About the
Sustainability
Awareness &
Responsibility
To me, sustainability means preserving resources and the regenerative capacity of our ecosystem for future generations.
The ways to do this in our personal lives are numerous, starting with eliminating single-use plastic, switching to a green electricity provider, recycling and much more.
Awareness and demand for sustainability is also growing in violin making. That’s why I offer all kinds of interesting products in my workshop, from cases and accessories to wood as a material.
My stringed instruments are not only 100% handmade in Munich, but also offer various environmentally friendly options, which I would be happy to inform you about in a personal consultation.
Somewhat
Return
When you purchase one of my instruments or use a service from my workshop, a portion of the proceeds goes to reforestation.
Through this I would like to return to nature in gratitude what She has given me to build stringed instruments.
"Business as usual" is not an option
The overexploitation of tropical woods used in violin making for fingerboard, tailpiece, pegs and bow stick is one of the main issues posing new challenges to the musical instrument trade.
Not only the immense transport distances involved in sourcing, but above all the deforestation of the rainforest and the threat of extinction of certain pernambuco, ebony and rosewood species have led to these varieties being subject to strict CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulations during logging and distribution.
It can be assumed that, due to the overexploitation of the tropical rainforest, these regulations will also become significantly stricter in the future and thus also lead to further restrictions in the musical instrument industry.
New ways &
Sustainable
alternatives
There is a good reason why musical instrument makers use tropical woods, because their growth makes them much denser and harder, which is immensely important for the longevity of the pegs, upper and lower saddles and fingerboard.
Through newly developed processes, companies such as Swisssolutions and Neo-Ebène Sàrl have developed excellent alternatives, which I am happy to incorporate into my work:
For example, Sonowood from Swiss Solutions was developed from sustainable forestry in 2016 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich and Empa. Its interdisciplinary team of natural scientists and wood experts has set itself the task of modifying domestic woods and their properties in such a way that they have comparable characteristics to tropical woods. The natural fingerboards in particular can be a visual highlight.
Corene is another alternative and a fingerboard developed by Neo-Ebène Sàrl, made from an ecological composite material. It not only looks like ebony, but also has the same properties. For fingerboards and accessories such as chinrests, tailpieces and pegs, the German company Berdani has developed an excellent solution made of paper-based material called “Dark Paper”, which is 100% biodegradable.
Idea driver vs.
Overforestation
The high quality maple from Bosnia and Romania also suffers from overforestation.
For this purpose, the bar manufacturer “Despieu” has developed a solution to save resources and reconsidered the selection criterion for trees.
When it comes to the bridge, the basic requirement for an excellent sound is crucial, but this does not necessarily have to correspond to a flawless appearance. Before 2020, minor visual defects or discoloration led to the tree being discarded immediately.
The “Despieu Planet Bridge” convinces me as a luthier with its excellent sound quality, only the appearance shows aesthetic variations.
So you see: there are many high-quality alternatives that are sonically equal and allow us sustainable sound art.
My approach
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I choose suppliers carefully in order to minimize transport routes. I source handmade instruments for rental exclusively from Europe, which I then personally optimize for playability in my violin making workshop in Munich. In the assortment you will find violins, violas and cellos for beginners and advanced players, on request in all sizes.
All office supplies are made from recycled materials. And I pay attention to an environmentally friendly production process.
Would you like to find out more about my history as a violin maker or my production process? Then I cordially invite you to do so further down the page.
Lisa Hellmich, violin maker in Munich