To help us become a more ethical and responsible company we have identified five important focus areas.

Our five focus areas include transparency, creating forward-thinking products, minimizing plastics, ethical and fair working conditions, and customer engagement.

Transparency is necessary for us to know the many processes throughout our supply chain, understanding our impact and together with our partners reduce it and find better solutions. We will do this by systematically mapping our partners, honestly sharing knowledge, identifying risk countries and by building strong supplier relations.

SUPPLIER MAPPING – COMPLYING WITH SDG #12

Transparency requires a constant mapping of every supplier involved. We are continuously working to keep track and record of the suppliers in every tier of our supply chain:

• Tier 1: The finals stage of production, usually the cutting and sewing facilities that make our designs come to life
• Tier 2: The steps that transform materials into textiles such as knitters/weavers, dyeing, printing, and other wet processing units
• Tier 3: The very beginning of our products journey, which includes the raw material suppliers, such as farmers or textile recyclers, and yarn spinners

HONESTY & KNOWLEDGE SHARING – COMPLYING WITH SDG #12

We openly share our CSR work, along with our policies. To share insight into this on going process and the challenges we face, we annually publish a CSR-report. We have established a dedicated CSR contact point, where we encourage people to share input that can help us improve. This contact is also available to answer any questions concerning our CSR work. Please write to responsibility@baumundpferdgarten.com.

RISK COUNTRIES – COMPLYING WITH SDG #6 & 10

To help us evaluate and prioritise where risks are present, we use the Amfori BSCI country risk classification. The classification highlights the countries where we need to be extra aware of the treatment of the workers.

SUPPLIER RELATIONS – COMPLYING WITH SDG #12

We believe in engaging dialogue, improving practices and fixing problems rather than abandoning them. Terminating a contract with a supplier is always the last resort. We define our long terms suppliers as those we have worked with for at least five years. While we use external audits to gain insight into our suppliers' facilities, we also aim to visit them on a regular basis. Through personal visits, we strengthen relationships and gain first-hand insight into how standards are being met.

By carefully managing chemicals, setting strict requirements, and phasing out those that cause harm, we work to protect the health of customers, workers, and the environment.

Our focus is on longevity and design with a full circle mindset, using materials and processes with a lower environmental impact, which can be a part of a closed-loop system - this is our definition of a forward-thinking product. Several components are important in this process: better materials, recyclable products, improving processes and chemical awareness.

BETTER MATERIALS - COMPLYING WITH SDG # 6, 12 AND 15

Material choices play a significant role in the overall impact of our products — in many cases, they account for a large share of the environmental footprint. When selecting materials, we aim to balance design, function, and lower-impact alternatives wherever possible.

To guide our decisions, we use five practical considerations — the five C’s:

Cares for the planet

The material has a lower environmental footprint compared to conventional alternatives, based on available data.

Cares for animals

If animals are involved in the material’s production, we consider how they are treated and aim to avoid materials linked to poor welfare practices.

Complements form

The material should achieve the intended look and feel without requiring heavy modification, chemical treatment, or excessive processing.

Complements function

The material should perform as expected in everyday use and care — without needing unusual maintenance to stay functional.

Complements longevity

The material should be durable enough to support long-term use, helping extend the product’s useful life.

We have created a Preferred Material Guide that serves as a tool for our designers and product developers to work systematically in making better material choice.

Favoured materials represent those we define as the best choice.

Better materials represent those we consider a better choice.

Phase Out materials represent those that we aim to reduce the use of and replace with better or favoured materials.

Banned materials represent those that under no circumstances are acceptable in our products

* Mohair is banned unless from audited farms, complying with the Mohair Industry Sustainable Guidelines

** Synthetics including but not limited to polyester, nylon, elastane.

We continuously evaluate how our products are packaged and transported, and we look for smarter ways to reduce our use of plastic.

Plastic remains a necessary material in parts of our business — both for protecting products during shipping and as a component in certain fabrics due to its durability and versatility.

REDUCING OUR USE OF PLASTIC – COMPLYING WITH SDG # 12

While we have not eliminated plastic use, we continue to reduce our reliance on it where possible. We actively look for alternatives and use recycled plastics and recycled synthetic fibres when viable and we aim to ensure that the plastic we use is either recycled, recyclable, or compostable — depending on what current infrastructure allows.

We have already eliminated plastic carrier bags in our store and replaced them with reusable cotton tote bags — a small but important step.

We also share care instructions to help customers reduce microplastic shedding when washing synthetic materials, including recommendations for filters and laundry bags.

We expect everyone involved in our supply chain to be treated with fairness and respect. That includes being free from discrimination and having access to safe, decent working conditions. Wages should reflect the worker’s role, skills, and effort — not personal background or identity.

Our Animal Welfare Policy sets out clear expectations, and we continue to refer to it when selecting suppliers or sourcing animal-based materials.

We recognise that the people and animals connected to our supply chain deserve to be treated with dignity. Our Code of Conduct and ongoing supplier dialogue help us address issues such as wages, safety, and reasonable working hours. These tools support our efforts to maintain ethical standards and encourage transparency in the production of our products.

HUMAN RIGHTS & HONEST WORK - COMPLYING WITH SDG #10

We stay in touch with our suppliers to better understand working conditions, wages, and the challenges they face. Where possible, we take their input into account when planning production, aiming to avoid contributing to unrealistic expectations or unnecessary pressure

We have policies in place that promote equal treatment and aim to prevent discrimination based on age, background, gender, nationality, religion, or sexuality. We do not accept harassment or any form of mistreatment in our supply chain. These principles are reflected in our Human Rights Policy and Code of Conduct.

ANIMAL WELFARE - COMPLYING WITH SDG #12

When animal-based materials are part of our products, we acknowledge our responsibility to consider how animals are treated in the supply chain. We refer to our Animal Welfare Policy to guide our choices and to avoid materials linked to clearly harmful practices.

Our policy outlines a few minimum expectations, such as not accepting materials sourced through mulesing, live-plucking, or force-feeding.

We cannot extend the life of our products on our own  involving our customers is essential. We provide guidance on how to care for garments through care labels and through our care & repair guide.

We encourage customers to repair, share, or resell products instead of discarding them when they are no longer needed. These small actions can help extend the use of each item.