Silva: 90 years of dedication and innovation

In 1933 the Kjellström brothers Björn, Alvar and Arvid, together with Gunnar Tillander, launched the world’s first liquid-filled compass. It marked the start of drive for development that laid the foundations for Silva’s success, and 90 years later still sparks new innovations and product launches.

That compass innovation set a new global standard, and Silva’s celebrations during 2023 will follow the same theme. The Kjellström brothers were instrumental in developing Swedish orienteering, and in 1971 Björn Kjellström co-formed the American orienteering federation; his efforts helped spread knowledge of map-and-compass navigation across the USA.

Learning about navigation is one of the most popular topics on Silva’s global Instagram account, and Silva’s online navigation resource is also hugely popular; these resources will form the basis of further promotion this summer. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the hashtag #myfirstsilva will also be activated during the year, encouraging people to share photos of their older, original Silva products that still exist both in Sweden and across the world.

Silva continues to roll out its Terra initiative. Terra means Earth, and this core initiative aims to constantly develop products with lower environmental footprint using recycled and environmentally friendly materials. Silva’s Terra products currently include Terra Dry Bags and Terra Scout head torches, giving a carbon footprint reduction of up to 90% over the previous versions, with new Terra compasses and backpack rain covers launching later this spring. A Terra compass and head torch now feature in an exclusive limited-edition gift box created to honor the 90^th anniversary.

The anniversary year continues with the exciting launch of a major head torch innovation to be introduced this October; having received multiple ISPO and Scandinavian Outdoor Awards, expectations are high.

Richard Jägrud, CEO at Silva says, “We are proud to celebrate Silva 90 years during such an intense year as this one, which includes a major headlamp launch later on this fall and of course our acquisition of the outdoor brand Primus which will come into effect this year. We have been standing strong for the past 90 years and we look forward to working hard for the future in just the same way.”