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Outdoor sports brand, Mammut, and partners have launched an innovative project focused on removing carbon dioxide (CO2) and storing it in concrete. The initiative addresses the carbon emissions associated with climbing and outlines strategies to combat climate change. Professional rock climber Adam Ondra is championing the effort.
Sports contribute to carbon emissions (CO2e) in many ways including special clothing manufacturing, equipment production and travel. Climbing is no different. Emissions produced by traveling to climbing destinations can be significant, with international trips releasing up to 1.562.6kg of CO2e into the atmosphere. Additionally, the production of durable climbing equipment and climbing holds, made from non-recyclable plastic, releases a substantial amount of CO2e.
To address this, Mammut has developed a decarbonization strategy, ‘Do Our Best, Remove the Rest,’ to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050. The company has already made headway by reducing 13% of CO2e from 2022 to 2023.
In a campaign film , Ondra, who is considered to be one of the best climbers in the world, makes a symbolic ascent of CopenHill, one of the tallest climbing structures in the world, to visually illustrate reaching net zero. “Just like climbing, you can’t really focus on just one thing. You can’t just focus on power or technique or your mind game. But this could be seen as doing the first moves or grabbing a tiny intermediate hold. But the important thing is that we are moving in the right direction,” he said. The film reflects the shared vision for a sustainable future through partnership and a proactive approach to environmental responsibility.
The initiative’s partners include: Arc, a waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen; Bofort, a cryogenic ISO tank leasing company in Belgium dedicated to making carbon utilization possible; Carbonaide, a Finnish carbon-curing company that supports decarbonization of the concrete industry; and Klimate, a Danish tech start-up investing in carbon removal solutions. Arc captures up to 4 tons of CO2 daily from its plant’s flue gas. Bofort provides ISO tanks for transporting liquefied CO2 to Finland and Carbonaide integrates this into their sustainable concrete production process, permanently binding the CO2. Mammut is essentially the ‘buyer’ in this chain and has committed to decarbonizing 90 tons of CO2 by the end of 2025.
“Through this partnership, we aim to achieve tangible results in carbon removal and inspire other companies to eliminate their residual emissions after significant reduction efforts,” said Tobias Steinegger, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Mammut.
Mammut’s climate strategy is part of its broader WE CARE strategy, which also addresses animal welfare, circularity and ethical production – all of which is impacted by climbing. The company is working to reduce its footprint and contribution to climate change. Despite the innovative removal and storage process, its main goal is to reduce its emissions.
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