In the summer, Mammut launched the Close The Loop project in partnership with the climate protection organization Protect Our Winters (POW). Old, discarded climbing ropes were collected and recycled. In the past three months, a total of 748 kilograms of rope material has been collected.
The aim of the pilot project “Close the Loop” is to breathe a second life into the ropes that have been collected and to use them as raw material for the manufacture of a Mammut product. With this project, Mammut wants to contribute to making mountain sports more sustainable.
What has happened so far: Researching recycling processes
Since the beginning of the project, Mammut has been testing various recycling processes to find out how to get the best out of the used ropes. Project partner Aquafil has been collecting and recycling fishing nets and nylon waste from all over the world for ten years to produce Econyl recycled nylon. A yarn that has the same purity and identical properties as brand-new nylon yarn made from fossil raw materials.
Mammut is also working on setting up its own supply chain for recycling and production in Europe in order to be able to incorporate recycled materials into its product lines on a larger scale.
Four steps to new yarn
- The process begins with retrieving waste such as fishing nets, scraps of fabric, floor coverings, industrial plastics and now also used ropes. The material is sorted and cleaned to extract as much nylon as possible.
- Aquafil then refines the ropes together with the other old materials. A special cleaning and finishing process gives the old materials their original properties back. Econyl recycled nylon is of the same quality as the original.
- In a third step, the Econyl recycled nylon is renewed into yarn for the fashion and textile industries.
- Finally, at MAMMUT, the last step takes place: that econyl Recycled nylon is being redesigned. the designers at Mammut incorporate the yarn into the Mammut product line. The goal: all products with econyl Recycled nylon can be returned to the first step of the recycling system when it is no longer needed by customers.
Effect through a comprehensive life cycle analysis measure
But how does Mammut ensure that our planet actually benefits from this? The mountaineering equipment supplier is working with the myclimate organization to conduct a thorough analysis of the project's ecological footprint.
Myclimate has developed a comprehensive life cycle analysis of the entire process, which makes it possible to see in detail how the project will reduce CO2 emissions.
In particular, Myclimate analyzed three different recycling options using real-time data that MAMMUT collected during the course of the project. To ensure that the reduced CO2 emissions do not come at the expense of other environmental factors, the analysis covered a broad area, for example water and energy consumption or land use.
In this way, an attempt is made to get a holistic picture of the supply chain. Further details on the methodology and the results of the study will be published at the end of the project.
Mammut is counting on you - join us
Bring your used rope back to one of the drop-off points. As part of the Close the Loop rope collection campaign, no longer used ropes of any brand are taken back. You can simply hand in your rope at the following climbing gyms or Mammut stores.
If you cannot bring your rope in person, send it to Mammut by post free of charge: You can request the return label at the following address: [email protected]