News After five years of renovation and a total investment of 25 million francs, the Fleurier Ebauches building has received the Minergie Label certificate and thus becomes the largest renovated building in the canton of Neuchâtel bearing these ecological criteria.
On 13 December last year, Fleurier Ebauches, a subsidiary of the Chopard group, received the Minergie Label certificate and, with a floor area of 5,100 m2, became the largest renovated building in the canton of Neuchâtel to conform to Minergie construction standards. It was a proud moment for Karl-Friedrich Scheufele as he took the floor to describe the lengthy renovation that followed the group’s acquisition of this building in 2007. Five years of work and some 25 million francs were required for the metamorphosis of this old edifice dating from 1900, which in its time has been home to a firm of watch-glass polishers and a factory specialising in industrial meat slicers, as well as to the companies Tornos and Technival.
Fleurier Ebauches
It is not the first time that a building owned by the Geneva manufactory has been awarded Minergie certification. Indeed in 2010, the Chopard group opened a building in Meyrin which was constructed entirely in accordance with the Label’s criteria and beat all records for low energy consumption. Situated a stone’s throw from Chopard Manufacture, the Fleurier Ebauches building required large-scale renovation work. The entire inner perimeter of the ground floor was sawn out and insulated over width of 120 cm. The foundations of the facades and the roofs were insulated, while a second skin was added to the façade of the East wing to ensure ventilation in summer and heat recovery in winter. All electrical installations have been selected in accordance with Minergie standards and solar panels cover the surface of the roof. A total construction volume of 25,000 m3, calculated according to the standard SIA 116, was used for the project. The building’s intelligent control system ensures a stable temperature throughout the year without recourse to fuel oil. Four heat pumps manage heating and air conditioning, and machinery is cooled by means of groundwater.
Within the walls of this manufacturing unit, the latest generation of movements for Chopard watches are produced. The company currently employs around forty staff, working on the production of six different movements derived from two basic calibres. Four manufacturing phases take place on the site: machining, decoration, mounting and assembly. Thanks to state-of-the-art equipment and logistical optimisation allowing continuous-flow manufacturing, Fleurier Ebauches produced 5,000 movements in 2012 and 7,000 in 2013, while 15,000 are planned from 2015.
Part of the Fleurier Ebauches building hosts a training centre for eight apprentice watch repairers (two per year of the programme) from Chopard Manufacture. The centre is also available to employees of the brand around the world who come to attend watchmaking courses. A bona fide watchmaking workshop, the centre is also home to an after-sales service for proprietary movements. The lower floor, meanwhile, houses a company restaurant open to all staff at both Fleurier sites.
A commitment to sustainable luxury
For a number of years, Chopard has adopted an attitude of sustainable commercial development which implies recognition of the planet’s limited resources. Accordingly, in addition to Minergie certified buildings, the brand closely monitors the ecological footprint of its packaging. All bags and packaging are manufactured from FSC certified paper, and presentation boxes meet environmental standards such as FSC, Oeko Tex Certification and Recycled PEFC. Furthermore, Chopard has introduced a recycling system for materials, including used rubber watch straps.
In line with this commitment to responsible business practices, Chopard has been a member since 2010 of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), an organisation whose mission is to specify and ensure compliance with environmental, social and ethical standards in the world of jewellery. Chopard’s certificate of conformity to the organisation’s charter and requirements was recently renewed by the RJC for three years.
Last year, the House also launched an ambitious project: «The Journey», a commitment to sustainable luxury. Chopard teamed up with Livia Firth, the creative director of Eco Age and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge, for this project.
In this context, the House has already produced three «Green Carpet Collection» jewellery pieces, sourced responsibly and with an eye to the traceability of raw materials. The gold used is Fairmined, while diamonds come from mines that conform to RJC requirements.
Chopard has also signed a partnership agreement with the NGO Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) to support certain Latin American mining communities and allow them to obtain the Fairmined certificate. In this way, Chopard contributes to the development of these communities.
January 14, 2014
