ECCO and the Environment

We constantly strive to reduce the environmental impact of our operations while increasing the positive impact we have in our global communities. We have a responsibility to be an environmentally responsible neighbour and conserve resources for future generations through sustainable development.

ECCO follows the principles of reduce, reuse, repair and recycle to measure its impact on the environment. Our ECCO Environmental Management System (EEMS) and our Lean production methods foster a continual improvement, waste elimination culture that involves all employees. Together, we work to increase our energy efficiency, decrease water use and waste, prevent pollution, reduce and reuse materials, and recycle waste from our tanneries and shoe factories.

We Own and Manage Every Step

ECCO owns and operates the production of leather, the production of shoes and retail stores worldwide. This enables us to fully integrate best environmental, health and safety practices and design into all our businesses and operations. We can develop new initiatives and implement sustainable solutions efficiently throughout our operations.

We are focused on optimising our production methods and on developing new and more environmentally friendly processes. We involve our employees in the Company's environmental, health and safety activities, and each individual employee is responsible for making proactive efforts to continually improve environmental, health and safety conditions.

Continuous Progress

Continuous progress requires continuous effort and commitment.
Our ECCO Environmental Management System (EEMS) and Lean production help us safeguard the environment, reduce costs and improve operational efficiency around the globe. We set continuous improvement goals for environmental performance and we assess and audit our progress on a regular basis.

We Work Together

We look to our employees for ideas and suggestions for improvement. Our management systems and business strategies help employees, customers and business partners communicate, share innovations and implement solutions. We all work together to be good environmental stewards and to improve the health and safety of our employees and local communities.

Energy

ECCO is continually seeking ways to increase energy efficiency. Shoe manufacturing is a light industry in terms of energy consumption, but we realise that even small energy saving measures can result in large environmental gains.
We conserve energy through the development of new technologies and cost effective improvements in our operations. We encourage our employees and managers worldwide to take action in their workplaces and business operations to reduce energy consumption, improve energy efficiency and use available technology to reduce business travel.

Our Lean production methods focus on continuous improvement and employee involvement. Our teams strive to simplify operations and equipment and optimise product and process design to reduce energy use.

Energy saving steps:

A lighting concept in new ECCO stores requires 35% less electricity.
In 2008, ECCO opened one of the most energy efficient tanneries in the world with energy consumption nearly 20% lower than an average tannery.
New drum technology installed in our tanneries in Indonesia and China reduces electricity consumption by 48% and gas consumption by 18% compared to the original system. By 2013, these new drums will be installed in all of our tanneries worldwide.
An upgrade of compressor technology at our Headquarters in 2010 saves 67,000 kWh and 32 tons of CO2 annually.

Water

Fresh water is a limited resource. ECCO are committed to the development of water management practices that minimise the use of water in our operations and conserve fresh water resources.
Production of high quality leather for ECCO shoes requires the use of significant amounts of water which must be treated before being returned to the environment. We have constructed highly advanced water treatment plants to support all of our tanneries and shoe factories throughout the world. We constantly strive to improve the quality of our water discharge.

Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater treatment is an important part of our commitment to the environment and global water conservation. Our wastewater treatment systems comply with all local regulations and are examples of best practice on a worldwide basis. All of our wastewater treatment plants live up to the same stringent requirements and are reviewed on an annual basis by external consulting specialists. Water samples are taken on a regular basis and tested in our onsite laboratories.

From Waste to Biofuel

Tannery waste has enormous potential as an energy source. ECCO is continuously developing its biofuel system. Our advanced biofuel facility converts the waste products of the tanning process - rawhide tissue together with oil and wax from the finishing processes - into high-quality biofuel.

In total, ECCO generates 10,000 litres of biofuel from tannery waste per month. The biofuel is then used as an energy source in specially modified boilers, replacing the same amount of diesel fuel. This not only significantly reduces the use of diesel fuel and the CO2 pollution associated with burning it, it also reduces waste by 50%.

Facts and Figures:

Approximately 10,000 litres of diesel fuel is replaced by biofuel from tannery waste each month.
Biofuel reduces our CO2 emissions by 22 tons per month.
6 tons of rawhide tissue is available every day for recycling.
The amount of wax and oil recycled is 10 tons annually.

Chemicals

At ECCO, we care about our employees and the communities in which we live and work. We continually work to limit the use of chemical substances and minimise their impact on human health and the environment.
Our chemical management ensures that all chemicals and materials in our operations are managed safely and responsibly. We substitute chemicals with products or systems with less environmental impact wherever possible. We minimise the use of chemicals at individual workplaces, train and educate employees in the handling of chemicals and carefully control chemical waste management

Restriction of Chemical Substances

ECCO maintains a global Restricted Chemical Substances list that meets all consumer and environmental regulations in the markets where ECCO products are sold as well as common industry codes and practices. The list restricts the type of chemical substances that may be contained in our products and sets limits for these substances.

Our requirements define threshold values for chemical substances in leather products, in textiles as well as in plastic and synthetic leather products. The requirements are related to materials and components used for production of shoes, bags and other ECCO accessories. All suppliers are required to comply with this list as a condition of their contracts with us. Compliance to the list is monitored through a comprehensive test program on both materials and complete products.

Planting Trees in Thailand

ECCO Thailand believes that taking care of the Earth is not just a responsibility - it's a privilege. For the past three decades, mangrove forests have been rapidly diminishing in Thailand due to increased economic development. Local governments in Thailand have been trying to encourage communities to restore the forests. As a part of ECCO Thailand's contribution to the local community, the employees are involved in planting seedlings to help restore mangrove forests.

ECCO Thailand began to support the restoration of mangrove forests in 2006 through its ‘Paper for Tree' project. This project helps fight against deforestation and climate change, and promotes sustainable environmental activities in cooperation with employees and local communities.

ECCO Thailand is ISO 14001 certified and committed to caring for the environment. The company initiated the ‘Paper for Tree' project to raise the environmental awareness of the employees about the conservation of natural resources.

Employees at ECCO Thailand collect used cartons, discarded office paper and other recyclable products. The income generated from the sale of these recyclables is then spent on environmental activities such as tree planting and coastal clean-up efforts.