watchmakers – the factory, administration, headquarters and all of our watches.”
The Mondaine Group has been engaged in efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint for several decades.
The installation of a large photovoltaic system at the factory in Solothurn in autumn 2019 has led to a reduction of up to 80% in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from power generation.
The watch manufacturer has been operating with net-zero carbon emissions throughout 2020. Carbon neutrality extends to all areas of the business, including the factory in Biberist, the HQ in Pfäffikon, all Luminox, MONDAINE, M+WATCH and Pierre Cardin-branded watch components, packaging, waste, power and water, as well as business travel.
Bernheim continued: “Thanks to our extensive efforts over recent years, we have achieved our goal.
“We have been engaged across all areas of the business: the photovoltaic system on the factory roof, the use of hydroelectricity at our headquarters, a reduction in the volume and weight of packaging and the use of eco-friendlier materials in our packaging, casings and straps have all had a positive impact on our carbon footprint.”
In 1973, the Mondaine Group developed the first ever solar-powered analogue watch and, in true upcycling style, went on to use 100% post-consumer recycled metal to produce its MONDAINE and M+WATCH-branded watches in the 1990s.
Now, recycling and the careful use of resources play a more important role than ever which is why Mondaine says it is constantly on the look-out for suitable recycled materials for its watches.
The MONDAINE brand has been offering leather-alternative straps, made from recycled PET felt, rPET nylon, eco-friendly cotton, cork and castor oil, since 2015. In autumn 2019, the Mondaine Group was the first watch manufacturer to launch a watch-recycling service: old watches (except for other brands’ plastic watches) can be sent to the Mondaine factory in Solothurn, where they are broken down and recycled wherever possible.
Based on this experience, the Mondaine Group is now moving towards a cradle-to-cradle design concept, which is a closed, cyclical material flow system in which materials retain their value.
Alongside recycling, renewable, greener raw materials also have a crucial role to play. Working closely with specialists and associations, the group is evaluating and testing the latest sustainable materials to find a product to replace leather.
The group says it expects innovative materials such as these to be available in 2021.
