Dimension-Polyant climate neutrality, a pilot project within the Sioen group
Dimension-Polyant set sail towards climate neutrality
From January 1, 2021 onwards, Dimension-Polyant’s operations are completely CO₂-neutral. All site emissions are systematically collected as part of the DIN ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard, and they were already reduced by 85 % using green electricity and gas. Additionally, the world’s largest sailcloth manufacturer compensates all remaining emissions in cooperation with Climate Partner, the solution provider in climate protection for companies.
Be the change
“We have signed up for the climate protection project ‘Plastic Free Oceans’”, explains Managing Director Uwe Stein. “Through sailing, we don’t only have a special connection with the mighty deep, but we also know that it is a major brake on climate change. The project we support prevents plastic waste from entering the sea and thus indirectly protects the climate”, Stein continues. The project will be combined with a Gold Standard climate protection project, a wind farm in the Philippines, to achieve certified emission reduction. With every ton of CO₂, 10 kg plastic waste is compensated.
Ecological sailing
As market leader in the field of sailcloth manufacturing, Dimension-Polyant is fully aware of its responsibility. “Our goal is to make sailing, which already is environmentally friendly, even more ecological in the long term”, emphasises Stein. Dimension-Polyant has set itself some ambitious goals for the coming years.
Next to offering climate-neutral products, the use of recycled materials will, for example, be further increased. At the moment, our taffeta is already partially made from recycled polyester fibres. In addition, we want to make an active contribution to climate protection together with the sailing community.
Onboarding sailmakers
The plan is to bring sailmakers directly on board and to make an effort together. This specifically means that we want to work more closely with sailmakers who can already ensure climate-neutral production or who are prepared to take appropriate measures. In relation to this, a cooperation with on-scene testimonials was planned. Friedrich Deimann, the Green Boats founder and winner or the Bremen Environmental Award, will, among others, be part of the campaign. “We share the same vision when it comes to leading sailing into a greener future. I am looking forward to an inspiring partnership with Dimension-Polyant”, explains Deimann.
LCA’s and end of life recycling solutions
In the long term, however, climate neutrality measures should not only cover the period that ranges from the raw material to the product leaving the factory, but the total lifespan of the product. “We are also interested in what happens after the use phase”, explains Stein. “It is not only about producing as environmentally friendly as possible. We also want to have an influence on what happens to our sailcloth when its end of life is reached”, Stein continues. Therefore, they decided to cooperate with the Sächsisches Textil Forschungsinstitut, a non-profit research institution that performs process-related and product-related research work on textile technologies. The collaboration intends to look into recycling processes for raw materials from used sails (Recycling), to make sure that they can be added to the cycle again.
Pilot project
The CO₂-neutrality of Dimension Polyant serves as a pilot project within the Sioen group. We’re learning a lot and want to implement these lessons in new cases such as making our Apparel Division CO₂-neutral. We’ve already started an internal trajectory that should lead us there.