Responsibility is the foundation of Elvang

OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibility is both the starting point and the centre of all the decisions we make at Elvang. For us, sustainability is about taking responsibility for the people we work with, about working with qualities and materials that last, and about making choices throughout the process that favour both the environment and animal welfare. We have signed the UN Global Compact initiative, which has corporate social responsibility and sustainable production as core areas, and as one of very few Danish companies, we are also classified at the highest level as a Guaranteed Member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).
 

RESPONSIBILITY IN PRACTICE
We have carefully selected our suppliers to match our commitment to responsible behaviour. We have chosen to produce locally in Peru, where our primary material, alpaca wool, comes from, partly because we are helping to preserve the tradition of quality craftsmanship that Peruvians have upheld for millennia. By using local materials and production facilities, we also contribute to keeping both labour and finances in the local community.

A key factor in our choice of production is that our business partner operates a workplace where labour conditions are a top priority. Since the company's beginning in 2003, we have therefore worked closely with one of Peru's major weaving mills, which operates in accordance with a comprehensive CSR programme. Among other things, there is medical care at the weaving mill that employees and their families can consult free of charge, employees decide whether they want to work overtime, and there is no child labour. Wages are above the country's official minimum wage, employees' children receive free educational assistance, and a CSR manager and a union representative have been appointed. Finally, our subcontractors - Peru's poor alpaca shepherds - receive free training on how to improve their business and their living conditions in a number of other areas.

RECYCLED
80% of our collection is made from recycled wool from our local supplier. This means that our products are made from wool from other productions that would otherwise often be considered waste and therefore discarded. By pulling the wool apart, the original fibres emerge and new yarn can be spun and woven into new textiles. In this way, we help to utilise already existing resources, which instead of ending up as waste, are given a new life with us. In order to reuse the fibres, a few percent artificial fibres (polyamide and polyacrylic) are added to the recycled wool. These man-made fibres bind the short natural fibres, which ensures that the products do not fluff and thus last for many years to come.

In addition, when using recycling wool, you don't have full control over which fibres are included. Some products contain man-made fibres, which will naturally end up in the recycled wool. Therefore, our recycled wool textiles may contain a small percentage of man-made fibres. However, this is such a small proportion of the total material that it does not affect the performance of the products.

SUSTAINABILITY
In our overall resource calculation, transport from our production in Peru naturally plays a significant role. We want to avoid air freight as much as possible to minimise our carbon footprint, and our guideline is that at least 90% of our production must be shipped by sea.

Elvang Denmark is one of very few companies in Denmark that has achieved Guaranteed Member status with the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). This means that we are committed to complying with WFTO's 10 principles for fair trade. This certification guarantees that our entire value chain has been analysed and meets the requirements for fair trade - and this applies to both the company in Denmark and our Peruvian suppliers.

At WFTO, it's not just the products that are certified, but the entire way of doing business. In our case, this means, among other things, that we commit to teaching the local alpaca herders how to optimise and improve their business. A Guaranteed Member certification with WFTO must be renewed every two years, which ensures that the 10 principles are consistently and continuously met:

1. To create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
2. Transparency and accountability
3. Responsible business practices
4. Paying a fair price
5. Avoiding child and forced labour
6. Anti-discrimination, equality and freedom of association
7. Healthy and safe working conditions
8. Capacity building
9. Promoting Fair Trade
10. Sustainable environmental management