Check out this eco-friendly snowboard factory!

This is MARS1. Short for MOTHERSHIP ADVANCED RESEARCH STATION 1, which is a lot of words for 'The Mothership' as this snowboard factory in Carinthia region in Austria is known. It's the world’s first clean energy snowboard production facility. And that's really cool. In a time where global warming threatens the sport we all love so much, it's great to see that there are manufacturers who actually go all-in and try to be as eco-friendly as possible. And that's exactly what they did at Capita Snowboards.

The factory of the present

Snowboards are manufactured in the most durable way. Materials are sourced locally, the factory runs on 100% hydro power and thanks to their natural gas heating system there are zero CO2 emissions.

• 100% hydro powered Situated close to the river Gail in Carinthia, the Mothership is directly connected to it with an ingenious system of pipes. The river provides 100% of the energy that's required for the heating and cooling of the facility, as well as the energy for production.
• No CO2 emissions For every 1 unit of energy consumed by the system, 5 units of energy for heating and cooling is achieved. They do that by using the NH3 natural gas heating system.
• 98% locally sourced materials The shipment of materials from all over the world has a huge impact on the environment. By obtaining materials from the region they reduce emissions and use less energy. Another positive thing is that local businesses are being supported.

It's the factory of the present, but we can only hope that more brands will follow manufactoring their products in such an amazing eco-friendly factory in the future!