Leave no footprint

When V12 began developing the Lynx range, they saw it as an opportunity to make a positive impact on both people and planet by proving carbon could be reduced in every phase of a boots’ production – starting with design and construction, all the way through to shipping and packaging.

V12 says that this year they became the first UK safety footwear company to develop a carbon neutral safety boot. Here’s how they did it.

The journey:

To develop the Lynx into a carbon neutral range, they followed three key sustainability steps:

• Reduce

• Extend

• Offset

The ‘Reduce’ step saw V12 move production of the Lynx from the far east to Europe, slashing their shipping mileage by a whopping 8,000 miles. This reduction means compared to previous journeys from Asia to the UK, they now save 225 KGs of carbon on each voyage.

But reducing wasn’t just about transportation. Carbon reduction was built into everypossible point in the Lynx production.

• Operations and Logistics analysed factory energy data to highlight howproduction emissions could be reduced

• Its Supply Chain Team:

▫ sourced more sustainable materials and components

▫ upgraded to a closer tannery, reducing leather shipping

▫ worked with their factory on cutting methodology to reduce leather waste

• Its Sustainability Team kept the Lynx’s carbon neutrality top of the agenda byanalysing offsetting data and exploring ethical manufacturing

The ‘Extend’ phase focussed on ensuring a longer life cycle by using top-level components and LWG gold-rated tanneries to guarantee highest-quality production. This means that Lynx is a safety boot built-to-last, so while cheaper boots couldneed replacing 2-3 times per year, Lynx spends more time on wearers’ feet and less time on landfill, reducing waste and saving energy.

‘Offset’ saw V12 addressing the remaining carbon that couldn’t be captured in production by working with Carbon Footprint Ltd. Additionally, it signed up to 3 environmental initiatives and invested in their carbon-reducing community projects including clean energy installations and reforestation schemes. They’ve pledged to meet these initiatives’ carbon reduction targets, so their sustainability practices will be ongoing and continue to progress.

See for yourself: view the Lynx range here.

Proof of success

Lynx’s environmental impact can be seen in some inspiring data...

• Each pair of Lynx generates 8 KGs less carbon than the average safety boot

• Based on total Lynx sales this year, the difference in carbon is 10,000 KGs

• Lynx has generated over 10 tonnes less carbon than an average safety bootso far this year.

But the most significant number of all is 0. Because after carbon compensation has offset remaining emissions through production, that’s how much carbon the Lynx is responsible for. 

More to come

The beauty of improving sustainability is that there’s always more to be done – and there’s a long list of carbon-reducing developments on the horizon for V12:

• Its forthcoming new factory responsible for all Lynx manufacturing features:

▫ 1,000 square meters of solar panels

▫ Which will provide 20% of the factory’s energy

The company is also:

• improving their recycled packaging

• introducing more recycled components

• using less production processes

Mimimum impact

All these supply chain innovations mean one thing: when V12 tell their wearers that from factory to feet, Lynx is a boot that leaves no footprint, it isn’t just a claim: it’s a fact.

Learn more about V12’s sustainability journey here.