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Social issues, materials and more

Responsibi­lity

We try to develop and manufacture every product in such a way that its impact on people and the environment is as low as possible. For example, we ensure that no toxic chemicals are used in our materials and that they are manufactured in a way that conserves resources as much as possible. Our social responsibility is also important to us, for example we make sure that workers in our factories are treated well and paid fairly.

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Fair Wear Foundation

The 8 health and safety rules of the

In production, we place particular emphasis on fair working conditions. That’s why we partner with the Fair Wear Foundation. Since 2018, we have been one of the few companies to be awarded Leader status due to continuous improvements. Topics that we regularly review and improve are focused on living wages, appropriate working hours and a safe working environment.

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Reasonable hours of work

Care is taken to ensure that all workers have at least one day off per week and there is a maximum number of work hours.

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Safe and healthy working conditions

Occupational health and safety as well as hygiene measures at the workplace are checked and must be complied with.

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No Child labour

Young people may only work after the end of compulsory schooling; at the earliest at the age of 15.

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Payment of living wage

In 2021, we also voluntarily paid our workers a coronavirus bonus to secure their existence.

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Freedom of association

This includes, for example, allowing workers to join forces and form trade unions for the right to collective bargaining.

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No discrimination

No one should be discriminated against in the workplace because of their religion, origin or skin colour.

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Legally binding employment relationship

Everyone receives a statutory employment contract so that the employment relationship is regulated.

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Employment is freely chosen

No one should be forced to do a specific job.

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bluesign®

system partner of

Affenzahn is a proud system partner of bluesign® and thus a pioneer in resource-conserving and sustainable production. That’s why we use bluesign®-certified fabrics so that we don't put an unnecessary strain on the environment. The bluesign® label stands for the use of materials without harmful chemicals.

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PRODUCT

bluesign®

Our large and small friends are even bluesign® PRODUCTS, which means that they have the least possible impact on people and the environment in their manufacture and you can be sure that only chemically harmless materials are used.

Our bluesign® products

Bear

Large Friend

Bear

€44.99
Tiger

Small Friend

Tiger

€44.99
Koala

Small Friend

Koala

€44.99
Fox

Small Friend

Fox

€44.99
Dinosaurs

Small Friend

Dinosaurs

€44.99
Lion

Small Friend

Lion

€44.99
Horse
sold out

Large Friend

Horse

€59.99
Octopus
sold out

Large Friend

Octopus

€44.99
Our bluesign® products
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Green Button

Certified with the

This government seal is only awarded to textiles that are produced in a socially and ecologically sustainable manner. 46 binding criteria, from limits for wastewater to a ban on forced labour, must be met in order to receive the Green Button. At Affenzahn, many products are already certified with the Green Button, including all Small Friends and Large Friends. Last year, our factories turned almost 500 kilometres of certified fabric into backpacks!

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to new!

From old ...

For the first time, we recycle textiles in the outer material of our new backpacks, the Creative Animals. This is an important first step towards creating a circular product world. While the recycling concept with PET bottles, "from the bottle to the bag", involves two material cycles, namely that of the PET bottles and that of the textile products, the recycling of used clothing is reduced to a single cycle, that of the textiles.

Our yarn for the so-called textile2textile fabrics comes from polyester-based used clothing, which is collected, sorted and then utilised in a chemical recycling process. This has the advantage that the quality of the final yarn is not compromised and is theoretically infinitely recyclable. Our partners for the textile2textile fabric have successfully applied for important certifications such as GRS (Global Recycling Standard), Oeko-Tex 100 and bluesign®.

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PFC-free impregnation

Our products are REACH-compliant and therefore chemically harmless. The water-repellent textile treatment for all our bags is 100% PFC-free since 2019, so you can get to your destination dryly when it is raining.

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ECONYL®

The upper material of marked shoes and backpacks (seal and turtle) is mainly made from ECONYL® yarn, a 100% regenerated nylon from pre- and post-consumer waste, such as fishing nets and other nylon waste.

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Leather Working Group

We are a member of the Leather Working Group. This means that we make sure to use leather from responsible production for our shoes. The Leather Working Group audits leather manufacturers according to strict standards. Topics such as water consumption, energy consumption, chemical management and wastewater management are reviewed. More information here: www.leatherworkinggroup.com

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Organic cotton

The upper and lining material of marked shoes is made of 100% organic cotton. Organic cotton uses up to 91% less water than conventional cotton and therefore is better for the environment.

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BLOOM™ foam

Our insole in marked shoes is made of 30% algae foam from BLOOM™. They developed the world's first algae-infused EVA foam for the footwear industry.

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Global Organic Textile Standard

Our socks are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and "Green Button" certified and mainly made of organic cotton. The cultivation of organic cotton produces up to 94% less greenhouse gas emissions.

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Vegan Materials

Marked shoes are made from 100% vegan materials. This is not only good for our environment, it also feels great!

From bottle to bag

We recycle

We use fabrics that are 50% made from recycled PET bottles to manufacture our Affenzahn backpacks. Compared to conventional production methods, wastewater volume is reduced by 20%, energy consumption is reduced by 50%, and pollutant emissions are reduced by as much as 60%.

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PET bottles are collected & sorted

The empty PET plastic bottles are collected and taken to a recycling plant. Once there, the clear bottles are selected to undergo recycling.

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The bottles are crushed & washed

The bottles are crushed into PET flakes. These are then washed in a water bath.

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Pellets are made

The PET flakes are melted down and mixed thoroughly. The hot mass is then formed into thick fibres.

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The thread is spun

The finished thread is wound onto spools and transported to the weaving mill.

Fun facts

Did you know that... We have collected a few fun facts for you about sustainability in our products. Let’s get started!

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Large Friend & PET

Did you know that there are 6 PET bottles in each of the Affenzahn Large Friends?

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Bathtubs of water

Did you know that we have already saved 221,971 bathtubs of water compared to conventional manufacturing?

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No hot air

Did you know that we have already saved 115 hot air balloons full of hot air compared to conventional manufacturing?

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Sustainability report

Unser

FOND OF GmbH is the company behind the Affenzahn brand. As FOND OF GmbH, we publish an annual report on our social and sustainable responsibility as a brand. Here you can find out what we have already achieved, where we currently stand and what we have planned for the coming years.

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