As part of its continued commitment to environmental solutions and to lessen its own impact, Selle Italia notes that it became carbon neutral in 2022, with plans to reach net zero emissions by 2030.
“The decision to pursue net zero emissions is further confirmation of the company’s commitment to sustainability,” said Giuseppe Bigolin, Chairman of Selle Italia.
“Our project will see us increasingly committed to the development of high-quality saddles, without our production having negative repercussions on the environment.
“This is yet another step forward, building on the other concrete actions we have already taken over the years involving both suppliers and production methods.”
The company uses local suppliers for its production process based within a 40-kilometre radius of its Asolo headquarters in Italy, thus minimising the cost of transport and the relative pollution it creates. It adds that its use of Greentech technology makes it possible to produce saddles without the use of glues and polluting substances, which are completely recyclable.
Carbon neutrality refers to the offsetting of CO₂ emissions derived from certain activities by an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide (removed or avoided) thanks to the purchase of carbon credits from certified projects.
In 2022, Selle Italia’s management decided to embark on a corporate decarbonisation journey by partnering with the Italian start-up Up2You.
The study and analysis of CO2 emissions, carried out on activities in the year 2021, is seen as the first step and has a twofold objective: on the one hand, to analyse the company’s direct and indirect emissions, and, on the other, to calculate the emissions of two saddles produced with Greentech.
Up2You determined the values of the company’s impacts, and Selle Italia then took measures to offset emissions by financing four verified carbon standard (VCS) certified projects that aim to capture or prevent CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere.
Thanks to the purchase of the carbon credits associated with these projects, the Asolo-based company added that it has achieved carbon neutrality for its 2021 emissions.
The next step in the company’s carbon footprint analysis in 2022 was to study the emissions impact of the two saddles produced with Greentech technology: the Model X Superflow and the Model X Green Comfort+ Superflow.
A cradle to grave emissions analysis was carried out on these two saddles, including a study that covers raw materials, transport and production, and finally an analysis of distribution, sale and use, without neglecting the ‘end of life’, better known as disposal.
The next step in the company’s journey is to define emission sources along the entire value chain, upstream and downstream, of its activities. These emissions are indirectly related to Selle Italia’s activities, but are not under the company’s direct control.
Having defined a decarbonisation strategy for its emissions, the company adds that it will be able to implement various actions, year by year, to reduce them and get closer to its net zero target.
