RAPALA VMC CORPORATION LAUNCHES NEW SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY AIMING TO BE ONE OF THE LEADING FISHING TACKLE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY BY 2024
Over the course of 2020, Rapala VMC Corporation has prepared a sustainability strategy aimed at becoming one of the first fishing tackle companies to act upon a set of seriously ambitious environmental objectives. This program will be implemented in all Rapala VMC business units.
“I am extremely happy to see that the company is able and willing to take these steps to become more environmentally friendly. It is very important that we, as one of the biggest fishing tackle companies globally, step forward and show that we care about our impact on the environment, and that we are taking measures to lessen our carbon footprint,” says Taneli Väisänen, Research and Sustainability Manager. “It is also important to be truthful and transparent when it comes to sustainability. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the terminology and actions related to the whole topic. That is why one of our goals is to give our customers more information about the environmental effects of our brands and explain the positive impact of choosing our products over alternatives. It is important to remember that fishing is not only about catching fish. It is also about exploring, preserving and respecting the outdoors.”
Even before aligning the sustainability strategy, Rapala VMC Corporation has been active in identifying and minimizing its negative impact on the environment. For example, the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the lure manufacturing units in Finland, Estonia and Russia has almost halved in the past four years. The company also introduced new packaging designs in 2010 containing 50% less plastics compared to the previous packages. The individual components in Rapala hard baits have also been carefully reviewed and substituted for more ecological options wherever possible without compromising the product performance that users have come to love. For example, did you know that the swimming lip of a Rapala wooden lure is currently 40% bio-based, and 85% of the hard baits on offer are lead-free? Through actions such as these, the carbon footprint of Rapala VMC Corporation’s lure production facility has decreased considerably during the past four years and continues in that direction.
”Sustainability is a topic very close to my heart and given our prominent position in the sport fishing industry, it feels great that we are now taking a strong stance on matters where we can make a significant impact. Our manufacturing facilities now have a clear sustainability strategy and action plan in place, and soon so will our business units all over the world,” says Nicolas Warchalowski, President and CEO of Rapala VMC Corporation. “As we own and control the full value chain of several of our Group brands, it is a personal goal of mine to select one of these brands to be become the first climate-positive brand in our Group in the near future. Expect to hear more from Rapala VMC on this important topic.”
During the following years, Rapala VMC Corporation intends to launch programs and product families with sustainability at the core of its development. The company aims to introduce 100% lead-free Rapala wobblers by 2023, to further reduce the amount of plastic used in lure packaging, to release new plastic-free packaging for multiple product categories and brands, and to shift to renewable energy in all of its lure production units. The carbon footprint of the lure production is now one of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that is assessed on a regular basis and used to determine our environmental impact.
Rapala VMC Corporation aims to be one of the leading sustainable fishing tackle companies in the world – supported by actions already implemented over recent years, and executing a series of ambitious new environmental objectives, such as increased use of renewable energy, reduced use of fossil-based plastics in products and packaging, and more efficient waste recycling processes to name a few.
RAPALA VMC CORPORATION
Taneli Väisänen
Research and Sustainability Manager
Rapala’s CountDown Elite 75 – A lure made from natural balsa wood. Balsa is a renewable and bio-based raw material currently derived from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified sources, and is the primary material used in many Rapala lures. The Rapala CountDown Elite 75 lure is also lead-free, and the swimming lip consists of cellulose-based plastic that is 40% bio-based.
