Jack Wolfskin is Committed to Fairness, Environmental Protection, and Social Responsibility

We focus on four areas in which we have been making significant progress: active environmental protection, transparency in all processes, sustainability, and social responsibility. We want to prove that a company can be fair and environmentally conscious and still be successful.

Active Environmental Protection

Whether by creating products from recycled materials, using only organic cotton, or banning PFC, PVC, and fur, we are committed to developing innovative, environmentally friendly materials. After all, “At home outdoors” doesn’t just mean we love being outdoors; it also means we are doing everything we can to protect the world around us.

We are continually looking for ways to become even more environmentally friendly on every level, big and small. We use 100% green energy, for example, and are reducing C0₂ emissions on our transport routes.

Our commitment to sustainability is also evident in our store fittings, which we make from durable natural materials such as native wood and recyclable components that don’t harm the environment. It’s also important to us to reuse parts, and we have introduced energy-saving lighting.

Read more about environmental protection at Jack Wolfskin here.

Transparent Supply Chains

Our customers want to know where their Jack Wolfskin products come from and how sustainable our manufacturing process is. It’s easy for them to find this out on our website using the supplier code provided on each label. We are the first company in the outdoor industry to have published a full list of our suppliers with detailed information on every factory.

On our website, we also publish the results of all working conditions and wastewater inspections, as well as each factory’s current bluesign® status. As members of bluesign®, together with our manufacturing partners, we ensure that safe chemicals are used in secure, closed processes and that no chemicals contaminate the environment.

To provide a clear overview, we have divided our suppliers into three categories in terms of the sustainability status of their manufacturing processes: “pioneers,” “good with the potential for improvement,” and “in the early days.” These categories allow everyone to monitor our progress.

You can find out more about the transparency of our supply chains here.

Sustainable Products

Exceptional state-of-the-art technologies underpin our pioneering role and outstanding expertise in the field of sustainable innovation. When it comes to manufacturing, our focus is conserving resources and effectively avoiding harmful emissions. We place particular emphasis on developing products made from recycled materials. In 2018, Jack Wolfskin used revolutionary Texapore Ecosphere technology, becoming the first clothing manufacturer to launch 100% recycled all-weather gear. In summer 2019, we successfully manufactured our entire clothing line and our backpacks and bags without PFC.

Even if a campfire burns a small hole in one of our pieces, there’s no need to buy a replacement. Our repair service quickly fixes small blemishes and patches up holes so that products are once again waterproof, fully functional, and practically as good as new. Jack Wolfskin has offered a repair service since it was founded forty years ago.

Read more about the sustainability of our products here.

Social Responsibility

Fair, humane, and safe working conditions – for both our own employees and those of our manufacturers – are of paramount importance to us. To fulfill our social responsibility, we joined the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) and set out our requirements in a code of conduct that is binding for all our suppliers.

Independent auditors regularly conduct on-site factory inspections to ensure that our requirements are being complied with. Since 2010, FWF auditors have also monitored our suppliers, enabling us to keep a close eye on all of our partners. We publish the results of these factory visits on our website.

Workers need to know their rights before they can demand them. That’s why our code of conduct hangs in a clearly visible place and in the local language in each of our factories.

Find out more about our social engagement here.

Microplastics: Our Almost Invisible Enemy

It’s not just large volumes of plastic waste that harm our environment; microplastics are also a growing threat. These tiny, barely visible plastic particles are released when synthetic everyday objects are used, for example, when clothes made of synthetic fibers are worn and washed.

We are actively tackling this complex issue, working on environmentally friendly ways of dealing with microplastics. Our goal is not just to find solutions for our company and our products but also to develop sustainable options for the global textile industry.

In battling microplastics, we are currently involved in projects STOP! MICROWASTE and Outdoor Industry Microfibre Consortium.

Partnerships Enable Us to Achieve More

Joining forces with strong, like-minded partners in the clothing industry enables us to promote sustainability among suppliers worldwide. Because such partnerships allow us to achieve more than we ever could alone, we have joined several highly dedicated associations and organizations.

We are a member of the European Outdoor Group (EOG), an association of European outdoor companies. Based in Zug in Switzerland, the EOG issued the Outdoor Industry Sustainability Charter, which we have signed. This document attests to our goals and our commitment to the environment.

In 2020, Jack Wolfskin completed the certification process for the “Grüner Knopf” (Green Button), an initiative of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Many of our products have already been certified with the Green Button and are available in stores. This government-run certification label for sustainable textiles protects people and the environment by setting mandatory requirements for the supply chain. In addition, we joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) last year. We will deploy the Higg Index – a suite of tools developed by the SAC to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance – to promote environmental and social responsibility across the entire supply chain.

We have already made significant progress and will continue to devote ourselves to conserving resources and protecting our planet. Further details on the steps we are taking to promote sustainability are available in our Sustainability Book.