Sustainable actions have been the talk everywhere for a few years. But what precisely does that mean? It means that a responsible company puts high value on the “how” of doing things. As an outdoor sports brand, LOWA lives with and from nature and the outdoors. That is why the company carefully handles its resources and contributes its part to environmental protection.
Every company has in one way or another an effect on the environment. In order for LOWA to know precisely what that is exactly, means it had to be systematically logged and researched. That holds true, both for direct effects that come from business operations, and for indirect factors that are produced outside facilities. Among direct environmental effects from LOWA are, for example, energy and water use, waste accumulation, and hazardous air emissions. Indirect environmental factors include, among others, materials usage, processing and use of products from the outdoors.
The requirement and conservation of energy are major issues in this day and age. Increasing energy efficiency and boosting the use of renewable energy are explicit goals at LOWA. Since 2015, a large section of company car parks are covered by a photovoltaic system and since 2018, this also applies to the roofs of Halls 1 and 2 – buildings that include warehouse and production facilities. Thus, we can cover around 25 per cent of our annual power needs with solar-power that has been produced on site. We use 100 per cent green, hydroelectric power to satisfy the remaining demand.
25 per cent of electricity needs in Jetzendorf come from photovoltaic systems
LOWA provides company buses at all of its locations or finances bus lines that bring employees to work and back home. In Jetzendorf, seven small buses replace more than 50 individual vehicles by transporting employees to and from work, thus representing an important daily contribution to climate protection. In addition, the Jetzendorf and Priel locations have installed charging stations that can be used by visitors during the day.
Anyone who works in an office everyday knows a printout is not always necessary to work efficiently. LOWA too attempts to reduce its paper consumption as much as possible. Of course, it is still not quite possible to work completely paperless. For this reason, the company uses recycled paper for needed printouts. The paper has been certified with the “Blue Angel, ” an eco label in Germany, and is manufactured 100 per cent from waste paper.
Protecting the environment and conserving resources are one thing. Active support of nature-protecting projects is another. Since 2001, LOWA employees have been part of a reforestation project run by the Bavarian State Forest Enterprise and therefore regularly plant saplings in the mountain forests and slopes of Bavaria. This is designed to maintain a healthy mixed forest, one of our most valuable ecosystems. The costs of the seedlings, travel, accommodations and meals are covered by LOWA.
This reforestation work is part of the 2 Million Tree Project of the European Outdoor Conservation Association – a non-profit organisation made up of companies in the European outdoor industry whose membership dues flow entirely into nature-protection projects around the world. This work is designed to underscore the outdoor industry’s awareness of its responsibility to preserve nature.
LOWA plants approximately 500 trees annually
As a member of the organisation, LOWA supports EOCA’s global nature-preservation projects.
EOCA’s vision is that the European outdoor sector will make a significant contribution to the preservation of wild territories and ecosystems for future generations.
Valuable nature-preservation projects are supported through funding from the European outdoor sector. The non-profit organisation directly finances these nature-preservation projects, and wants to show that the European outdoor industry is aware of its responsibility of preserving nature.
Nature-preservation committees appointed by organisation members can request grants as high as 30,000 Euros for a given project – a substantial contribution when it comes to nature-preservation projects. Examples of projects that have been chosen include the creation of an environmental route in Nepal, a waste-disposal project for a mountain peak in Kyrgyzstan, the protection of brown bears in northern Spain, the replanting of an indigenous old-growth forest in the Czech Republic, the creation of a cross-border hiking trail in Macedonia and Albania, the protection of peat bogs in Ireland and the prevention of the deforestation of an ancient forest in Sweden.
One hundred per cent of the membership fees flow directly into the projects, which are nominated and then selected by the members themselves.
LOWA supports the conservation organization “World Wide Fund for Nature” (WWF) in its projects protecting endangered specials with the sales of the soft toy LOWINGO. Nature conservancy, the protection of the living environment, and the preservation of wildlife species and wild plants are the core projects of the conservancy organization that is one of the largest in the world. The WWF has been involved in conservancy for more than 50 years and today is active in more than 100 countries. All total, this conservation organization currently is running 1,300 projects for the protection of biodiversity. The goal of the WWF is to halt the global destruction of nature and environment and to create a future where people and nature can live harmoniously together.
To convey a sense of fun and enjoyment of nature to parents and children, LOWA publishes the “Adventure Handbook” with the children’s mascot LO & WO. This biannual magazine is listed in the German National Library and has enjoyed great popularity amongst younger readers. Each issue includes a great story for children and adults alike, lots of reading material and tips and tricks related to arts, crafts and cooking. Children playfully get to know animals, plants and the environment itself.
The peregrine falcon LOWINGO joins the siblings LO & WA on their adventures. The three friends got to know one another in the first issue of the Adventure Handbook. LOWINGO had gotten caught in a plastic bag and could not get free. LO & WA saved the trapped bird of prey and were awarded with a flute as an expression of thanks. The flute enables the siblings to become as small as a mouse. After shrinking themselves, they hop onto LOWINGO’s back and fly off to their next adventure – journeys that have already taken them to many areas and countries throughout the world. An audio version of this is also available now.