aunts and uncles

Environmental responsibility is a top priority

Aunts & uncles consistently works to minimize its environmental impact. Starting with saving energy and raw materials:

• For example, the tanneries are located in a modern, government-recognized and controlled area. Water consumption is subject to strict regulations. Wastewater disposal is carried out according to guidelines.
• Import and export of materials are strictly reviewed and taxed.
• Close collaboration with the local tanneries allows the label to continuously develop its formulas and make them more ecological. At the same time, social standards are supported and improved.
• The majority of the leather comes from tanneries that are members of the Leather Working Group, and thus aunts & uncles has earned "Gold Member" status by adhering to certain standards.

What is the Leather Working Group?

The Leather Working Group (LWG) is a nonprofit organisation that represents the world’s leading environmental certification for the leather industry. As a multi-stakeholder group, the LWG has over 1000 members from across the entire leather supply chain, including:

• Brands and retailers who sell leather products to consumers
• Leather manufacturers (also called tanneries)
• Traders of semi-processed and finished leather
• Manufacturers of leather clothing, shoes, and furniture
• Suppliers of chemicals, machinery, and testing procedures for the leather industry
• Associations within the leather industry and organisations connected to the leather industry.

Since 2005, LWG has identified the best environmental practices in the industry and developed guidelines for continuous improvement. They even offer a range of audit tools to assess the environmental performance of leather manufacturing companies and certify those that meet their standards.

Social responsibility at aunts & uncles 

The brand's main focus is on durable products. It takes social responsibility from the very beginning: from the first stroke in design to the repair service for its customers.

aunts & uncles maintains a long-standing relationship with its partners in Italy and India, creating a wonderful collaboration based on many personal visits and founded on the standards of quality, safety, health, and environmental protection. These standards are adhered to and monitored and certified by BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) and similar organisations.

The special materials

The leather primarily comes from the Netherlands, India, and Italy. The high quality of the leather and the fine mesh structure guarantee a very long lifespan. The materials are free from CFCs, PCBs, PCP, and formaldehyde.

A large part of the leather undergoes high or purely vegetable tanning. In addition, aunts & uncles uses particularly environmentally friendly leather that can be processed without vegetable tannins. The use of organic tannins is characterized by rapid biological degradation. To ensure that the leather contains no hazardous pollutants, the brand conducts repeated tests in globally accredited laboratories according to European regulations.