THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF PVD

The increasing use of Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) technologies for the Oerlikon Riri and Oerlikon Fineparts accessories is leading to a number of environmental benefits for the Oerlikon Luxury business sector.

After conducting an internal analysis, which compared stainless steel items treated with PVD with the same brass articles subjected to an electro-plating process, a number of advantages deriving from the use of PVD, even in terms of sustainability, have been found.
Thin-film coating processes, such as PVD, result in an overall 76% reduction  of the environmental impacts, measured in Kg of CO₂ equivalent. More specifically, comparing PVD and electro-plating, it was recorded:

• a 97% decrease in waste
• a 12% saving on electric consumptions
• a 83% reduction in the emissions of CO₂ related to raw materials sourcing and processing
• the elimination of water usage.

Moreover, the use of stainless steel as a base material instead of brass, further enhances the sustainability profile of the item. Steel components are 6% lighter than brass equivalents, resulting in lower transportation emissions; in addition, the use of lead is eliminated and any form of oxidation is avoided, thus increasing the durability of the products.