Frequently Asked Questions

Since 1895 we have been committed to philanthropy and sustainability,
continuously investing to preserve the environment and to positively impact global and local communities.

1900
Founding of the Swarovski Music Club and the Swarovski Cycling Club. Originally setup as company activities, the clubs were then rapidly made available to everyone in town. Daniel Swarovski was an active member in both.

1908-1909
On July 25, 1902, Daniel Swarovski becomes part of the local council of Wattens. In 1908, he was elected head of the local council and only one year later – in 1909 – he started the construction of a new pipeline to bring fresh water to the village. 

1909
After the moving in of many company workers and their families, the old school in Wattens is now too small to accommodate all children. Marie Swarovski, Daniel’s wife, donates the building ground for the construction of a new schoolhouse.

1959
Swarovski offers targeted training courses covering eight different professional areas, including crystal cutting: the only one of its kind in Austria.

1960
“The Daniel and Marie Swarovski Trust” is founded, providing scholarships for students with a record of high grades and from low-income families living in Tyrol.

1978
An on-site “Vocational College” is formed to ensure that the apprenticeships are provided a solid basis for implementing skills and aptitudes in the workplace. Swarovski is one of very few companies in Austria to have such a college.

1947
The foundation stone for a new company housing is set in “Kreuzbichl” (hill close to Wattens). Its construction was completed in 1950. To this date, several more housing projects have been realized.

1948
A company-owned welfare office is established to deal with employees’ social and financial concerns. Our housing policy offered low interest rate housing credit, material aid for the construction of housing and support for financial emergencies.

1951
Construction of two residential complexes begins/is completed for Swarovski Optik employees in Absam and for Swarovski employees in Volders, Austria.

1952
Construction of an additional residential complex for Swarovski employees in Fritzens, Austria begins/is completed.

2005
An opening ceremony is held for new 58 row houses for employees. This project helps employees to rent or buy housing space at moderate prices.

1970
The first cooling tower circulation for the cooling of compressed air compressors was put into operation. This saved approximately 90% of the water necessary for cooling.

1978-1982
The Waste Water Purification plant begins operation, purifying all water leaving the factory Plant 1. A series of subsequent initiatives extended water purification to Plant 2, also extending the capability of the purification plant and dividing process water into polishing water and cutting circulation water.

1984
Swarovski imports  oil with low levels of sulphur to Germany for heating, increasing annual overheads by the equivalent of EUR 210,000 today, but reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by 60 tons. As such, the company is awarded the “Green Branch” environment prize by the Tyrol federal state government.

1990
Swarovski adopts natural gas. From now on gas replaces heating oil for heat generation and crystal melting, thus reducing respective CO2 emissions by 30%.

1996
The Glass Formation Department is equipped with new specialized dust filters and a new extraction system. These allowed to reduce emissions, prevent pollution and avoid health risks for workers well below the legal limits.

2000
The first Swarovski Waterschool opens at the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria within the basin of the Danube. An educational program is introduced, teaching both children and young adults about the importance and scarcity of water.

2006
The first project outside of Austria, the Swarovski Waterschool India opens around the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan in the Ganges Basin.

2008
The Swarovski Waterschool starts operating in six regions along the Yangtze river in China and 20 communities in Kanungu district in Uganda.

2014
The Waterschool comes to the state of Para in northern Brazil, focusing on water and environmental education through school and community-based participatory learning.

2016
Three pilot projects launch with various organizations to highlight local water sources. NGRREC: Mississippi River; Raks Thai Foundation; Chao Praya river basin; Fundação Amazonas Sustentável: Amazon.

2017
Working in cooperation with its NGO partners, Swarovski Waterschool launches the global edition of its ‘Drops of Knowledge for Rivers of Change’ teaching and learning materials on the Swarovski Waterschool website.

2018
Launch of ‘Waterschool’ documentary on Netflix, following the experiences of several young female students who live along six of the world’s major rivers and celebrates the efforts of the Swarovski Waterschool.

2021
With local partners Earthwatch Australia and Kids Teaching Kids, the Swarovski Waterschool launches its pilot project in Sydney, Australia. This marks an exciting milestone for the Waterschool, which is now active in six continents.

2003
Swarovski obtains the OEKO-Tex 100 certification for  crystals components, confirming the human and ecological safety of both products and production facilities.

2007
Launch of the “CLEAR” program, comprised of a set of criteria structured by product segment, displaying all relevant restricted and prohibited substances. This represents an important part of all product specifications.

2009
Swarovski launches cadmium-free* red color crystals such as “Garnet” and “Indian Siam”, through innovative patented formulas.

2012
Launch of the Advanced Crystal program, drastically diminishing the lead content to a maximum of 90ppm (parts-per-million), without compromising the brilliance and optical quality of our crystals.

2017

Advanced Crystal is strengthened to feature pioneering formulas that meet the most stringent environmental standards applicable. Lead levels are further reduced to a maximum of 40 parts-per-million, becoming an industry leader in lead-free* crystal.

2010
The newly developed office (Mannedorf) building in Switzerland meets the Swiss Minergie (low-energy) standard. This is achieved through the integrated structuring of the façade, building services engineering, and thermo-active systems. In particular, requirements for air tightness, daylight use, heating, thermal insulation, heat absorbing glass, heat distribution, and controlled ventilation were fulfilled.

2018
Inauguration and opening of the “Manufaktur” (along with “Campus 311”), our state-of-the-art, sustainably designed rapid-prototyping facility. The design of this 7,000m2 space – a collaboration with Norwegian architects from Snøhetta – is intended to foster creativity and immagination. The Manufaktur building demonstrates our commitment to sustainable innovation by achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification.

2019
Swarovski publishes a pioneering study in partnership with Trucost (part of S&P Global), showing the impact that Swarovski crystal has on the environment. The results reveal that Swarovski crystal has a lower environmental cost than other jewelry materials.

2021
Swarovski conducts our first complete environmental Life Cycle Assessement covering 5 of our most sold articles. The results of the LCA pinpoint the hotspots that we have to address in order to reduce negative impact on the environment.

2021
Swarovski joins the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to follow a verified greenhouse gas reduction approach and commits to reducing absolute scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 47% and scope 3 emissions by 28%, by 2030. This represents a substantial change in the way our vertically integrated business operates.

2022
As of this year, all our Asian manufacturing sites are sourcing 100% renewable electricity from photovoltaic plants and wind farms in the region, through Renewable Energy Certificates. This effort allows us to tangibly reduce our Scope 2 emissions.