Furch Guitars is expanding its environmental activities by the use of green energy; starting this year, all electricity is from fully renewable sources, which will reduce their total carbon footprint by up to 60 percent yearly.
While last year a quarter (25.1 percent) of all electricity supplied to Furch came from renewable sources, this year it is as much as 100 percent. Most of the green energy is solar, followed by biogas, water, wind, and biomass.
In addition to a sustainable approach to obtaining green energy, its manufacturing will also significantly reduce its amount of CO2. Therefore, Furch expects that while maintaining the same level of electricity consumption, its carbon footprint will decrease by up to 83 percent yearly. When gas and automotive fuels are included, which are part of operating energy consumption, the total CO2 reduction should be around 60 percent. As an example, the average carbon footprint created during production of one guitar will be reduced from the 35.3 kg to 14.1 kg of CO2 (1). These values vary due to the specific production processes used during the manufacture of each model. The carbon footprint for each model is available on Furch’s website.
“The environment is an important topic for me, as is the impact of our production on it. That is why I have been trying for a long time to find a really effective way to reduce our company’s carbon footprint,” says Petr Furch, CEO of Furch Guitars. “I have considered many options, including producing our own electricity. However, this path is not generally beneficial even in a healthy economic environment and, without subsidies, not effective. Solar panels on the roof and a Tesla parked in front of the house are simply not the best solution. I have gradually come to the conclusion that the motivation for large energy suppliers to invest in carbon-free resources will play a key role in this regard. This can benefit all customers, from large companies to individual households.”
Furch buys its renewable energy from large energy suppliers. Although this energy costs more, Furch seeks to support its suppliers in their environmental activities and motivate them to produce more green energy in the long term. At the same time, it calls on other manufacturers to join in improving the environment together.
“Our approach to green energy is rather unique, yet achievable for all companies. So far, most musical instrument manufacturers have focused mainly on material sources and have forgotten about energy sources. Therefore, I would like to motivate other companies to focus their attention in this direction as we have. The growing interest in green energy will make it possible to create a sufficiently large demand that will motivate energy producers to increase the production more steeply. In my opinion, this approach to reducing the global carbon footprint is healthier and at the same time sustainable in the long run, in contrast to the artificial principle of subsidies,” says Furch.
The use of green energy is part of a broader concept in which Furch has a long-term, sensitive and environmentally friendly approach. Last year, for example, the company established a long-term cooperation with the Panamanian community of Arimae, which is dedicated to the protection and care of local exotic trees with an emphasis on their sustainable development. The cooperation is based on the financial support of the community for the care of four hectares of cocobolo (dalbergia retusa) trees and two hectares of mahogany (swietenia macrophylla) with a total average annual increase of 39 m3. Furch thus compensates nature and the community for a majority of the volume of exotic material consumed in the production of their guitars.
Furch uses an ecological approach in their manufacturing processes and technology. An example is the Full-Pore High-Gloss finish, which maximizes the resonance of each instrument but is also easy on the environment. This UV finish was developed internally and contains 98 percent less solvent than typical lacquers, therefore significantly reducing air pollution. A special recycling system in the spraying station collects and filters the oversprayed lacquer for immediate reuse, thus preventing any chemical degradation.
