Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
The World Future Treaty
From the onset of industrialisation, CO2 emissions and the average global temperature have risen at an alarming pace, leading to a massive increase in climatic disasters and to our planet threatening to reach its limits. This is why, in the year 2015, the United Nations have agreed upon a World Future Treaty and a common Agenda by formulating 17 global sustainable development goals. These goals are meant as a guideline „about how prosperity and social progress should be defined, how sustainable economic activity can succeed and how responsibility and solidarity can be translated into concrete social action in the face of planetary limits.“ (Jens Martens and Wolfgang Obenland, in Die 2030 Agenda, 2016)
The goals are conceived in a global perspective and stand as a guideline for sustainable development on an economic, ecological, and social level.
But what is AirWork doing, being a little company with only seven collaborators and almost the smallest among many rope manufacturers? Is there anything we can actually do? Yes, we can and we are already doing it!
Continue reading and be surprised.
[FC 2023-02-21]
SDG 1 to SDG 3: No poverty - Zero hunger - Good health and well-being
Collaborators of AirWork & Heliseilerei GmbH (A&H) live and work in a courteous and obliging environment characterised by a spirit of mutual respect. This is one of our contributions to good health and well-being.
Regular Human Factor training courses held by specialists help us to broaden our horizons and evolve.
SDG 4, SDG 5 and SDG 10: Quality education - Gender equality - Reduced inequalities
Our company provides vocational training for young people; in collaboration with Swisstextiles we offer interesting, high-quality apprenticeships in skilled crafts and trades.
Each and every team member plays an essential part in the company and is respected in their roles and for their specific abilities.
Provenance and background do not matter. As it happens, our current team comprises people from Central Switzerland, a woman from Valais, a German, a Pole and two Afghani nationals.
Constant challenge and continuous advanced training help us to keep moving forward.
SDG 6 to SDG 8: Clean water and sanitation - Affordable and clean Energy - Decent work and economic growth
We do not produce industrial wastewater and dispose of a simple but practical infrastructure without superfluous knick-knacks or gimmickry.
Our company was already climate-friendly before the SDG were formulated, as our energy input for heating and machinery is minimal. Two thirds of A&H‘s manufacturing department are underground, providing a constant and balanced interior climate in both summer and winter (the latter with very little expenditure of energy). Machinery is switched on only when needed.
Working spaces are bright, open and barrier-free, since all are situated on one floor.
It is our goal to continue growing in a careful and attentive manner and thus secure jobs on a sustainable basis.
By widening the production activity in our own premises we are able to make the best use of our infrastructure and to preserve resources.
SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
We are proud to be a production organisation. Over the years, we have succeeded in bringing more and more manufacturing processes into our own premises. Only a decade ago, many textile products were made by third parties or we were forced to undertake a day’s journey to manufacture them.
After having established a sewing workshop in 2015 and installed our first braiding machine in 2019, we are now able to manufacture all of our products in our own premises, so process routes have greatly decreased. If, in the past, a TLL or TLP rope had to be transported twice over 100 km from one factory to another, remaining for hours on the road, today our ropes are manufactured entirely at the AirWork premises, in the space of just a few hours. By doing so, we also make the most of our infrastructure.
Meanwhile, other braiding machines have been added to our equipment. Some of these are more than 50 years old and devoid of any electronics, meaning that also, in this case, resources are preserved. And, incidentally, more braiding machines help to create more jobs.
SDG 11, SDG 16 and SDG 17: Sustainable cities and communities - Peace, justice and institutions - Partnerships for the goals
We live and work in a privileged time, environment and society.
Our business activity does not damage anybody’s interests and is globally acknowledged.
The only SDG we are not happy with is n° 16 demanding strong institutions, since we are of the opinion that there is already an excessive quantity of "rules and regulations". We believe the effects of overweening bureaucracy on sustainability and the waste of resources should also be taken into account.
Whenever feasible, we avoid sourcing goods and/or raw material from outside Europe and Switzerland.
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production
As a production organisation we process materials and thus inevitably produce waste. But what substances are we talking about and how many of these are employed during our manufacturing processes?
In August 2022, at the end of his apprenticeship, our trainee in textile technology (Federal VET certificate) was asked to identify each and every substance in circulation. The list he compiled featured over 80 items, since he counted all raw materials, semi-finished and finished products singularly. But even after limiting his evaluation to the raw, auxiliary and packaging material only, he still found 26 materials contained in 48 different products.
Despite the great number of substances present, the quantities of material, especially textile, are significantly reduced and hardly worth collecting.
Nonetheless, we carefully document what material can be collected and replaced or which substances must be disposed of.
In the meantime, we have decided to refrain from employing 5 specific types of material and are collecting 19 recyclable products. 16 products are delivered for further use following well-defined criteria.
SDG 13 to SDG 15: Climate protection - Life below water - Life on land
Every year we have managed to bring more manufacturing processes into our premises and thus have significantly reduced our need to travel. Still in 2010, all textile processing was outsourced or we were forced to undertake a day’s journey to manufacture our products. Today, our ropes are entirely produced in-house, so hundreds of hours and kilometres on the road can be saved to the benefit of the climate.
90% of our production is done on the basis of HMPE (Dyneema (C). The optimisation of processes carried out by the raw material manufacturer (DSM Dyneema) and by our suppliers (i.e. ropemakers braiding the cores) has led to a reduction of energy expenditure of up to 30%.
We are happy to pass on this achievement to our customers, even without explicitly advertising our products with terms such as "biobased" or "recycled". But that is what they are, and it is good for you to know.
In addition, we pay attention to the fact that all working and production steps are done within the nearest distance possible. Some of our suppliers, in fact, are only a stone’s throw away from our premises.
Among our 8 collaborators, there are 5 who do not need any vehicle to get to their workplace, another 2 travel to work by train and one occasionally uses an e-bike.. This is one of the personal contributions of each and every member of our team.