The Austrian premium eyewear manufacturer is fully phasing out fossil natural gas at its Linz site. By electrifying key production processes, eyewear manufacturing will be 100% natural gas-free starting in April 2026. This step saves hundreds of megawatt-hours of natural gas and more than 100 tons of CO₂ each year. On World Earth Day, the family-owned company sends a clear message: industry can be part of the solution.
“Decarbonizing industry is one of the defining challenges of our time. By fully phasing out natural gas at our Linz production site, we are demonstrating that sustainable manufacturing is achievable—even in an industrial environment. Our ambition is to actively shape this transformation, both as a driver of innovation and as a role model for our industry.” Thomas Windischbauer, COO, Silhouette Group
From Ambition to Action: The Technical Milestones
A major milestone was already reached in 2025: In the coating facility, the exhaust air purification system was converted from gas-fired afterburning to an electric solution powered entirely by renewable electricity—as much of it as possible generated on-site. This change saves around 363 MWh of natural gas annually and reduces emissions by approximately 85 tons of CO₂.
The final step will follow in 2026: Converting the last gas-heated warehouse will save an additional 70 MWh of natural gas and around 18 tons of CO₂ per year.
To mark World Earth Day 2026, held under the theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” the Silhouette Group is sending a clear and visible signal for the transformation of industry: sustainability begins where products are created – in production itself. With this step, the company demonstrates that change is not limited to strategies and targets, but is being implemented in the reality of industrial operations. What is often criticized in sustainability debates is thus transformed into a measurable step in practice.
At the Silhouette Group, this means that not only the proverbial “hot air” is disappearing from the sustainability discussion, but also fossil gas from production.
Silhouette is distributed in Canada by COS.
