Born from the enthusiasm for mountain bike and motocross, O'NEAL has been an important part of the two-wheeler equipment industry since the 70s. Distinguished by our innovative technologies, our unique designs and the interplay between comfort and safety, we work to constantly improve our products and make the fun of riding safer.
Our "long road to sustainability" started in September 2021, with the great support of VAUDE and the European Outdoor Group, who have taken us by the hand since our day One. Compared to the outdoor industry, our industry is still at the very beginning. Brands like VAUDE, Patagonia, North Face, and Mammut are miles ahead of us and long established in the market with their values and know-how. To illustrate: Adidas alone is about 10 times bigger than all the clothing brands in the offroad two-wheeler market worldwide combined, selling over one billion products only last year with a revenue more than 400 times bigger than ours.
At first glance, many things look simple, but in detail they are not. There are 1000 small and big steps necessary to make our business more sustainable. For some, we will certainly not be fast enough and we respect that. For us, however, this is not about speed, but about keeping at it. We are willing to improve and we are learning.
We do not want to engage in greenwashing. That's why we hired our first full-time sustainability manager in March 2022, who deals with all sustainability issues and weighs up which projects are suitable for us, where the greatest need for action arises, and which legislative initiatives we need to keep an eye on. We want to be transparent and offer honest insights into our company. This also includes honestly admitting that we are still beginners. We also have the same questions and the same concerns as many other companies in the market.
"How much can and do we need to invest for this?"
"Who has the know-how to implement and share everything?"
"What do our customers want? Are they willing to spend more on so-called environmentally conscious products?"
"Can we keep up with the leaders and comply with all the new laws and initiatives in time to protect our brand?"
This journey will not be easy, inexpensive or quick; it will be challenging, costly and this topic will stay. But we have decided to walk it together.
