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Our values
Responsible from the fiber to the hanger.
At LODENFREY, we are working on building a transparent and environmentally conscious supply chain. You can find our official statement and policy on sustainability here (german) and our current Sustainability Report here (german).
We always act responsibly from the fiber to the hanger and try to be in harmony with people, animals and the environment. Long-lasting quality of textiles, material and energy-efficient production, the conscious handling and respect for nature and the environment, as well as the best working conditions for the people from the entire production area are a matter of course for us. Our credo is to use fewer resources than regrowth and to use up raw materials completely or to recycle them.
Product & value creation
100% made in Europe
Materials from Europe
Compliance with the REACH Chemical regulation
Ecological milestones
100% renewable energies in Munich
Member of the Sustainable Textile Alliance
Our heart for animals is reflected in the selection of partners
social commitment
120 employees
KiRu is a non-profit association to support children in need
Our goal
The world has to move fast to make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change.
In order to achieve our sustainability goals - and to behave responsibly towards our customers - we have committed ourselves to two far-reaching goals: To avoid synthetic fibers as much as possible and to use only materials made from natural, renewable raw materials as far as possible. We also want to switch to regenerative energy throughout the value chain and minimize the use of new plastics. Large-scale changes seldom happen quickly, but we are making rapid and promising strides towards our goals.
Use of natural raw materials
Synthetic fibers could be a great thing because of their function. However, they are made from petroleum and a lot of energy is required for this. Synthetic fibers include polyester, nylon, and acrylic fiber. More than 60% of all textile products are made from synthetic fibers. In addition to the environmentally harmful production, the synthetic fibers cannot be broken down and microplastics end up in the wastewater during the washing process. We definitely want to prevent this. As far as possible, we refrain from using synthetic fibers and rely on materials made from vegetable (linen, cotton) or animal fibers (wool, loden). This can also have consequences for our environment. We source our materials from suppliers in Europe. As a first step, we can ensure that everyone complies with European law and guidelines. In addition, we check all the articles we use anew every season to ensure that no harmful, prohibited or harmful substances are used in production. https://echa.europa.eu/de/candidate-list-table
Reduce new plastic and use renewable energies
There are more than eight billion tons of plastic on our planet. And once it is made, it never goes away. We no longer want to use new plastic in our supply chain, which includes our products, packaging, poly bags, offices and stores. Most of the plastic is used to protect our goods during transport. All of our products leave our production facility on hangers. Both the clothes hangers and the poly covers that protect the clothes from soiling and during reloading are made from recycled plastic. Much of our remaining transition will require material innovations that are currently not available, but we are sticking to that point to evolve sustainably.
Design phase
Sustainability starts in the design phase. We regularly visit different suppliers to see how different fabric qualities are made from the fiber up. This is an important input in order to check the production and to understand the function of the materials.
The great role of wool
90% of the textiles produced worldwide can be traced back to synthetic - i.e. petroleum-based - man-made fibers. The practical function and the cheap procurement of the fibers are often in the foreground, while the catastrophic consequences for the environment are neglected: Synthetic materials are neither degradable nor easily recycled. When choosing fabrics, we largely do without synthetic textiles, but trust in the function of natural fibers and have been using loden as a fabric for almost 200 years.
The properties of sheep's wool combine more useful properties than most other fabrics: It protects against both cold and heat and is also easy to care for. Wool - and also loden - are very easy to keep clean. Loden shows its strengths especially in the outdoor area and thanks to the water-repellent function we can completely give up synthetic membranes in our products.
Procurement & Purchasing
We only use the best materials, which contributes to the longevity of our products. The regionality is particularly pronounced in the costume. That is why we mainly use regional and natural resources such as loden and linen. As far as possible, the fabrics are only obtained from traditional Alpine businesses and from organic farming. We not only place the highest demands on ourselves, but also on all partners and pay attention not only to quality, but also to environmentally friendly and socially responsible production of textiles and products.
