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Our goal: Reduce negative impact on the environment

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Sustainably responsible since 2010

We want a world where kids can be kids - free, playful and unburdened.

Since the founding of ergobag, we have passionately worked on being the most sustainable elementary school brand and to keep our ecological footprint as small as possible. All of this with the goal of creating and maintaining a liveable environment for the elementary school children of today.

Sustainability has not just been an important part of our brand DNA since foundation. We are proud of being a pioneer and role model for over 10 years, becoming better every year and setting new, high standards again and again.





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Meaningful recycling

It makes a lot of sense to us to give used materials a second life. This is why we have always used materials in our backpacks that are made of recycled PET bottles and have been turning "bottles to bags" for over 10 years.

We are also constantly trying to increase the amount of recyclable materials and successfully prove this with the new ECO HERO-Edition. Not only the external material, but rather also the interior and the mesh on the carrying system are made of 100% recycled PET. The buckles are made of sustainable castor oil and the straps are padded with algae foam from BLOOM™.

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No rubbish in - no rubbish out - clean production

The motto from bluesign® is to not use any hazardous materials during production to prevent chemicals from entering the environment and causing harm to people and nature.

Bluesign® certifies the production process during material production (in particular dyeing and fabric finishing). That is why we work with as many bluesign®-certified vendors as possible. Furthermore, we also do not use any per- and polyfluoride chemicals (PFC) for the water-repellent impregnation, because they are not biodegradable and we have converted our entire collection to a PFC-free impregnation.

Our pride and joy: with our bluesign® products, we have it what it takes to provide ultimate proof of our pioneer work regarding sustainability. With our ease, mini and ECO HERO-Edition products, we are the first school brand to completely satisfy the hard criteria from bluesign® for a clean product and a clean manufacturing process.

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Materials tested with care

The ergobag development team specifically selects robust fibers and yarns that are extensively tested in the textile laboratory for abrasion resistance, pilling, color fastness, tear resistance and waterproofness. To prevent color abrasion and ensure durability, we dye high-wear areas of the backpacks instead of printing them. We use PFC-free impregnation and bluesign®-certified fabrics to ensure safe and environmentally friendly production. In addition, independent testing institutes regularly test our materials for compliance with limit values for harmful substances so that we can ensure that our backpacks not only last the entire primary school period and beyond, but can also be worn without hesitation.

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Made from old clothes

The outer material of our particularly sustainable backpack designs is made from 100% recycled textiles! This means that we give discarded clothes and textile waste a new purpose and turn them into school backpacks. In this way, we help to conserve resources and reduce the use of new materials. An important step towards closing material cycles.

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Ethical Working Conditions

Of course, we also take on social responsibility for the people who sew together our schoolbags by hand. We see our producers as valued long-term partners and are in a very close, trusting dialog with them. As an independent body, the FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION additionally inspects the working conditions in the factories.

The FWF inspected our operations again in 2023/2024. Do we perform enough audits? Do we train our producers on working conditions? How high are the wages for our producers? We had to answer these and many more questions. And this year we were also successful and distinguished with the "Leader" status - the best-possible rating from Fair Wear. We therefore are among the elite circle of companies that hold this status.

Given the fact of the corona crisis, it was particularly important to the auditors for us to work closely and cooperatively with our producers during times of economic difficulty. A few large companies cancelled their orders without payment, which led to drastic waves of firings in the producing countries. Luckily we were able to prevent drastic actions, such as cancelling orders, and maintain close contact with our producers even during these difficult times.

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State seal for sustainable textiles: "Green button"

We carry products with the Green Button seal. Certified have been the backpacks ease s & m, as well as the ergobag mini.
As the first national seal, Green Button examines responsible companies and social and ecological sustainability in textile production. The seal includes 46 social and environmental criteria, while both social and ecological requirements must be complied with.

On the one hand, humane working conditions are in focus including compliance with minimum wages, work safety & a ban on forced labor. On the other hand, environment-friendly production plays an important role, for example, a ban on hazardous chemicals & softeners or the pollutant test for natural fibers used. In order to offer consumers certainty & the highest degree of transparency, independent inspection institutions, such as the TĂśV Nord, perform the certifications.

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Timeless and durable

We know that children's tastes change quickly sometimes. With timeless designs and many possibilities to individualize backpacks, for example, through velcro patches, pendants or zip sets, we ensure that the school backpack can change to your child's preferences and can accompany them throughout their entire elementary school career.

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Beauty from the inside - our sustainable milestones
2010
  • Foundation
2011
  • First use of recycled outer fabrics
2014
  • ergobag becomes a bluesign® system partner
2015
  • We provide transparency through the publication of our sewing companies & audit reports
2016
  • Membership in the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF)
2018
  • Obtainment of FWF Leader Status
  • First ECO HERO-Edition: PFC-free backpack (interior and exterior materials & mesh made of 100% recycled materials)
2019
  • First certified bluesign® PRODUCT & climate-neutral products: ease S. ease L & mini - offset by ClimatePartner
2020
  • Switch to PFC-free impregnation for all products
  • Publication of all suppliers of individual parts & subcontractorsbr
  • Introduction of the ECO-Hero collection consisting of 100% bluesign PRODUCTs and with a special focus on sustainability
2020
  • First use of bio-based plastic (castor oil)
  • First-time use of renewable raw materials (algae foam, BLOOM™ foam)
2021
  • Introduction of retraced for more transparency and traceability in our supply chains
  • 10 million recycled PET bottles for ergobag fabrics
2022
  • 5 consecutive years of Fair Wear Leader status
  • ergobag main supplier builds solar plant and now covers over 70% of annual energy needs through renewable energy
2023
  • Sustainability strategy 2030 with focus topics supply chain transparency, human rights & due diligence, CO2 reduction and circular economy
  • Joining the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for science-based CO2 reduction targets
  • Start of cooperation with Carbonfact to create detailed life cycle assessments at product level
2024
  • First comprehensive life cycle assessment for ergobag Cubo
Outlook

As the past has already shown, we have already reached a few milestones. Nevertheless, we won't stand still and work daily on making our footprint smaller and challenge ourselves again and again, year after year.