Glacial Masterpieces
Montblanc pays homage to the icy peaks of Mont Blanc with its Glacier collection
Being named after arguably the highest peak in Europe, Montblanc is sure to have an affinity with nature, and mountains in particular. This sees the company not only drawing inspiration from nature in their designs, but also pledging to become more sustainable as well as give back to both the environment and people.
NATURAL PRESERVATION
Their sustainability effort is mainly expressed via three partnerships, the first being the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030—a Ceo-led movement for players within the watches and jewellery segment. Its vision is to create a fully sustainable watch and jewellery industry by collaborating with numerous maisons and brands.
This noble movement has three main goals, the first is to take prioritised actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the 1.5°C pathway by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. Then, it also aims to ensure its sourcing for materials has a positive impact on nature, species as well as communities, and finally to use inclusive and responsible value chains.
In its statement, Montblanc mentioned that it “has decided to join the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 movement as a maison and will work in collaboration with the other sponsors of this initiative to create a more sustainable industry. This initiative aims at collectively reducing our GHG emissions, limit our environmental impact in our supply chain, and improve our social impact in the watches & jewellery value chain.”
While that movement focuses on the brand’s (mainly watches) production, Montblanc is also directly giving back to people and the environment via its two other partnerships with Foehn and Big Mountain Cleanup.
With Foehn, which is an endowment fund, the maison aims to first run an education programme with local children in the Chamonix region, while also looking at possibilities of investing in research initiatives aimed at limiting the environmental impact of global warming on the Mont Blanc glacier in the near future.
Meanwhile, Montblanc’s partnership with Big Mountain Cleanup is pretty self-explanatory and benefits the natural surroundings directly—as the maison believes in preserving mountains and the surrounding
environments in order that future generations can appreciate and bask in their beauty as well.
Pollutants from this waste around mountains are being washed into rivers by rainfall and snowmelt, contaminating water supplies for local populations and posing serious health risks from disease. Thus, it’s important to maintain the cleanliness levels around mountain areas, which are sadly, mainly due to excessive tourism, which will be on the rise as more nations reopen their international borders. This time around, the maison’s funding will be going towards the cleanup of the Himalayan region.
NATURAL INSPIRATION
Part of the reason why Montblanc is keen on the preservation of the environment and its natural surroundings is due to the fact that the maison’s designers not only appreciate but also draw inspiration for the mesmerising designs and intricate details seen on the brand’s accessories, from watches, to writing instruments and leatherwork.
A perfect example is seen with Montblanc’s Meisterstück Selection Glacier range, which is a new sporty and bold collection for the adventurous inspired by the icy, natural beauty of the (Mont Blanc) mountain’s glaciers.