Environmental initiatives in snowboarding proved they were more than just a fad this year at the Snowsports Industries of America trade show in Las Vegas. A couple of years ago, we were mostly seeing introductory efforts such as the use of bamboo instead of traditional woods, but this year you could see a number of companies actively trying to make better manufacturing choices.
For instance, Salomon is using discarded fabric bolts and recycled plastics in outerwear materials, and has created a fully recyclable snowboard. The board was showcased (above) alongside a model of carbon and energy usage in snowboard manufacturing. In my opinion, Salomon could go one step further in this initiative, and offer free return shipping on unwanted used boards or a small discount toward a new one if the one one is returned, as it would be a rare municipality that would accept a snowboard at the curb.
Burton’s booth was created from reused materials — a nice touch since booths seem like a massive waste of material, when you think about it — and in outerwear, is incorporating a method of projecting patterns onto sewn jackets so that the material does not need to be cut to fit the pattern. Many of these initiatives fall under the umbrella of the company’s Green Mountain Project (GMP) initiative.
The trade show itself made some credible moves towards sustainability, providing free metal water bottles (and encouraging people to use them by providing filling stations), a paper-free media area and a booth showcasing innovative environmentally friendly products.
