22.03.2024

Circular economy: High product quality and smart solutions

TechnoAlpin published its first sustainability report in early November. It sets out six material issues that underpin its sustainability strategy up to 2025. One of these issues is the circular economy and the attempt to integrate the circular approach in all areas.

At TechnoAlpin, we have always attached great importance to the outstanding quality and durability of our products. Ultimately, the conditions in the mountains place special demands on the materials we use. Products from the early 1990s are still in use today and are generally replaced on efficiency grounds.

TechnoAlpin’s goal over the next few years is to increase the amount of recycled and recyclable materials in product development.
 

The most sparing resource is always the one that isn’t needed to start with. TechnoAlpin therefore relies on standardization, streamlined standard variants and well thought-out solutions for its latest generation snow guns. Only one motor is used to drive the compressor and turbine in current models. The 4 latest models (TT10, TR10, TT9 and TR9) consist of 90% identical components. Standardized lance pipes have been developed for the TL series.

Furthermore, old lance heads are replaced and recycled. Lance constructions continue to be used. Minimal intervention is needed to dramatically increase the efficiency of the system.

Sustainable packaging solutions and high repair rates

Numerous measures have been implemented in recent years that go beyond pure product development to minimize the use of resources in the entire value chain as much as possible.

TechnoAlpin has developed a sophisticated system of reusable packaging to minimize the amount of disposable packaging used. For some components, individual solutions have been developed to reduce cardboard and plastic packaging as much as possible. This has reduced the amount of waste generated despite increased production figures. Any waste generated is recycled wherever possible.

TechnoAlpin's sustainability is evident not only in new products, but also in the way it handles repairs. The repair and servicing department provides professional repair and servicing of snow guns, pumps, compressors, valves, and individual components. Around 60% of the snow guns received are repaired or overhauled and put back into service. Around 95% of the other components (pumps, compressors, valves, and individual components) were repaired internally or returned to the manufacturers for repair.

If it is no longer practical to overhaul a model, all components that are still usable are removed. They are used as spare parts for older, used models. The high quality of the products ensures a long life span, which is how snow guns produced in the 1990s can still be fully operational. For some applications, older-generation snow guns are perfectly adequate.