Business news :Sole Technology Unveils New European Headquarters in the Houthavens district of Amsterdam, Holland.

Sole Technology, manufacturer of action sports footwear and apparel, for popular brands etnies, Emerica, Altamont and ThirtyTwo, officially opened the doors of its brand new European headquarters in the Houthavens district of the Dutch capital Amsterdam.  The building is equipped with the most innovative applications for reducing energy consumption and thus minimizing environmental impact. In addition the office meets a highly specific Sole Technology requirement: there must be room for skating.

This means that no carpet has been fitted anywhere, which has the added advantage of giving the building an industrial look. But this was not done for aesthetic reasons; it happens to be much easier to skate on a concrete floor than on carpet.

This is not just a random requirement. Sole Technology, the company behind the footwear and apparel brand etnies, was established in 1986 by Frenchman Pierre-André Senizergues. At that time Senizergues was a pro skater with a large number of European and world championships to his name. As a pro skater he knew precisely what a good skate shoe had to be capable of. Senizergues used his considerable experience to develop the first shoe especially for pro skaters. That was how the etnies brand started out and it has since grown to become the biggest and best-known brand in the Sole Technology portfolio, which also comprises the Emerica, ThirtyTwo and Altamont brands.

Sustainable productionNot content with simply producing the best possible skate and lifestyle apparel, Sole Technology is committed to sustainable production. Founder and CEO Senizergues has infused his ‘green’ philosophy throughout the company, making him a real pioneer in the world of action sports footwear and apparel.
This philosophy sees production processes constantly being updated and increasingly sustainable materials being used. Over the years Sole Technology has launched numerous initiatives to contribute towards a better world. One example is the ‘Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree’ program: for every pair of etnies Jameson Eco 2 shoes sold, Sole Technology plants a tree in the Costa Rica rainforest. The ‘etnies Rainforest’ will eventually absorb a total of 6,930 tons of carbon dioxide - equivalent to 465,051,360 shoeboxes full. Sole Technology is dedicated to being fully carbon-neutral by 2020.

Pierre-André Senizergues on the roof

Energy consumption down 60 per cent This passion for environmental responsibility was also a major criterion in designing and building the new headquarters in the Amsterdam Houthavens. All kinds of innovative solutions have been incorporated to keep the building’s energy consumption as low as possible. Thanks to these efforts its energy consumption is as much as 60 per cent lower than for comparable buildings.
One of the most remarkable features is a state-of-the-art heat-cold storage system. In the summer cold groundwater is pumped up to cool the building. The warmed water is then pumped back into the ground and brought up again in the winter to heat the building. The application of this system alone accounts for a 40% reduction in energy consumption compared to a conventional system. In addition solar panels have been fitted on the roof of the building. When the sun is shining these panels supply 11Kw of electricity, which is used directly in the building. Furthermore the entire building is fitted with LED lighting, motion sensors and advanced insulation. Thanks to all these sustainable measures the building has been awarded an EPA (Energy Performance Advice) rating of A++. That means that, based on current technology, there is little or no room for further improvement in terms of energy efficiency.

Skating Toward A Greener FuturePierre-André Senizergues believes that the most successful brands have more to offer than just a good product, and that manufacturers must innovate and make every effort to work as harmoniously as possible with natural resources. But as well as that, there has to be room to skate, preferably anywhere. In other words: ‘Skating Toward A Greener Future’.

( Source Sole Technology )

Sander Khouw/7N60 Communicatie /e. sander@1967ers.nl