Think long term – act ecologically

Sustainability is an integral part of Victorinox’s corporate strategy. Learn how rigorous Victorinox is with regard to energy and environmental management.

Sustainability is part of Victorinox’s DNA

The issues of environmental protection and sustainability have been a high priority at Victorinox for many years. Both at our own production centers as well as for our suppliers, this family company is vigilant about the sparing and efficient use of resources, as well as environmentally friendly production.

Consciously serving the environment for almost 50 years

As early as the 1970s – at a time when hardly any statutory regulations existed for industry at a national level – Victorinox recognized that protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability were not just part of their duty as a business, but also an important factor for success. Today, the company’s innovative products and professional implementation of environmental and energy management reflect the long-term strategy of this family enterprise.

The fact that the company’s management also assigns particular importance to concerns about resources and preserving the livelihood of future generations is also demonstrated by the company prize from the Schweizerische Umweltstiftung [Swiss Environmental Foundation], received in 2008. Since 2007, our own «Green Shield» label has been helping to make all employees aware of our environmental protection concerns.

Comparison of occupational accidents between victorinox and the swiss average (days lost per worker/year)

Victorinox records significantly fewer employee lost-time incidents than the Swiss average. Even though Victorinox is an artisanal enterprise, few accidents occur.

Source: Swissavant Wirtschaftsverband Handwerk und Haushalt

Comparison of sick days between Victorinox and the Swiss average (Days lost per worker/year)

We also give our corporate culture credit for the low number of sick days.

Source: Swissavant Wirtschaftsverband Handwerk und Haushalt

Heating oil is now used only in emergencies

Victorinox pays special attention to the low consumption of heating oil, energy, and water. In particular, the ongoing optimization of our machinery helps to lower our energy consumption. For example, a ventilation system that went into operation in 1980 at our production site in Ibach now functions with 50% less operating power than at its original installation. Victorinox is also contributing to climate protection by means of heat recovery: the waste heat from production facilities provides up to 75% of the heat for all of the operational buildings at the headquarters’ location and for 120 apartments owned by the company.

Thanks to this intensive use of waste heat and the ongoing renovation of our buildings, the company reduced its demand for heating oil from over 30,’000 liters in 2014 to an average of 2,500 liters per year. In fact, since 2015, heating oil is now only being used in emergencies or in case of a water pump failure. Due to closed-circuit circulation systems, we’ve been able to more than halve the quantity of fresh water needed to cool erosion and cleaning facilities. We also use rain water for the toilet facilities at several production centers.

Overview reduction of heating oil at the Ibach production site 2015

We were able to massively reduce the use of heating oil in recent years. A major contribution here comes from the recovery of heat from waste heat in production facilities.

Source: Betriebsinterne Statistik Umweltmanagement 2016

Separate instead of burning – maintain instead of disposing

At Victorinox, the maxim “separate instead of burning – maintain instead of disposing” is applied across the company. An integrated waste disposal plan for solid and liquid waste involves all employees in the recycling of resources and reduction of waste. Thanks to our in-house collection stations, we are now able to send 55% of our total waste for recycling. From production, substantial quantities of plastic and steel waste as well as grinding sludge are recycled, which results in the generation of significantly less industrial waste. Last but not least, thanks to careful maintenance and constant modernization, Victorinox’s production machinery has a very long lifespan – some of the machinery has already been in operation for 50 years.

Victorinox resolutely complies with and implements laws and regulations regarding water protection, air purification and the handling of chemicals and hazardous materials. Wherever possible, production does not use chlorinated hydrocarbons. By various measures, such as switching to water-based and CHC-free cleaning systems, we were able to reduce their consumption from 108,000 kg to 236 kg per year, which is far below the legal limit. Waste water from production is pretreated in the internal cleaning system prior to being discharged into the municipal wastewater treatment system.

Sustainability is a priority in development and manufacturing

For the development and manufacturing of all products, Victorinox sets the highest standards for compliance with environmental criteria. We assess a range of factors from recyclability and environmental threats, to the health risks from our materials and packaging (eg the limited use of heavy metals) and energy consumption for manufacturing and transportation. We look not only at our own internal production, but also expect the same high standards from our suppliers, who are regularly checked by our team. Following the principle of “as much as necessary – as little as possible,” all packaging used for product protection is recyclable – our cardboard packaging consists of up to 90% recovered paper. Only 100% chlorine-free bleached paper and solvent-free inks and finishes are used.

En plus de leur excellente qualité, les couteaux de poche Victorinox se distinguent par leur longévité prouvée, leur réparabilité illimitée et l’utilisation parcimonieuse de matériaux. La garantie Victorinox AG couvre tous les défauts matériels et de fabrication pour une période illimitée (deux ans pour les composants électroniques). Les dégâts provoqués par l’usure normale ou une mauvaise utilisation ne sont pas couverts par la garantie.

À petite comme à grande échelle – un processus d’amélioration continue

Victorinox n’est pas encore satisfaite de tous ses accomplissements. L’entreprise familiale veut un processus d’amélioration continue fermement ancré dans sa culture d’entreprise. Ainsi, le but est d’améliorer l’efficacité énergétique avec une installation photovoltaïque sur l’usine d’Ibach (qui produit de l’électricité pour l’entreprise depuis avril 2016), le développement du système de récupération de la chaleur, l’agrandissement du système de chauffage pour les appartements et la rénovation des bâtiments.

Les bâtiments de Delémont subissent eux aussi une rénovation totale avec mise aux normes de leurs technologies énergétiques. Les 2 495 m² de panneaux solaires produisent environ 470 000 kWh par an. C’est l’équivalent de la demande en électricité de près de 135 foyers. Les émissions de CO2 ont été réduites de 400 tonnes environ en passant du fioul à une pompe à chaleur. Mais nous aidons également chaque employé à apporter sa pierre à l’édifice : Victorinox rembourse non seulement les frais d’utilisation des transports publics pour se rendre au travail mais prévoit également d’installer une borne de recharge pour les véhicules électriques sur le site d’Ibach.

Aperçu des sources d’énergie du site de production d’Ibach en 2015

Victorinox prône une électricité produite de manière durable ; ainsi, toute l’électricité provient de producteurs de la région qui génèrent l’énergie avec leurs propres centrales hydroélectriques situées dans notre zone montagneuse.

Source : Elektrizitätswerk des Bezirks Schwyz AG