Responsibi­lity

Social issues, materials and more

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.

The 8 health and safety rules of the

Fair Wear Foundation

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.

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.

Safe and healthy working conditions

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

No child labour

Young people may only work after the end of compulsory schooling: at the earlest at the age of 15.

Freedom of association

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

No discrimination

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

Legally binding employment relationship

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

Employment is freely chosen

No one should be forced to do a specific job.

system partner of

bluesign®

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.

bluesign®

PRODUCT

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

Coming 8/1
Tiger

Kids Wallet

Tiger
$17.00
$17.00
Coming 8/1
Fox

Small Friend

Fox
$49.00
$49.00
Coming 8/1
Otter

Small Friend

Otter
$49.00
$49.00
Dinosaur

Large Friend

Dinosaur
$67.00
$67.00
Unicorn

Small Friend

Unicorn
$49.00
$49.00
Coming 8/1
Shark

Small Friend

Shark
$49.00
$49.00
Coming 8/1
Tiger

Large Friend

Tiger
$67.00
$67.00
Dog Backpack Small Friend Affenzahn

Small Friend

Dog
$49.00
$49.00

Certified with the

Green Button

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!

From old ...

to new!

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®.

We recycle

From bottle to bag

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%.

Pet bottles are collected & sorted

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

The bottles are crushed & washed

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

Pellets are made

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

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!

Large Friend & PET

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

Bathtubs of water

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

No hot air

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