Jack Wolfskin began tightening up its list of harmful substances July 1 three months earlier than originally planned in a bid to take a leadership position in developing a sustainable supply chain. The German outdoor company, which does not yet distributed in North America, has set a goal of achieving a pollutant-free supply chain by 2020.
Jack Wolfskin’s Green Book, or Restricted Substances List (RSL), explicitly bans many chemicals outright. Only naturally occurring trace contaminants, or those which are unavoidable as a result of the steps further up the supply chain, are allowed.
Jack Wolfskin suppliers are contractually obligated to uphold the requirements and to make sure they do, the company uses random third party inspections by accredited laboratories.
In addition to banning certain substances, the Green Book significantly lowers limits for others below what is permitted by the European Union’s REACH legislation. For instance, it has reduced the limit for phthalates from 1,000 mg/kg to a maximum of 50 mg/kg per trace contaminant. The company has also adjusted its limit on allergenic and carcinogenic disperse dyes in line with the current state of analytics from 5 to 1.0 mg/l.
To avoid all harmful substances, including fluorinated compounds, in its production processes by 2020, Jack Wolfskin has partnered on basic and applied research with with Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht and Fresenius University of Applied Sciences.
Jack Wolfskin products are currently available in more than 600 franchise stores and at over 4,000 points of sale across Europe and Asia.
