Natural materials such as wool and leather are used in our apparel because of their functional properties, including thermal insulation and durability. We are committed to animal welfare and aim to promote the respectful treatment of animals throughout our supply chain.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ANIMAL-DERIVED MATERIALS
As part of product development, we assess whether animal-derived materials can be avoided where other materials offer comparable performance. Where our products contain components of animal origin, we require our production partners to comply with our Animal Welfare Policy. The policy focuses on leather, wool and down. We do not sell products made with real fur or angora wool.
LEATHER
In our apparel, leather is used primarily for footwear, gloves and accessories such as belts. Its specific material properties make leather important for these product categories: it is robust and abrasion-resistant, provides protection from weather and mechanical impacts, and offers a comfortable feel when worn. Leather therefore contributes significantly to the safety, comfort and lifespan of these products. Our Animal Welfare Policy requires leather to be a by-product of the meat industry and to originate only from cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats or pigs.
We also aim to promote practices that reduce the use of water, energy and chemicals across resource-intensive stages of the leather supply chain, such as tanneries. For this reason, we source leather for some of our footwear models from suppliers certified to the Gold Standard of the Leather Working Group (LWG). The LWG is an international multi-stakeholder initiative that audits and certifies tanneries against environmental criteria, with a focus on energy, water and chemical management.
WOOL
We use wool primarily in insulating products, as it naturally supports a balanced body climate, regulates moisture and provides a comfortable feel when worn. We also set clear requirements for the treatment of animals used for wool production and give preference to fibres certified to animal welfare and land-management standards, such as the ZQ Standard or the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). Under our Animal Welfare Policy, mulesing is prohibited for all production partners.
Seventy-five percent of the wool used in our apparel comes from ZQ-certified production, based on material weight as of 2025. This standard sets comprehensive criteria for animal welfare on sheep farms and requires independent third-party audits, training and regular on-site inspections. This increases transparency and assurance in our value chain and enables us to verify that the wool complies with the ZQ-certified animal welfare criteria. This wool is sourced from farms in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
DOWN
Products containing real down and feathers have been used in selected collections, for example in down jackets. They offer an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio, a soft feel and high compressibility.
Under our Animal Welfare Policy, our production partners must not use down or feathers from live-plucked birds or from threatened or endangered species. We also only accept down and feathers that are by-products of the meat industry. Since 2018, we have used down and feathers that meet the criteria of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS). We currently do not offer any products containing down.