It's important to us!
Social and environmental responsibility are two of the key pillars of our business. Compliance with the highest of quality standards forms the basis of every business decision we take.
It's important to us!
Social and environmental responsibility are two of the key pillars of our business. Compliance with the highest of quality standards forms the basis of every business decision we take.
It is our
responsibility.
As a corporation, we are very conscious of our responsibility towards society, and in particular towards our staff and customers. We are aware that our business activities can have social and environmental consequences for which we are responsible. We therefore make every effort to constantly improve the living conditions of all those involved along the entire value chain.
As an international corporation with well-known brands, we and our products are increasingly visible on the market. This has resulted in significantly increased interest in our company and products, and in particular in the issue of where and under what conditions our products are produced and the environmental impact of the production processes.
We currently work together with a great many producers who manufacture our shoes worldwide. The majority of our production takes place in Asia. The different cultural and statutory conditions of the producing countries must therefore be taken into account when assessing the social and environmental standards.
However, as well as the socio-cultural differences, there are also many universal standards which have to apply to all our production locations. These are explained below:
Social responsibility.
It is important to us that work in our production plants is carried out in a sustainable and socially acceptable way. All of our producers must adhere to the following values and principles, based on the BSCI code of behaviour:
No forced labour
No slave labour or other form of forced labour may be used in our production plants at any time. The use of physical punishment is forbidden.
No discrimination
Our producers may never discriminate against staff due to their sex, religion, nationality or any other personal characteristic, neither in employment, promotion nor payment.
No child labour
Our partners are strictly forbidden from using child labour. Any exploitation of children is therefore forbidden. The rights of young employees must also be protected.
Fair wages
The production plants must provide fair payment which guarantees the workers a secure livelihood. In most countries, this is regulated by a statutory minimum wage; otherwise industry standards shall apply.
Safety at work
Clear rules for ensuring health and safety in the workplace apply in the production plants. These include fire drills and protection from chemical substances.
Working hours
Compliance with legal and contractual working hours is a key aspect of our corporate responsibility within the supply chain. Monitoring is carried out by internal auditors and international audit companies.
Freedom of assembly and the right to collective bargaining
The right of all employees to found and belong to a trade union and to collective bargaining shall be adhered to. In countries in which these rights are limited, alternative options must be found for the employees. It must be ensured that employee representatives have access to the workplaces of their members.
Anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy
There is an anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy for each business area
Environmental responsibility
For a long time, the company has been making significant efforts to accommodate the issues of product safety and the reduction of chemical substances in the products. The following points are key to this:
Reduction of the environmental impact of production
Handling energy and water sustainably is intended to minimise the environmental impact of our production.
Environmentally-friendly packaging
We make every effort to design the boxes for our shoes and all other packaging in as environmentally-friendly a way as possible.
Reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
We are constantly working on ways to further reduce the use of VOCs in production, such as by using water-based adhesive systems.
Avoidance of chemical substances
For us, adherence to the requirements of German and European Union directives such as REACh goes without saying. We also pay attention to further recommendations.
Adherence to the limit values is monitored and guaranteed by constant testing carried out by accredited, independent inspection and research institutions as part of our quality management.
Reduction of CO2 emissions
The energy consumption of all our business areas is constantly reassessed in order to reduce CO2 emissions. For example, the headquarters in Detmold are connected to the district heating system of the town of Detmold.
Transport
In order to reduce the environmental impact of the transportation of our products, we try to transport our products predominantly by sea and to minimise the use of CO2-intensive air freight.