Environmental Statement
Hans-Joachim Wowerat GmbH is a medium-sized, family-run company based in Solingen, Germany. For 65 years and now in its third generation, we have been passionately distributing all types of hosiery and complementary products (e.g. underwear, gloves and accessories). We offer our customers a diverse and commercially attractive product range.
Our management is fully aware of its responsibility for sustainability, particularly in times of climate change. Developing our company in a way that conserves natural resources and minimises environmental impact is therefore an important consideration in our business decision-making. We aim to avoid environmental impact wherever possible and, where it cannot be avoided, to keep it to an absolute minimum. We also strive to raise awareness among our employees, partners and customers. Once a year, our employees receive training on our current environmental objectives and are encouraged to take these into account in their daily activities.
We are committed to consistently implementing the environmental standards applicable to our location, regularly reviewing them and adapting them where necessary.
We do not pursue business growth at the expense of the environment. Our Sustainability Officer, Ms Liv Leeser, is particularly committed to this area and actively promotes sustainable business practices throughout the company.
An important foundation of our commitment is our GOTS certification. Our company is audited once a year by the independent certification body KIWA and certified accordingly. Through close cooperation with selected suppliers who are also certified, we are able to label part of our product range with the GOTS seal and offer these products in accordance with the high environmental and social standards of the Global Organic Textile Standard.
Waste
Avoiding waste is our highest priority. Where waste cannot be avoided, we aim to achieve the highest possible level of recyclability through careful waste separation. Our cardboard packaging and office paper are FSC-certified and are reused wherever possible. We also reuse intact cardboard boxes in which our goods are delivered for shipping products to our customers.
We collect paper waste separately from other waste and have it recycled locally by Eugen Scalabrin Recycling GmbH in Solingen. An organic waste bin is available for biodegradable household waste. Green waste and garden waste are disposed of at the municipal composting facility. The use of recycled paper for paper towels in our washrooms is standard practice for us.
Emissions
When awarding service contracts, we give preference to regional partners wherever possible in order to keep travel distances short and reduce emissions. Most recently, we changed our cleaning service provider in order to support a regional company in this area as well. For energy-intensive parcel shipping, the company relies on emission-free transport options or compensation for the emissions generated.
Electric vehicle charging facilities are also available on our premises.
In 2025, we replaced our old lighting with new LED lighting. We also installed motion sensors in passageways and other transit areas to further reduce electricity consumption.
We strive to operate as energy-efficiently as possible and encourage our employees to do the same. This includes switching off lights during breaks, turning off electronic devices when they are not required and ventilating office spaces in an energy-efficient manner during the heating season. We aim to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and source at least 45% of our energy mix from renewable sources.
In addition, a photovoltaic system has been installed on the roof of our first warehouse building.
By 2030, we aim to install a photovoltaic system on the roof of our second warehouse building as well.
In 2025, we planted three trees on our company premises to actively contribute to environmental protection and promote the greening of our city.
Furthermore, we continuously work to optimise our warehouse logistics in order to shorten transport routes and further reduce the energy consumption of our operating equipment.
Resources
By 2028, we aim to make our product range largely free of plastic packaging components. We have already redesigned the packaging of some of our hosiery products accordingly.
For items 2170, 2160 and 2162, we have replaced plastic hanging hooks with a punched hole in the product label that can be used directly for hanging the products. Whenever we place new orders, we also review whether the labels of the products ordered can be further optimised.
We also aim to reduce paper consumption in our offices by 10% by 2028.
To help achieve this goal, we introduced automatic electronic invoicing in 2024. As a result, our customers now automatically receive their invoices and shipping information by email. In the long term, our goal is to operate a paperless office.
Furthermore, by 2030 we aim to convert our order-picking process to a scanner-based system in order to save paper and further reduce surplus stock.
We keep product waste to a minimum by selling surplus and clearance stock and donating remaining products wherever possible.
Before printing our catalogues, we carefully assess the required print run to ensure resource-efficient production. By offering our catalogue as a digital download, we have already been able to significantly reduce the number of printed copies. This helps us avoid surplus copies while also reducing emissions, as fewer catalogues need to be produced and transported.
Health
The company has taken measures to create ergonomic workplaces and promote the health and well-being of its employees, for example by providing height-adjustable desks and individually adaptable workstations.
In addition to environmentally conscious practices, Hans-Joachim Wowerat GmbH is committed to social responsibility. We provide our employees with drinking water in reusable deposit bottles and use Fairtrade coffee grounds or coffee beans for our coffee machines.
We also provide our employees with organic fruit for their consumption.
Through its comprehensive sustainability strategy, Hans-Joachim Wowerat GmbH demonstrates its commitment to environmental and social responsibility across all areas of the company.
