From the mountains, for the mountains – our TirolWool® Responsive technology
Over 60% of styles are carried over for multiple seasons
We have been working together with over 80% of our partners for more than five years.
KEY FACTS AND FIGURES
We are committed to sustainable product design. For us, this means: Use of socially and ecologically acceptable materials, the longest possible durability of our products, regional product development, efficient management of product lines and a minimal amount of textile waste.
PROGRESSIVE PRODUCT DESIGN
We want to create progressive, iconic products. Whilst continually cutting waste down as far as possible. To ensure that the fabrics are used as efficiently as possible, we work closely with our pattern designers. We also partner up with our sister brands, Dynafit and Wild Country, to use the same materials and conserve resources.
One of our goals is a clear design strategy. This extends the lifespan of certain products over several seasons. Over 60% of our models are kept for several collections for example. This means long-term planning options, less waste, a more efficient supply chain and a reduced carbon footprint as goods can be delivered by sea instead of air freight.
ANCIENT FABRICS AND STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
We live and work in the heart of the Dolomites. It is an alpine cultural space that we want to preserve. But we will only succeed in this if we involve the local community.
For some of our flagship products we use locally produced wool. Take our new technology TirolWool® Responsive – a blend of Tyrolean wool and the mineralised polyester yarn Responsive as an example. The technology was developed in collaboration with Tyrolean mountain rescuers. The goal: to refine a raw material from the region that has been tried and tested over generations with a pioneering technology. The fact that we have succeeded in this, fills us with pride. Because this is not just a contribution to preserving sheep farming as an alpine tradition in the Alps. We also know exactly where our wool comes from and how the animals are kept.
More information about TirolWool® Responsive from Salewa can be found here.
Hemp cultivation has a long tradition in the Alps. Italy used to be the largest producer of high-quality hemp fibres. However, in the 1960s, much of the related skills, expertise and machinery were outsourced to China. This is why we purchase our hemp fibre from experienced farmers in Heilongjiang, a mountain region in north-eastern China.
We invest 10% of turnover from the apparel sales of our Alpine Hemp Line into the cultivation of hemp in the alpine region, in order to promote local, sustainable and long-term development.
Find out more about Alpine Hemp here.
LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS FOR LONG-TERM GROWTH
Stable relationships with our suppliers are important to us. We have been working together with over 70% of them for more than five years. Because we are convinced that, as a company, you can only grow and prosper if you have partners who share the desire to take these steps together and pursue a vision for the future. In other words, partners who cooperate with us in improving working conditions and environmental standards in the production facilities.
