Environmental Sustainability and Safety
Our desire to creating a greener and more sustainable future isn’t limited to the products we develop; it affects the ways we operate and the places we work, as well as the relationships we have with our customers and dealer partners.
Creating a Cleaner, Quieter, Safer Future
As a leading manufacturer at the forefront of technological innovation, over the past few years through Challenge 2025, EGO has been well-placed to influence change. We want to continue to do so and to help you influence it too.
Our goal has always been to empower people to make the small changes that can have a huge positive impact on our environment. From changing to EGO cordless power garden tools to encouraging change in others, everyone can get involved. Together, we will continue to build a cleaner, quieter, safer future.
The Report: A Call For Change
We realise the importance of bringing together evidence, insight, and expert opinion regarding the environment. So, in 2020, we created ‘The Report’, our biggest research project to date, which uncovers the true environmental impact of petrol-powered tools – outlining consumer attitudes when tackling climate change.
In our research for The Report, it was found that in 2019, 89% of UK council tools were petrol-powered, using 600,000 litres of fuel each year. The emissions of the most widely used power tool, a leaf blower, exceed that of a small car – an eye-opening statistic. Some other startling findings include:
- A petrol-powered leaf blower emits 11x more CO compared to a Ford Fiesta
- 4x more NOx is emitted by a petrol brush cutter than a Ford Fiesta
- 60% of respondents think pollution could be reduced if everybody switched to electric garden power tools
- 89% of council tools are petrol-powered
- 74% admit they believe battery offers better value for money and easier usage than petrol
Statistics are of 1,255 people surveyed*
Health and Safety: Protecting Users
The harmful effects of petrol-powered tools are not only limited to their carbon emissions but also include the effects they have on the user. Long term exposure to excessive levels of noise can cause damage to hearing, whilst excessive vibration can cause conditions such as Vibration White Finger (VWF).
Noise and Vibration
We commissioned Earlesmere, a leading on-site noise and vibration testing company to test our range of battery powered gardening equipment against leading petrol powered competitors to see which emitted a higher noise (decibels) and vibrational output (m/s2) in real-life scenarios.
As part of the test, 5 different categories of tools, with one tool of petrol and battery power in each category being put to the test: rotary mowers, hedge trimmers, line trimmers, leaf blowers and chainsaws.
Noise
|
Product |
Petrol | Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Mower | 80.10 dB(A) | 74.70 dB(A) |
| Leaf Blower | 91.80 dB(A) | 84.20 dB(A) |
| Hedge Trimmer | 95.10 dB(A) | 84.30 dB(A) |
| Strimmer | 103.80 dB(A) | 88.00 dB(A) |
| Chainsaw | 102.30 dB (A) | 94.00 dB(A) |
When measuring noise, we follow the 3 Decibel Rule, in which the doubling of an object is equal to a 3dB increase. For example, if one concert is measured at 100dB, then two concerts would be 103dB.
Vibration
|
Product |
Pretol | Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf Blower | 1.78 m/s2 | 1.00 m/s2 |
| Mower | 3.27 m/s2 | 2.00 m/s2 |
| Line Trimmer | 3.07 m/s2 | 1.17 m/s2 |
Battery-powered Reforestation
We think it's important for us to not only highlight where we can make improvements to help the environment but actively participate in its repair. That's why we teamed up with Eden Reforestation Projects and pledged to plant a tree for every EGO tool sold in Europe and, in addition, each tool that is registered for extended warranty.
The Eden Reforestation Projects work with local communities across the globe to restore forests on a large scale to create jobs, protect ecosystems and help mitigate climate change.