Our production
All of our products are made in Europe. We have our own factory in Oradea, Romania, near the Hungarian border. In this way we can ensure that our products are manufactured under fair working conditions . In our own production, we adhere to all legal regulations and EU directives. We are not satisfied with minimum standards, but always try to significantly exceed them.
We pay living wages above the statutory minimum wage so that all of our employees can live on their income. We hire with open-ended contracts to give our employees security . Even in the difficult crisis, we were able to keep our employees and manage to navigate through these difficult and uncertain times. Our entire production process is designed to conserve resources as much as possible and consistently excludes pollutants and toxic chemicals . The short transport routes also ensure a low ecological footprint.
Going beyond
At our headquarters in Munich, we already use 100% green electricity that comes from the solar panels on the roof. We are also planning to switch to solar energy in our production facility.
Our approach is not only to compensate for pollutants, but to keep them as low as possible. We work closely with a logistics team to optimize transport and reduce additional routes.
We carefully follow the REACH regulation set by the EU to monitor all chemical materials and to ensure that no harmful substances are used. We are also reducing water throughout the supply chain. Since 2019 we are part of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles and follow all regulations and assessments of the partnership.
Our maxim is to reduce waste in every phase. We work with our suppliers as best we can to keep leftover material to a minimum. Everything that is generated goes to our warehouse and is reused for future products or upcycled into face masks or shopping bags.
All products that are not sold for any reason are sold in our factory outlet. We value all of our products, so wasting a single piece is not an option for us.
Alliance for sustainable textiles
We have been a member of the textile alliance since 2020. The textile alliance aligns its work with international agreements and guidelines that define the principles of social, ecological and economic sustainability and set the framework for corporate responsibility. With our membership, we undertake to take responsibility for sustainability in our supply chain and to adhere to the guidelines of the alliance.
Protect our environment
Our maxim is to reduce waste in every phase. We work with our suppliers as best we can to keep leftover material to a minimum. Everything that is generated goes to our warehouse and is reused for future products or upcycled into face masks or shopping bags.
All products that are not sold for any reason are sold in our factory outlet. We value all of our products, so wasting a single piece is not an option for us.
At our headquarters in Munich, we already use 100% green electricity that comes from the solar panels on the roof. We are also planning to switch to solar energy in our production facility. Our approach is not only to compensate for pollutants, but to keep them as low as possible. We work closely with a logistics team to optimize transport and reduce additional routes.
We carefully follow the REACH regulation set by the EU to monitor all chemical materials. We are also reducing water throughout the supply chain. We have been part of the association for sustainable textiles since 2019 and follow all regulations and evaluations of the partnership.
Fair working conditions
We are not satisfied with minimum standards, but always try to clearly exceed them. We pay fair wages above the statutory minimum wage so that all of our employees can live on their income. We hire with open-ended contracts to give our employees security. Even in the difficult crisis, we were able to keep all employees and manage to navigate through these difficult and uncertain times. With flexible working hours and new home office options, we create flexible work and respond well to the wishes of employees.
Our commitment to Tamaseo
In 2003 the managing directors Sabine Frey and Klaus Faust founded a non-profit association to help children in need in Romania, KIRU eV . A school and a boarding school were built that give children a home, hot meals every day and, above all, access to education. The school teaches children from a remote village who previously had little or no access to teaching. Afterwards, scholarships are awarded for some, which enable the children to attend secondary school in larger cities. The construction of another boarding school will begin next year in order to look after more children. The boarding school is close to our own production facility in Oradea. In this way we can ensure that we give something back to the region in which we produce.
Kiru eV has set itself the following goals: Help through donations in kind and money to selected individual projects, sponsorship for needy children for education, expansion, fight against poverty, social exclusion and disturbed family relationships, improvement of the educational opportunities of eligible students, promotion of "help for self-help "projects
These projects are supported by the members of the association and the Nymphenburger Gymnasium.
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