Products

Environmentally-friendly and fair products

At EDELRID, we have three core requirements that underpin everything we do and that form an integral part of our product development: safety, functionality and sustainability. Our sustainability approach to each new development project means that we question even the smallest detail of a product regarding the ‘three Rs’:

EDELRID has been a member of the bluesign® SYSTEM since 2009. 

What is  bluesign® SYSTEM?

The bluesign® SYSTEM is a comprehensive and proven system for environmental protection, occupational safety and consumer protection when it comes to textile products.

The bluesign® SYSTEM is based on “Input Stream Management”. This means that it tests not just the end products for harmful chemicals or chemical residues, but even the production processes of each individual component used to make a product. Chemicals used during production are evaluated, not just to check that they produce no harmful residues in the end product, but also with regard to their impact on employees and the environment.

That is where the system sometimes reaches it limits as bluesign® certified materials are limited, and not always available in the qualities that we require, which is enormously important for us as a manufacturer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). However, we trust in the ever-increasing popularity of the bluesign® SYSTEM and increasing demand for materials in bluesign® quality and hope that in future there will be a wider selection of bluesign®-certified materials available.

EDELRID offers bluesign® products in the categories ropes, webbings, slings, climbing harnesses, and chalk bags.

Our products last longer

While there are already many ways of producing more environmentally-friendly textiles in the industry, when it comes to metal there are only limited possibilities. Applying our drive for sustainability to our carabiners, quickdraw sets, belay devices and pulleys carabinersquickdraw setsbelay devices and pulleys proved an interesting challenge.

However, with our ‘Steel Story‘ we have now laid the foundations for working in a more sustainable manner and reducing our environmental impact here too.

Aluminium and steel combination: the best of two materials

Non-anodized carabiners

Climbers are gear freaks. We lovingly nurture and cherish our climbing equipment and never tire of admiring the bright, shiny colours and curves of our carabiners, quickdraws, etc. However, this addiction also comes at a price.

Our equipment is anodized using toxic chemicals. The waste water from the dyeing process is poisonous and, if not properly disposed of, extremely harmful to humans and the environment. We have to admit that the main purpose of anodizing is to colour our hardware. The process has no effect on its strength. It does increase resistance to corrosion, but only negligibly so, providing the equipment is used normally and stored properly.

This is why we believe that it is right to question if we cannot do without all the bright colours for the sake of a healthy environment?

In 2021, EDELRID launched the HMS BULLETPROOF ECO – the first ever non-anodized carabiner. For the first time, it gives consumers an ecological alternative to standard anodized carabiners. In addition, the stylish industrial look is a fantastic side effect. In the meantime, we now offer a whole new eco line with a selection of non-anodized carabiners for climbers. 

PFC- and PFAS-free climbing ropes

In 2018, EDELRID became the first manufacturer in the world to make ropes with a PFC- and PFAS-free finish.

The first ever PFC- and PFAS-free rope, which also meets the UIAA water-repellent standard, was the EDELRID SWIFT ECO DRY 8.9 MM. 

This absorbs less than 1 to 2% of its own weight in water and offers similar performance to ropes with our Pro Dry coating in terms of durability, abrasion resistance, and water repellency.

In the meantime, we now offer a wide range of ropes with a PFC- and PFAS-free finish:

Water-repellent & PFC- and PFAS-free – our Eco Dry finish

Poly- and perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), and their subcategory PFAS in particular, enable outdoor and climbing equipment to repel oil, grease, and water. Once released into the environment, however, the chemicals degrade very slowly, posing a long-term environmental problem. Our Eco Dry finishing treatment offers a real alternative to high-performance PFCs and PFAS. Due to a rope’s three-dimensional kernmantle construction with core and sheath yarns, the coating procedure is highly complex. After all, the finishing treatment must still ensure the rope’s functionality and durability. The Eco Dry treatment meets all these requirements and yet remains 100% free from PFCs or PFAS. 

Recycled rope: NEO 3R 9.8 MM

Closing the loop! Following years of research and development, we have succeeded in manufacturing a rope that is made 50% of recycled ropes – the NEO 3R 9.8 MM is a milestone in eco-friendly rope production. In December 2021, the NEO 3R 9.8. was awarded the German Ecodesign Award – Germany’s highest state award for ecological design. 

Each rope is unique – the BOA ECO 9.8 MM

The BOA ECO 9.8 MM is a rope made of high-quality sheath yarns left over from our rope production. Rather than discarding them, EDELRID recycles the leftover yarns to make new BOA ECO ropes. As the colour of the leftover sheath yarns cannot be planned in advance, each BOA ECO 9.8 MM production batch has its own colour mix. This means that each rope is unique.

Transform your old rope into a stylish rope map

If you have the time and patience, then why not transform your old rope into a rope mat – for use at home or as a sit mat for camping or the crag. Those happy climbing experiences will all come flooding back every time you use it. It looks good and might even help keep your house clean