A growing understanding of environmental and ecological issues, particularly among young people, is bringing greater awareness of the beauty of nature and, consequently, a desire to protect it.
On this front, SCARPA has always been at the cutting edge. After all, for a business that lives and breathes mountains, respect for nature is a spontaneous instinct that arises from its day-to-day work.
The 'Green Manifesto' now introduces a new phase, in which sustainability takes on an even more central role, becoming the main criterion against which to measure everything the company does, as president Sandro Parisotto and CEO Diego Bolzonello explain.
Sandro Parisotto (Left) and Diego Bolzonello (Right). Photo by: Giovanni Samarini
What does sustainability mean for SCARPA?
Sandro Parisotto: "For SCARPA, it's always meant above all making shoes and boots that last. For my father and my uncles, it was a source of pride to create robust, solid products with care and attention to detail. That's what they passed on to us and to the whole business. Today we continue to uphold this tradition, but at the same time we've learned to look for sustainability in many other ways, in manufacture of course, but also in all the environmental and social impact our company may have."
What does the Green Manifesto represent for SCARPA?
Diego Bolzonello: "It's another step forward in our sustainability journey; we're giving a name to the values we feel inspire our work and choosing how to implement them tangibly in the years to come."
Photos By: Giovanni Samarini
What pushed the company to decide to take this further step?
Diego Bolzonello: "Over the years we've taken many decisions and set up many initiatives based on sustainable principles. I'm thinking of the use of Pebax® RNew - a totally organic, recyclable material - in our telemark and ski mountaineering boots, or the photovoltaic panels that have been on the roof of our Asolo headquarters for years, covering part of our energy needs. But now we want to turn this inclination into a clear and programmatic commitment, to ensure that sustainability becomes a structural part of the business."
Why is being sustainable so important for SCARPA?
Sandro Parisotto: "The mountains, and nature in particular, are the very reason our company exists. Nobody would need our products if the mountains and unspoilt places didn't exert such a pull on people. Looking after nature means doing our part to ensure these extraordinary places we love and admire so much can remain intact, in their eternal beauty."