Nature provides us with the setting for our outdoor activities, and protecting nature is thus fundamental to our existence and our livelihoods. This is why we as a company have committed ourselves to protecting the environment and nature, using resources conscientiously. This applies both to our direct environmental impacts resulting from our business operations and to our production sites.
We also take steps that ensure that our footwear is produced and finished in an environmentally conscious manner, that material is optimally used and that our transport operations respect the environment. We reuse materials and raw materials whenever possible.
The goal of zero pollution is a major part of these efforts. We use a Restricted Substances List to either completely eliminate chemical substances from our products or to reduce them to the legal minimum.
We endeavour to avoid or reduce waste wherever possible. An environmentally responsible, legally compliant form of disposal must be assured and should be documented.
Protecting our climate and reducing greenhouse gases are essential if we want to save the environment. For this reason, we take steps in our business activities to achieve the goal set by the Paris Agreement of limiting the rise of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. We expect our business partners to make this commitment, too.
Increasing energy efficiency and boosting the use of renewable energy are explicit goals at LOWA. Since 2015, a large section of the company car park at the Jetzendorf site has been covered by a photovoltaic system. And since 2018, photovoltaic panels have been successively installed on the rooves of the warehouse and production buildings. Thus, we can meet around 45 percent of our annual power needs with solar power that has been produced on site. We use 100 percent green, hydroelectric power to satisfy the remaining demand.
We are also pursuing the expansion of renewable energies at our other locations.
45 percent of the electricity demand in Jetzendorf is covered by photovoltaic systems.
All of our sites provide a van and/or bus service to transport employees to and from work. This replaces individual car journeys, thus helping to cut carbon emissions.
In Jetzendorf, seven such small buses now replace the journeys of more than 50 individual vehicles – making a significant daily contribution to combating climate change. In addition, we have installed electric charging stations at our Jetzendorf and Priel sites.
Manufacture is always going to create some level of waste, and this is true of our production facilities, despite our best efforts. As much as we try to conserve materials and resources, there are still waste products such as punch remnants and leftover leather that aren’t suitable for further use in the traditional sense, in that the pieces are too small or are only available in small quantities.
Instead of throwing these away, we turn them into items such as our utensil bags, shoe care sets and pencil cases. Since the available material is always a bit different, the appearance and colour of these products can vary.
Despite switching to electronic communication in many cases, we are still a long way from having a fully paperless office. So LOWA uses 100% recycled paper that carries the Blue Angel mark.
LOWA products are designed to give our customers the best-possible outdoor experience. We want the people who purchase our products to use them in nature, enjoy nature and live in harmony with the natural world. We are also fully aware that there is an ambivalence here, in that many regions have been visibly damaged by overuse, which includes tourism and outdoor activities.
In order to do something about this problem, the LOWA staff have been taking part in a reforestation scheme in the Bavarian State Forests since 2001. The annual plantings financed by LOWA protect one of our most valuable ecosystems – the forest.
On a weekend in September or October, our employees make their way to the Bavarian mountain forests and slopes to plant over 500 young trees. As well as helping to expand and maintain a healthy mixed forest, this reforestation work also prevents mudslides and avalanches. The costs of the saplings, travel to the site, accommodation and meals are covered by LOWA.
LOWA staff plant around 500 trees annually
With the sale of our LOWINGO cuddly toy, we support the species protection projects of the WWF. We have also been cooperating with the Bavarian Landesbund für Vogelschutz, a regional society for the protection of birds, since 2021.
The WWF is one of the world’s largest nature conservation charities and works to protect nature, habitats and animal and plant species. The organisation has been active for more than 50 years and now carries out its work in over 100 countries. The WWF strives to stop the global destruction of nature and the environment and to create a future in which people and nature can live in harmony.
To convey a sense of fun and enjoyment of nature to parents and children, LOWA publishes the Adventure Booklet featuring the characters LO & WA. This biannual magazine is listed in the German National Library and has enjoyed great popularity amongst younger readers. Each issue includes stories for children and adults alike, lots of reading material and tips and tricks for cooking or craft projects. It is a fun way for children to learn more about animals, plants and the environment itself.
The peregrine falcon LOWINGO joins the siblings LO & WA on their adventures. The three friends got to know one another in the first issue of the Adventure Booklet. LOWINGO had become caught in a plastic bag and could not get free. LO & WA saved the trapped bird of prey and were awarded with a flute as an expression of thanks. The flute enables the siblings to become as small as a mouse. After shrinking themselves, they hop onto LOWINGO’s back and fly off to their next adventure – journeys that have already taken them to many countries in the world.