This week we held an event with the team at Oris’ London boutique to explore their sustainability initiatives and talk about how Oris stood out from other watch companies. We think it’s a very interesting area of the watch world and this Blog Post will explore a bit more about what sustainability means for watch companies and how their customers can judge their efforts.

What is Sustainability in the Watch Industry?

We’re talking about a set of principles and practices that lead to achieving a set of goals intended to make the world a better place. Most companies and large organisations use the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations as their starting point. Depending on their line of business, each company will focus on specific goals that are most relevant. For example, watch companies might focus on their greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce them in line with goals 7 and 13; Affordable and Clean Energy and Climate Action. Watch brands produce packaging, and therefore might want to focus on the details of Goal 12; Responsible Consumption and Production.

Each company can look into the details surrounding these goals, see how they can apply them to their business practices, and then involve their stakeholders such as their employees, owners and suppliers in changing processes to make achieving the goals more likely.

The Logo of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Initiative.

How do we know if a watch company is acting in a sustainable way?

The key to understanding what companies are doing is listening to what they say they are doing, and then deciding what we think of that. Many watch companies have said that they have climate goals or emissions goals, but have not put out specific targets. Other companies, such as Oris, have put out comprehensive Sustainability Reports. We can read these reports to see what they are doing. Then we can check ourselves to see if those projects actually align with the goals they are aiming for, and we can compare different companies’ efforts. In this way, customers can educate themselves on whether the brands they like are acting in a sustainable manner.

The Contents page of Oris' 2022 Sustainability Report

Bringing Sustainability Initiatives to the Customer

One of the main points of working in a detailed manner on sustainability goals is to bring the principles into every area of the business. This includes product development, to make sure packaging can be recycled, or making it lightweight to reduce transportation emissions. Going a step further, products can be partnered with a local-level project that is directly working on the goal in question. Across the watch world, many brands have produced a diver’s watch in conjunction with a charity or Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) working on some form of ocean conservation or marine habitat work. There are also research collaborations with academics and partnerships with photographers who highlight the impacts of human activity and pollution on nature.

These projects serve multiple purposes:

• They give the project on the ground a source of income to help it grow and do more.

• They help the watch brand show its stakeholders that it can fund direct action outside of the company as well as its internal efforts.

• They can produce specific and differentiated products with a story that consumers can enjoy, often in limited edition watches.

The Oris Aquis Upcycle sitting on top of a block of the recycled plastic used to make the dial of this watch.

Examples of Sustainability Project-inspired watches

This watch features a dial made from recycled PET from sources such as ocean plastic, which is collected by Everwave. This charity is one of Oris’ partners in their focus on improving plastic waste levels in the environment. This is part of Oris’ focus on Sustainable Development Goal number 12 for responsible production and consumption.

This watch features special markings that allow a dive to be timed up to 3 hours, which is the longest time a human can dive for using a special kind of air recycling system. These features are used on the Gombessa research expeditions that Blancpain sponsor, which help further understanding of marine environments.

This limited edition watch features the Colours of the Ocean Conservancy Foundation, and proceeds from the watch sales are donated to help the charity. The watch features a strap made from recycled nylon from fishing equipment waste.

Scepticism of Watch Brands Intentions

Many people are concerned that while watch brands may say they are working towards sustainability goals, their efforts are still more focused on selling watches than actually making a difference. This is where it can be useful to compare sustainability reports. For example, the large watch Groups LVMH, Richemont and Citizen Watch Group each publish an annual sustainability report, and we can compare them to see which companies are doing a better job of reaching their goals.

The other thing we can do as customers is ask questions of the brands. We can start by asking brands which don’t have sustainability reports to become more transparent as to their actions. We can also ask for more details; we at The Watch Collectors’ Club would like more information about how watch companies are working with their suppliers to ensure the companies manufacturing their components also have clear sustainability targets and are making progress towards their goals.

Conclusion

Sustainability in the watch world is a large topic area with many different aspects. This Blog Post has highlighted a few things you can do as a watch lover to learn more from different brands about how they are improving their sustainability by setting and working towards sustainability goals. If you have any further questions or want to discuss this topic, please get in touch via our social media!