Mondaine Group sustainability at a glance
«We warmly welcome our friends, partners and all people who think sustainably:
We are CO2 neutral, for YOU and for the PLANET - and at no additional cost.
My name is Andre Bernheim, I am Swiss, Chairman of the Board of Directors and, together with my brother Ronnie, second-generation co-owner of the Mondaine Group with our four brands: Mondaine, Luminox, M-Watch and Pierre Cardin. In addition, I am the Group's CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) as we believe that sustainability should be a top priority for any business.
We are a Swiss SME and over the last decades we have continually strived for sustainable business practices that have made us a pioneer in our industry. Our group and our four brands are comprehensively carbon neutral (Scope 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol GHG).
In the following I would like to give you a brief overview of our sustainability performance. Details can be found in our extensive sustainability report. Since 1973, we have had a track record in sustainability with major milestones well ahead of our time.
"OUR CREDO: WE CARE MEANS THAT WE ARE SOCIALLY, ENVIRONMENTALLY AND ECONOMIC COMMITMENT."
Andre Bernheim, Co-Owner and Member of the Board of the Mondaine Watch Ltd. group
Our sustainability strategy at Mondaine Group has followed the 3Rs rule for decades: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.
We have made it our mission to apply these 3Rs in all areas of the supply chain: from the sourcing of raw materials to the transport of components to our Swiss factory and the processes in the factory itself to the headquarters, as well as business trips and deliveries to ours direct customers – and with our watch recycling program we go even further, reaching down to the consumer and even third-party brands with our approach.
Since there are and will always be unavoidable CO2 emissions in every area of our lives, we knew that we had to invest in compensation measures in order to become comprehensively carbon neutral.
We have chosen to offset our emissions through reforestation projects that remove existing CO2 from the atmosphere. In 2020, we were one of the first watch companies in the world to achieve comprehensive CO2 neutrality for the first time. We are committed to remaining carbon neutral in the years to come.
The basis for our CO2 neutrality is a life cycle assessment , which was calculated by an external consulting company and includes all areas of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG), Scope 1, 2 and 3.
Below is a summary of our comprehensive accomplishments over the past five decades:
- 1973: The world's first analog solar watch is manufactured by Mondaine.
- Early 1990s: Mondaine begins upcycling used scrap metal, which we use to make new watch cases.
- 1993: Joined öbu, the Swiss Association for Sustainable Business, a group of ecologically oriented business leaders.
- 2015: Introduction of the use of ecological strap material such as linen, rPET felt and rPET nylon, cotton, cork, etc. for various watch collections of the Mondaine brand.
- 2017: Launch of the Mondaine Essence Collection, a range of watches made from sustainable and recycled materials. The case is made of Miracle Tree Oil (Castor Oil) composite while the straps are made of Miracle Tree Oil composite, rPET, cotton, etc.
- 2019: Installation of a photovoltaic system in our Swiss factory, covering up to 80% of our electricity consumption.
2020:
- Launch of the first Luminox #tide models in collaboration with #tide Ocean Material. The case and strap are made from 100% recycled ocean plastic.
- Our first year in which we become comprehensively carbon neutral in all 3 areas of the GHG protocol.
- Offsetting the unavoidable emissions we achieve through reforestation with three organizations: Fairventures Global, NPO, in Borneo, Gula Gula in Indonesia and OAK in Switzerland. This is to compensate for the equivalent amount of CO2 from the air that our company causes along its supply chain.
2021:
- We continue to build on our carbon neutrality by following the 3Rs and offsetting emissions generated, including emissions from shipping our products to our direct customers worldwide.
- Introducing a new eco-friendly gift box for the Mondaine brand, made from recycled cardboard and significantly reducing its volume and weight, reducing CO2 emissions in production and shipping by over 50%.
- Using recycled ABS material to launch a new eco-friendly Luminox gift box for all watches.
Our goals for 2022 and beyond are:
- Continuing our journey according to the 3Rs: reduce, recycle and reuse at all levels.
- CO2 neutrality on the comprehensive level of scopes 1, 2 and 3 of the GHG protocol and compensation of the unavoidable emissions through afforestation.
- Supporting our partners in achieving their sustainability goals with active help from our side.
- Completely replacing cowhide with vegan grape leather (and other sustainable materials) that we launched in March 2022 for the Mondaine brand, with the goal of replacing all of our animal-based leather with vegan alternatives by the end of 2023.
- Continuing our Cradle to Cradle approach, for example by expanding our watch recycling program to other regions of the world.
- Assess our long-term ability to even become climate positive by 2024 and beyond and be ahead of the watch industry in terms of sustainability.
"I'm sure I've been able to show that at Mondaine Group we take sustainability very seriously and have done so for decades. We will continue to strive in the future, for the good of our planet and for you, our customers.
Or as I like to say with a smile: In terms of sustainability, only “no” watch (and no cell phone) is a good watch. The second best choice is a carbon neutral watch from our group. That's good for you and good for our planet.
We appreciate any support you give us or want to share with us.
Thanks very much! You take care,
Andre Bernheim"
