May 27, 2009
Watch Makers Design for the Environment
Prestige watch manufacturers are increasingly boosting their green credentials by building eco-conscious factories and sponsoring environmental initiatives, reports the NY Times.
Although the Swiss government helps mitigate the potential damage from watch manufacturing, including wastewater with hydrocarbon-based lubricants, by enforcing strict environmental standards, it does not cover Swiss brands fabricating their components in China, according to the NY Times.
Wyler Geneve introduced the industry’s first carbon neutral watch, a G.M.T. model certified by the CarbonNeutral Co., based in London. CarbonNeutral manages two carbon offset projects for the watch maker — a reforestation program in the Brittany region of France and a methane capture project at a derelict coal mine in Pennsylvania, according to the NY Times article. The initiative complements the company’s carbon neutral strategy started in 2007.
But certification is not an easy process. Wyler Geneve’s managing director Ryan St. George told the NY Times that certifying the company was considerably easier than certifying the watch, because Wyler Geneve buys its components from outside manufacturers that it does not control.
The NY Times reports that a host of other watch makers also are implementing green initiatives. Rolex recently upgraded its facility in Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva, installing rooftop gardens designed to capture rainwater and glass facades to optimize the penetration of natural light; Jaeger-Le Coultre began a bus service for workers at its factory in Le Sentier, Switzerland, along with a car-pooling program to reduce carbon emissions, and IWC, which was certified carbon neutral two years ago, helps its employees to calculate their personal carbon footprint and then offset it by contributing money to a climate project.
These brands have also spent millions of marketing dollars to support celebrity environmental causes to give a more public face to their environmental efforts, according to the NY Times.
As an example, Audemars Piguet honored the 20th anniversary of its iconic Royal Oak model by creating the Audemars Piguet Foundation, dedicated to forest conservation. Last year, Jaeger-LeCoultre inaugurated a three-year “Tides of Time” collaboration with the Unesco World Heritage Center to protect the biodiversity of marine ecosystems around the world, and IWC signed on as the chief sponsor of a unique ocean voyage by David de Rothschild, an environmentalist whose company in London, Adventure Ecology, organizes expeditions to environmentally-challenged regions. IWC also designed a limited-edition watch in honor of the voyage, called the Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Adventure Ecology.”
For boutique brands that lack the budget, they are focusing on grassroots marketing to communicate their environmental support.
Advertisers
Stay competitive through sustainability.
Find out how at the SAP Sustainability Resource Center. >>
Unclear about the EPA's new GHG Rule?
Learn how it could affect your business. >>
EPA mandatory emissions reporting starts Jan 1st
CSA Standards can help your organization get ready for compliance. Find out how. >>
Product Environmental Compliance Best Practices
How to achieve compliance at a significantly lower cost. Download the full report. >>
Recent Daily News [ see all ]
- 11/20/2009
- 11/19/2009
- 11/18/2009
- Ontario May Follow California’s Lead on TV Energy Efficiency
- EPA Is One Step Closer to New Ship Emissions Standards
- European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990
- CDP Launches Water Disclosure Project
- Whirlpool Cuts Water Use by Nearly 22% from 2004 to 2008
- National Grid Again Rejects High Costs of Offshore Wind
- California City’s Green Building Ordinance Applies to Commercial Buildings
- Agilent To Save $3.5M Over 10 Years With Solar
- S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
- Texas, China Wind Partners May Build U.S. Factory to Appease Critical Lawmaker
- Volvo, Mack Engines First to Meet 2010 EPA Emissions Standards
- Around the Web – Nike, Google, Nissan, Bush’s Green Library, WWF
- Fossil Fuel Emissions Rose 29% since 2000
- SEC Charges Four in ‘Green’ Investment Ponzi Scheme
- No Sunny Skies for Two Solar Projects in Texas, California
- Canada Delays GHG Emissions Regs, Russia Ups Emissions Cuts
- News Corp. Taps Hara for Energy Efficiency, Environmental Management
- Rising Sea Levels Would Hit U.S. East Coast Hardest
- Building an Energy-Efficient Data Center Using Virtualization Technology
- Trade Group on EPA Chemical Regs: ‘If Everything is a Priority, Then Nothing is a Priority’
- A/V Equipment Gets New Energy Star Requirements
- By Scaling Back Catalogs, JC Penney to Save 30% on Paper
- Around the Web – Starbucks, EcoFactor, UPS, Brownfields, Eco-Labels
- Subaru Touts Energy & Environmental Initiatives
- U.S., China Partner on Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency
- Green Buildings Do Double Duty: Reduce Energy Use, Lower Financial Risk
- UK to Ease Rules for On-Site Renewable Energy Installations
- Intel Eyes Wind, Electric Cars
- Nike Tops Annual Climate Action Scores
- Iranian Tanker Firm to Cut Fuel Use 28%
- Corporate Jetsetters Can be Carbon Offsetters
- USPS Energy Use Down 9% From 2005 to 2008
- From Solar Applications to Christmas, LEDs Light the Night
- EPA May Regulate Sulfur Dioxide Emissions on Hourly Basis
- MITEI: Sustainable Energy & Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaics
- Around the Web – Health Care & Energy, Shell, NBC
Charts [ see all ]
Popular Topics
Energy Efficiency
Data Center
Emissions
Facilities
Electricity
Sustainability
Water
Supply Chain
Efficiency
Green Marketing
Strategy & Leadership
Research
Fleets & Transportation
Carbon Finance
Conventional Energy
Clean Energy
Waste & Recycling
Paper & Packaging
Policy & Law
Utilities
Construction
Comments and Discussions
Stevenson on News Corp. Taps Hara for Energy Efficiency, Environmental Management
"All of us should think of ways to save energy now. It is not a myth,..."
Trade Association on Trade Group on EPA Chemical Regs: ‘If Everything is a Priority, Then Nothing is a Priority’
"Seriously… that..."
Gary Markowitz on Supermarkets Tackle Emissions Reductions, Fuel Efficiency
"Supermarkets waste over 10 percent of their energy through improper..."
peter in ireland on Ontario May Follow California’s Lead on TV Energy Efficiency
"Governor Schwarzenegger is shooting himself in the foot! 1...."
Environmental Leader on S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
"The survey respondents (the PDF report mentions 4,000 respondents in 38..."
Jake on UPS Trying New Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks
"A point of clarification: the Reuters press release referenced herein reports that 20 UPS will purchase..."
Custom Organic Shirts on S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks
"90% of North Americans believe it is urgent to get a global climate..."





Join the Discussion