FLYER Cares
Sustainable travel
Social responsibility has a long tradition at FLYER. Sustainability has been deeply rooted in the company’s culture since its very beginnings, as the FLYER pioneers were already aware of their responsibility to the environment and society. Today, sustainability is anchored in our business strategy as an important strategic corporate objective. We are determined to contribute to positive global change.
FLYER e-bikes are shaping the mobility of tomorrow
In its pioneering role, FLYER has decisively shaped the development and breakthrough of the e-bike in Switzerland and throughout the German-speaking world, as well as in the Benelux region, thus making an important contribution to sustainable transport development in Europe. In every area of our company we make the most of our potential so that we can meet the needs of people, nature and the environment – today and tomorrow.
At FLYER, we produce premium e-bikes that will impress you with their long service life. Our customers use the high-quality FLYER e-bikes as an environmentally friendly and healthy means of transport for long periods of time up to several years and tens of thousands of kilometres.
If one compares various means of transport, an e-bike performs excellently in terms of its impact on the climate. The only way to travel in a more eco-friendly way is by train or bicycle without an electric drive, because these emit even less CO2.
FLYER has a portfolio that offers e-bikes for any type of use. From families, commuters and bicycle tourists to EMTB sports enthusiasts, e-bikers of all ages will find a suitable model that makes it easy for them to use the car less, if at all, and to get around in a climate-friendly way for both everyday and leisure trips. The stability of FLYER e-bikes and the high permissible total weights of all models means you can transport loads with the bikes without any problems. A number of FLYER models are also approved for cargo trailers, child trailers as well as child seats. The wide range of attractive S-pedelecs with assistance up to 45 km/h and the universal and flexible crossover series in particular are a genuine and practical alternative to the car.
We believe that a durable product for environmentally friendly mobility is our most important contribution to sustainability.
Our headquarters in Huttwil is one of the first industrial buildings in Switzerland to be built to the Minergie Plus standard. It features modern and environmentally friendly building technology, which has a positive impact on our company’s ecological footprint.
Important resource-saving elements of the modern FLYER factory in Huttwil include:
- A photovoltaic system with an output of 149 kilowatts peak per day. The system produces around 137,900 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. This corresponds to the energy consumption of around 30 single-family houses.
- A geothermal probe heat pump for heating.
- A plant to collect and use rainwater, which supplies half of the company's water requirements.
- A solar thermal system to supply hot water.
An important part of sustainable management is to reduce the consumption of materials wherever possible and to avoid waste. Here at FLYER, we achieve this by handling all our resources carefully and, above all, through digitalisation projects.
Great progress has been made in recent months with regard to paper consumption, for example: By doing away with the printed FLYER catalogue for end customers and through the digitalisation of payroll accounting, paper consumption has been reduced by more than 50 %. Further measures are currently being implemented, such as the digitisation of operating instructions for our e-bikes and the elimination of printed invoices.
Because we have switched from PET bottled water to water dispensers for the free drinks for all employees, we are making another important contribution to saving resources. We use 4,000 kg less plastic per year at FLYER in Huttwil! Chilled, unchilled or chilled and sparkling, we at FLYER quench our thirst every day and are happy to do this more sustainably.
The systematic collection and analysis of data and processes helps to gain a clear picture of FLYER’s current status, those areas in which the company is already well positioned, and where there is still room for improvement.
We have been working with the concept of the ecological footprint since 2021. Using the carbon footprint – also known as the CO2 balance – we can itemise the energy, emissions and material flows within our company and calculate how much greenhouse gas is produced in our operations and in the life cycle of our products. The measured values form the basis for improvements in various important fields of action. FLYER AG’s entire carbon footprint is made up of two components: the footprint for our organisation and the footprint for our products.
In the case of the product carbon footprint, we take the component analysis approach, which is aimed at identifying and analysing the climate-relevant effects of individual components. It investigates the greenhouse effects of various materials, the effects of the country of origin of individual components, the production processes for their manufacture and recycling.
Building on this, product management can introduce improvements through targeted measures in the specification process.
The first steps have already been taken in the specification of sustainable components. Our product managers thoroughly research which suppliers in the bike industry already offer particularly ecological components. On the basis of their findings, new, environmentally-friendly components were installed in some FLYER models for the 2022 and 2023 model years.
These include:
- Tyres made from renewable (natural rubber) and recycled raw materials by Schwalbe, a tire specialist and long-standing FLYER supplier.
- Headlights from Busch & Müller's new “friendly” line: the housings of these headlights are made from biodegradable plastic or recycled plastic.
- Environmentally-friendly alternatives are also already being purchased for grips and other add-on parts.
Around 65 % of all FLYER e-bikes currently have eco-friendly components specified and installed.
The FLYER Code of Conduct obliges our suppliers to promote environmentally friendly procurement and manufacturing. One way in which we want to work together to do more for the environment. Our supplier code of conduct is based on the UN Global Compact and therefore serves as a guideline for compliance with environmental management, quality, health, safety and human rights standards.
Our suppliers are actively questioned about the comprehensive topics in the FLYER Code of Conduct and, by signing them, confirm that they comply with standards in the following four areas:
- Compliance with laws and regulations – business standards for compliance with applicable laws
- Doing business with integrity – applying high ethical and moral business standards
- Social and working conditions – recognition of human rights and ensuring appropriate working conditions for employees
- Environment – environmental standards
FLYER is also a pioneer in the field of e-bike tourism. FLYER has been offering e-bike experiences for more than two decades and invites you to discover cycling in idyllic countryside and on remote country roads with the added tail wind from your battery. Successful partnerships with Herzroute (Heart Route), Rent a Bike and other partners round off the FLYER experience that is offered at the headquarters in Huttwil. Exploring Switzerland in a natural and environmentally friendly way on an e-bike is very much in vogue, and the offers are being extended every year with attractive new tours for individual guests and groups. FLYER cooperates very successfully with regional partners and contributes to value creation in the region. As part of the new “FLYER experience 2.0” project that was launched in 2021, the commitment to environmentally oriented e-bike tourism is to be multiplied and rolled out throughout Switzerland and in the neighbouring countries of Germany and France.
Since 2021, we have further extended our commitment to people and the environment, including a cooperation with a Swiss NGO. Since the start of the 2021 season, FLYER has donated 2 % of revenue from e-bike rentals and e-bike events in Huttwil to the Bike to School initiative run by the Swiss organisation Velafrica. “Bike to School” helps children in Africa to make long journeys to school faster and safer thanks to a bicycle. We support this project every year with further aid campaigns and donations.
Anyone who works at FLYER receives their own personal e-bike that can be used for both business and leisure. The headquarters in Huttwil also has a flexible fleet of e-bikes for errands, shopping, etc. Employees who travel to work by train are provided with a FLYER for the journey from the station to the company building in Huttwil.
