affenzahn-hero-verantwortung-forest-illustration-xl

    Social issues, materials and more

    Responsibi­lity

    We try to develop and manufacture every product in a way that its impact on people and the environment is as low as possible. When selecting our materials, we make sure that they are manufactured with as much resource conservation in mind as possible and additionally have the use of chemicals strictly monitored. Our social responsibility is also important to us: for example, we work closely with our suppliers to continuously improve working conditions for workers.

    affenzahn-verantwortung-image-fair-wear

    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.

    1
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-angemessene-arbeitszeit

    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.

    2
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-arbeitsbedingungen

    Safe and healthy working conditions

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

    3
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-keine-kinderarbeit

    No Child labour

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

    4
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-arbeitsbedingungen-existenzsichernde-lohne

    Payment of living wage

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

    5
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-vereinigungsfreiheit

    Freedom of association

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

    6
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-keine-diskriminierung

    No discrimination

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

    7
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-rechtsverbindliche-arbeitsverhaeltnisse

    Legally binding employment relationship

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

    8
    affenzahn-verantwortung-fear-wear-foundation-freie-arbeitswahl

    Employment is freely chosen

    No one should be forced to do a specific job.

    affenzahn-verantwortung-image-blue-sign-1-1

    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.

    affenzahn-veratwortung-logo-weitere-labels-bluesign-product

    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 -20 %

    Large Friend

    Bear

    €59.99
    €47.99
    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
    Our bluesign® products
    affenzahn-verantwortung-image-gruener-knopf

    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!

    affenzahn-verantwortung-image-zu-100-prozent-recycelt-en

    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®.

    affenzahn-von-der-flasche-zur-tasche-sammeln

    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.

    affenzahn-logo-nachhaltigkeit-econyl

    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.

    affenzahn-logo-nachhaltigkeit-leasther-working-group

    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

    affenzahn-logo-nachhaltigkeit-bio-baumwolle

    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.

    affenzahn-logo-nachhaltigkeit-Bloom

    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.

    affenzahn-logo-nachhaltigkeit-GOTS

    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.

    affenzahn-logo-nachhaltigkeit-vegan

    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%.

    1
    affenzahn-von-der-flasche-zur-tasche-sammeln

    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.

    2
    affenzahn-von-der-flasche-zur-tasche-sammeln-zerkleinern

    The bottles are crushed & washed

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

    3
    affenzahn-von-der-flasche-zur-tasche-schmelzen

    Pellets are made

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

    4
    affenzahn-von-der-flasche-zur-tasche-garn spinnen

    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!

    afz-verantwortung-fun-facts-großer-freund-pet-neu

    Large Friend & PET

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

    afz-verantwortung-fun-facts-badewannen-mit-wasser-neu

    Bathtubs of water

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

    afz-verantwortung-fun-facts-keine-heiße-luft-neu

    No hot air

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

    affenzahn-hero-cr-report-verantwortung-nachhaltigkeit-xl

    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.

    Download
  1. afz-chat-webseite