„RESPONSIBILITY EXTENDS TO THAT POINT, WHERE AN EFFECT CAN BE ACHIEVED.“
AS A FAMILY BUSINESS, WE HAVE SET OUR OBJECTIVE IN RECONCILING SOCIAL, ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMICAL RESPONSIBILITY. ON THE BASIS OF OUR POLICY STATEMENT, WE HAVE CLEARLY STRENGTHENED OUR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY COMMITMENT DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS AND ESTABLISHED A HOLISTIC SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY, WITH EIGHT ELEMENTS OF TRANSPARENT OBJECTIVES, DEFINED ALONG OUR VALUE CHAIN, ALONG WITH AN ON-PRODUCT LABELLING “TOGETHER RESPONSIBLE” FOR THE FIRST TIME.
A GIANT STEP – BUT FOR US IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
FIELDS OF ACTION
01 DUE DILIGENCE
02 MORE SUSTAINABLE RAW MATERIALS PRODUCTION
03 MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY FABRIC PRODUCTION
04 FAIR PRODUCTION CONDITIONS 05 PRODUCTION CONDITIONS
05 TRANSPARENCY & TRACEABILITY
06 CIRCULARITY
07 ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE
08 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
01
DUE DILIGENCE
We are particularly committed to preventing human rights violations and violations of environmental standards in our business and in our supply chain, to strengthening human rights and to taking remedial action when violations occur. We are aligning our corporate responsibilities and business with the core elements of the OECD due diligence process.
02
MORE SUSTAINABLE RAW
MATERIALS PRODUCTION
A major part of our products consists of cotton – at times up to 100 percent. For this reason, cotton production has a very special significance for us. The cultivation of conventional cotton often goes hand-in-hand with enormous water consumption as well as the use of pesticides and herbicides. We take on responsibility:
In future we will increase the share of sustainably produced raw materials and recycled materials successively. By 2023, we will only use cotton that comes from sustainable or organic cultivation, has been recycled or is funded by a sustainability initiative for the brand’s collection.
03
MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY FABRIC PRODUCTION
When manufacturing, washing, dying and finishing clothing, chemicals are often used that can potentially harm people and the environment. We have therefore developed our own restricted substances list that prohibits the presence of substances that are harmful to health and the environment in Seidensticker’s products. We also rely on STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX certification.
We set demanding requirements when it comes to environmental management and wastewater management for our weaving mills, laundries and dye houses. Only when it has been externally confirmed that environmental criteria are being adhered to can a company manufacture fabric for Seidensticker.
04
FAIR WORKING CONDITIONS
We are a family business and have lived social responsibly for over 100 years now. The vast majority of Seidensticker products are manufactured in our own factories in Vietnam and Indonesia. In addition, there are production co-operations with long-standing partners. Seidensticker products are made exclusively by independently audited and/or certified businesses. A company may only manufacture products for Seidensticker once it has been confirmed by independent organisations or initiatives that the highest social standards are being met.
05
TRANSPARENCY & TRACEABILITY
This includes producers at all stages of the value chain – from the raw material cultivation on to the transportation.
By the year 2023, we would like to know and have recorded all clothing factories, weaving mills and their direct suppliers that are part of the supply chain for our products. We are constantly committed to achieving complete transparency all the way down to the raw material producer.
06
CIRCULARITY
For us the product life cycle does not end at the consumption i. e. the wearing of goods.
To prevent sorted clothing from ending up in the bin and being destroyed, we offer our customers the option of returning it to our stores and outlets. We pass on the collected, well-preserved clothing items to the German Clothing Foundation, which gives the products a second life.
In addition, we support upcycling projects, donate to other organizations and participate in research projects to improve the recyclability of textiles.
07
ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE
We bear responsibility for our planet and for future generations.
In addition to the reduction of water quantities and environmentally harmful chemicals, we focus in particular on an environmentally-friendly design of our packaging materials and the choice of our shipping options.
Concrete objectives here are climate-neutral shipping from the production in Asia and to our customers worldwide, the use FSC-certified cardboard packaging and the avoidance of plastic in our packaging.
Our products are delivered plastic-free. This saves around 30t of plastic waste per year.
We determine the greenhouse gas emissions of our company and take steps to reduce them, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality.
08
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMEN
We are firmly convinced that positive changes in the fashion industry are only possible when we work together with other companies in order to achieve an open exchange with all interest groups.
For this reason we have joined various initiatives such as the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST) and trust the expertise of independent organizations.
PRODUCT LABELING
„TOGETHER RESPONSIBLE“
Fair and environmentally-friendly produced products will be indicated in future with the on-product labeling “together responsible”.
From season to season we will increase the share of sustainable products in our collections.
By 2025, more than 80% of our products should bear the together responsible label.
Better Cotton
We are a proud Better Cotton-member. Better Cotton is committed to the more sustainable cultivation of cotton worldwide. Better Cotton trains farmers to use water efficiently, care for soil health and natural habitats, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and respect workers' rights and well-being. The Seidensticker brand intends to source 100% of the cotton used in its products as more sustainable cotton by 2023. More sustainable cotton includes Better Cotton, organic and recycled cotton. Currently, we source around 44% as Better Cotton. By choosing our cotton products, you are supporting our investment in Better Cotton's mission.
