PartnerNews | Sustainability at Scott

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PG: Who are you, what are you doing at Scott and how did you end up there? Can you give our readers a short overview?

AG: My name is Andrew Goodman, and for the past three years, I have been developing SCOTT's Corporate Responsibility program "RE-SOURCE BY SCOTT." With a decade of experience in the outdoor sports industry and an academic background in corporate social responsibility, I was offered the opportunity to work on the strategic development of the program and what a great ride it's been so far. This program was a new initiative for our organization. Whilst SCOTT had always been undertaking many responsible activities, we felt that our stakeholders required more insight and understanding of the work we do at SCOTT, and the RE-SOURCE BY SCOTT program was created to provide the platform to communicate our work towards Corporate Responsibility.

What does sustainability mean for Scott, and what is the company doing in regards of sustainability?

We believe in doing things the right way and for the right reasons. This philosophy defines us and everything we do. We are committed to improving the impacts of our products and business practices, preserving the environment for future generations, and stimulating positive change in our communities. RE-SOURCE BY SCOTT was put in place to develop and promote Corporate Responsibility. This program focuses on three key pillars: People, Product and Planet.

When we committed ourselves to this program, we felt it was important to start with the foundations, looking at managing and evaluating our supply chain and adapting our material choices. For us, the real sustainability process starts at the very beginning in the R&D phase. Innovations will enable us to change the way we work with materials and elevate our production processes.

Regarding the new new Superguide 95 Sk, which is also labeled RE-SOURCE and is largely made of recycled materials, did you calculate the change in the footprint achieved through this?

Yes we did. We use material databases that enable us to better understand the potential impacts of our material choices. In the case of the skis, we looked at the different material choices that a traditional material would have versus the recycled or renewable alternative. What we found was that we were able to save between 20% to 40% on the carbon footprint of the material by opting for the more eco-responsible alternative. We also did our due diligence regarding the sourcing of the materials and collected all the necessary documentation to support the claims. This is not only done for the recycled content but also for the more eco-responsibly sourced renewable materials like the flax fibres and the wood cores, which are both sourced from Europe. This product is only a beginning. It has been learning experience which will enable us to grow and apply these learnings into our next products.

I had a look at the Scott RE-SOURCE website and saw that you are working a lot on your supply chain. What are you doing there and why is it relevant?

Ensuring that our products are made using responsible materials is one aspect of sustainability and our CSR activities, however, as was mentioned previously another key pilar of sustainability is the social aspect. We consider that all people involved in our value chain should be treated fairly with dignity and respect. important step is to ensure that they are also produced in such a way that the people producing our products are treated with dignity and respect. A few years ago, we joined the Responsible Sports Initiative (RSI). This initiative has enabled us to gather experience with other brands and share in the evaluation of our supply chains. We are also regularly evaluating the social and environmental performances of our value chain partners in order to meet the changing regulatory landscape and expectations of our stakeholders.