Environment

Quality. Inovation. Sustainable development.

Even before the creation of Ferreol, we knew that our impact on the environment would be a key element of our company. Making high -performance skis while respecting nature was obvious for us. Because nature is above all our playground ... We have unanimously refused any compromise. Our skis were going to be efficient and more ecological. Two things that we too often put in opposition. We knew that our R&D and innovation forces would be the pillars to propel this idea towards reality. We are therefore very proud to present here the fruit of our efforts to become the pioneers of the sustainable ski industry.

Sustainability.

The first step for us was to make sustainable skis. Sustainability is the ability to last over time. This requires solid construction, quality materials and a timeless aesthetic. This is why we make all our skis with a semi-cap construction, using Quebec wood and with a minimalist but sophisticated finish that does not change over the years. Thus, your skis will serve you for many seasons and you will not want to change them just for aesthetic reasons. We encourage you to take care of them and hope you will use them as long as possible.

Reduction.

The next step in our efficient but environmentally friendly ski manufacturing process is to take measures to reduce skis footprint. First of all, we adopted best practices already present in the industry. All our skis are made from renewable energy, we use biosourced topsheets and epoxy, the wood of our cores comes from durable harvests and we use flax fibers for reinforcements where we can. In future productions, we will replace almost all (92%) of synthetic reinforcements with flax fiber.

Flax Flax fibre

The production of linen fibre is practically neutral in carbon and also has important comfort properties for its user, such as damping. This is why we will replace synthetic fibres, such as fibreglass and carbon fibre, by it in our future skis.

Local and durable materials

The wooden cores used in our skis come from sustainable forests from Bas-Saint-Laurent, located at less than 100 km from the manufacturing plant. This means that the harvest is made with the greatest respect for the environment. Selective cuts are made to improve forest regeneration.

Biosourced and recycled materials

Biosourced materials come from renewable organic matter. Our topsheet is 50% bio-based and contains 20% of recycled materials. In addition, we use the super Sap epoxy of Entropy Resins in all our skis. This ecological epoxy is bio-based.

Renewable energy.

Unlike the vast majority of skis on the market, all our skis are made 100% by renewable energy.

Assessment.

Then, we had to assess our impact on the environment to know how our actions behave, in order to reduce our carbon footprint. To do this, we called on an external firm specializing in the analysis of the life cycle. For this first analysis, we focused on the potential for global warming as a performance measure (measured in mass of CO2 equivalent), but we want to add other indicators in the future because we consider that it is not sufficient.

The scope of this study includes the environmental impact of raw materials and waste, production energy, transport to our offices and end -of -life emissions. The only part that is not taken into account is the use of skis, because this part may vary considerably from person to person. Finally, although we consider the data presented below as a very good estimate of reality, please note that this analysis is constantly evolving and that we will correct these values ​​if we obtain new results.

A life cycle analysis (LCA) was carried out for each of our models. You will find complete information for each model in the product pages. For example, the Pionnier 104 will be used here to develop the results of this study. The carbon emissions from our ski production operations are detailed transparently.

Life Cycle Assessment

In collaboration with a specialized firm, we have analyzed each stage of the production of our skis to assess their environmental footprint. We have prioritized the potential for global warming for our study, but we want to add other indicators in the future because we consider that it is not enough.

ACV GLOBALE DU PIONNIER 104

Les matériaux (y compris les déchets de production) représentent 74% de l'empreinte carbone du Pionnier 104. Le reste de l'empreinte carbone est composé des émissions émises lors du transport des skis, de la gestion de la fin de vie et de l'énergie de production. Contrairement à de nombreuses autres usines dans le monde, l'usine de Rimouski est alimentée par une énergie 100% renouvelable, ce qui réduit considérablement l'empreinte carbone de nos skis. Ces proportions sont relativement similaires pour tous les skis Ferreol. Au final, en considérant l'impact environnemental de chaque taille, le Pionnier 104 a une empreinte carbone moyenne de 20.44 kgCO2eq par paire, ce qui correspond à peu près aux émissions de carbone produites par une petite voiture sur 108 km.

ACV DES MATÉRIAUX DU PIONNIER 104

Puisque le Pionnier 104 est fabriqué avec des renforts synthétiques comme la fibre de verre et la fibre de carbone, les principales sources de l’empreinte carbone des matériaux sont les renforts (43%), les sidewalls (16%) et l’époxy nécessaire pour les assembler (9%). Ensuite, les composantes de plastiques synthétiques contribuent aussi de façon significative avec 12% pour la base. Les autres composantes, comme les carres, la plaque de montage et les renforts de spatules contribuent pour environ 10% de l’empreinte. Et finalement, notre topsheet biosourcé contribue pour seulement 8% de l’empreinte du ski tandis que le noyau de peuplier du Bas Saint-Laurent contribue lui pour seulement 2.3%.

DÉTAIL DES OPÉRATIONS

Dans le cadre de nos phases de développement et de tests sur neige, certains membres de notre équipe ont dû se déplacer en avion. Même si le nombre de voyages a été limité au maximum, nos émissions liées à ce moyen de transport s'élèvent à près de 6tCO2eq (43%). Pour nos déplacements en voiture à travers le Québec et ailleurs, 3,6tCO2eq (26%) ont été émises. Ensuite, les appareils électroniques des 6 membres de notre équipe ont été pris en compte et totalisent également 26% des émissions de carbone de nos activités. Enfin, l'électricité consommée par nos locaux et les émissions des autres moyens de transport utilisés sont comptabilisées et contribuent ensemble au dernier 5% de nos émissions liées à nos opérations.

All Ferreol skis 2022-2023
and those to come are now carbon neutral.

Continuous improvement.

Although the whole Ferreol team is proud of what we have accomplished so far, we will not stop there. Indeed, it is always possible to improve, and that is why we are already innovating in order to design better technologies that will allow us to manufacture even more efficient skis, but with an even smaller ecological footprint. New materials and new constructions that can Have a real impact on the entire ski industry.

A 3 -year project to develop a new generation of recyclable skis at the end of life.

Development of a new aluminum alloy with reduced environmental footprint.

Substitution of traditional synthetic fibers with our linen technology in our future skis.

Carbon offsetting

Carbon offsetting

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Value of the compensation

Following the analysis of the life cycle of our skis, we found that the use of skis, including transportation in the mountains, is the most polluting part of the life of a ski. For this reason, we invite you to do your part and compensate for your transportation related to the use of our skis.

The totality of your contribution will be given to Carbone Boréal.

To help you, here are some examples of emissions and the compensation cost proposed by Carbone Boréal:

 Travel kgCO2eq Cost
750km in a compact car (8L/100km) 143 5$
1,500km in a compact car (8L/100km) 286 10$
1,350km inSUV (13.4L/100km) 429 15$
2,250km inSUV (13.4L/100km) 714 25$
9,100km by plane (economy class) 1429 50$
8,150km by plane (Business Class) 2143 75$
18,200km by plane (Economy Class) 2857 100$