processes & chemicals
Our Environmental Standards for Suppliers
Clearly defined standards apply to our suppliers with regard to environmental protection which, among other things, we have laid down as mandatory in the Supplier Code of Conduct. The principles of environmental protection set out in the HUGO BOSS Environmental and Forest Conservation Policy, which is publicly available, also apply to all of the Company's suppliers. In addition to climate protection, the policy also includes chemical and wastewater management and other environmental aspects.
Eliminating hazardous substances
Producing leather and textile products requires the use of chemicals in several steps along the supply chain. Together with its suppliers, HUGO BOSS works toward ensuring that these chemicals are used responsibly. HUGO BOSS requires its suppliers and employees to comply with and implement the requirements outlined in the HUGO BOSS Chemical Management Policy. The aim is to ensure that product development and production happen in a way that is less harmful to the environment, which means that we use resources like water and chemicals responsibly. This is not only to improve safety for customers and industrial workers, but also as a key factor in minimizing the supply chain’s environmental impacts. That’s why HUGO BOSS also works together with industry-wide initiatives like ZDHC and strives to optimize the use of chemicals and wastewater management together with its suppliers.
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Raw materials
Different chemicals are used in the production of fabric and trimmings – whether as pesticides in cotton cultivation, in the production of synthetic fibers or in the finishing of fabrics.
To reduce the use of chemicals, HUGO BOSS works toward using materials from preferred sources such as organic cotton.
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Manufacturing
Our natural capital evaluation showed that, in particular, processes using water or chemicals in production – such as dyeing or tanning – have major environmental impacts due to high water and energy consumption, as well as potential pollution. If hazardous substances are released via the wastewater without pre-treatment for example, this can affect water quality and thus also the water supply for local communities. HUGO BOSS is working with its partners to reduce hazardous chemical usage and on functioning wastewater treatment. An important tool for this is the introduction of effective chemical management in the supply chain.
To support suppliers in this, we have been a member of the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Program since 2017. The program is based on the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL), which lists hazardous chemicals which cannot be present in chemical formulations above a defined threshold value. This, in combination with educational material, training, and standardized assessments helps our partners to continuously improve their chemical management.
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Final product
HUGO BOSS observes high safety standards for its products. For this reason, in particular, compliance with the HUGO BOSS Restricted Substance List (RSL) is mandatory for partners and suppliers at every stage in the supply chain.
With the HUGO BOSS RSL, the company defines strict maximum amounts of specific chemicals that can be contained in products. Compliance is verified by regular product tests that HUGO BOSS commissions from third-party laboratories. The RSL is regularly updated and is based on the RSL of the industry-wide Apparel & Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Group initiative, which HUGO BOSS is member of.
Reducing Environmental Impacts in Denim Production
For example, we conducted a workshop together with one of our strategic suppliers and Jeanologia to explore ways of improving the washing recipe used in production. The EIM platform, therewith, supports us in advancing progress towards our sustainability goals such as our chemical management target.