Learn more: bettercotton.org/massbalance
*Better Cotton is not detectable in the end product and is purchased according to the principle of mass balancing.
Organic Content Standard (OCS)
The Organic Content Standard (OCS) identifies textile end products that are proven to be made from certified natural fibres. The fibres from organic production are traceable along the entire value chain. The use of organic fibres is thus transparent and independently verified from the raw material to the finished end product. Social and ecological aspects in the production chain are not taken into account in this certification.
Learn more: https://textileexchange.org/standards/organic-content-standard/
GOTS
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is one of the leading international standards for the processing of textiles made from organically produced natural fibers. GOTS defines strict environmental requirements – regarding, for example, the use of chemicals and wastewater management – as well as social criteria for all stages of the value chain in the textile-supply chain. For the production of our ‘together responsible’ products, we are working together with GOTS-certified clothing manufacturers and fabric suppliers, among others. In addition, we are also expanding the share of products in our range that are certified according to the GOTS standard. The cotton in GOTS-certified products is organically grown and all stakeholders in the textile supply chain have been audited for compliance with environmental and social requirements.
Learn more: https://global-standard.org/
STeP by OEKO-TEX®
STeP by Oeko-Tex® is an independent testing system for the certification of environmentally friendly manufacturing companies at all stages of the value chain. The STeP by Oeko-Tex® certificate proves that a manufacturing company meets the highest ecological and social requirements. Manufacturing companies are checked according to strict criteria for environmental, chemical and wastewater management along with compliance with social criteria. For the production of our ‘together responsible’ products, we are working with clothing companies and fabric suppliers who have been certified according to the STeP by Oeko-Tex® production standard.
Learn more: https://www.oeko-tex.com/de/unsere-standards/oeko-tex-step
bluesign
For the production of environmentally friendly textiles, we are working together with bluesign-certified fabric manufacturers. bluesign stands for textile production with the least possible impact on people and the environment. Particular attention is paid to the responsible use of resources, limits on the use of chemical substances as well as workplace and consumer safety. We also purchase the fabric for our ‘together responsible’ products from bluesign-certified fabric manufacturers.
Learn more: https://www.bluesign.com/en
SA8000
SA8000 is one of the world's leading and most demanding social standards. Companies that are certified according to the SA8000 standard are particularly committed to occupational safety and fair and healthy working conditions. These include human and labor rights as well as the payment of living wages. The majority of our ‘together responsible’ products are assembled in SA8000-certified plants.
Learn more: https://sa-intl.org/programs/sa8000/
FWF Audit Report
The multi-stakeholder initiative Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is committed to improving working conditions in clothing factories around the world. The FWF conducts audits in production facilities and ensures compliance with social standards and fair, safe working conditions. Some of our ‘together responsible’ products are manufactured in production centers that have been audited by the FWF and comply with social standards in clothing manufacture. Seidensticker is currently not a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, but rates the initiative as setting high standards for verifying fair working conditions. Therefore, the Fair Wear Foundation audit reports are also recognised under “together responsible”.
Learn more: https://www.fairwear.org/
amfori BSCI Audit Report
The amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) aims to improve fair and socially acceptable working conditions across industries and countries. We joined the amfori BSCI back in 2008 and ensure that our own plants and partner companies treat people and the environment responsibly and adhere to the BSCI Code of Conduct. Some of our ‘together responsible’ products are manufactured in garment factories whose environmental and social performance was rated at least as “Good” in a BSCI audit.
Learn more: https://www.amfori.org/content/amfori-bsci
ClimatePartner
For the delivery of online orders, we use climate-neutral shipping boxes. Companies or products whose CO2 emissions have been calculated and offset by investing in recognized climate protection projects are considered climate-neutral. In addition to offsetting, the reduction and avoidance of CO2 emissions is an important step in holistic climate management. The wind power project in Brazil – selected to offset the emissions of our shipping boxes – provides the surrounding communities with clean energy.
Detailed information on the climate protection project can be found with the ClimatePartner Tracking ID 12505-2009-1001 or under the following link: https://fpm.climatepartner.com/tracking/12505-2009-1001/de?utm_source=climatepartner.com&utm_medium=id
Forest Stewardship Council
FSC is an organization that promotes more sustainable forest management.
For shipping our products, we use FSC-certified cardboard boxes that promote good forest management through their material mix.
Materials from FSC certified forests, recycled material as well as material from controlled sources are used in manufacturing.
Learn more: https://fsc.org/en/what-the-fsc-labels-mean
Seidensticker has not used plastic for shipping since 2021
We have now stopped using plastic in our shipping processes, saving well over 30 tons of plastic waste. In our commitment to increasing sustainability, we have decided not to use plastic packaging. Instead, we will rely on environmentally friendly packaging alternatives that significantly reduce plastic consumption.
- No plastic element on the top button of the collar
- Cardboard strips in the inner collar instead of plastic strips
- No plastic packaging
Gerd Oliver & Frank Seidensticker
(from left)
Managing Partners of the Seidensticker Group
„Fair working conditions and the lowest possible environmental impact are essential aspects of our corporate policy.“
