LOWA is not satisfied with second best. For this reason LOWA always offers its customers the best quality. This starts with the materials used and ends with the finished shoe. LOWA understands the demands on itself and on its performance as a guiding value for the high quality of its products.
LOWA selects only the highest-quality materials that meet all requirements related to the elimination of harmful substances. As part of this work, LOWA has compiled a restricted substances list for all products that is based on such international criteria as the CADS guidelines.
The company pays particularly close attention to the leather it uses. This natural product is the basis of many LOWA shoes and boots. LOWA works exclusively with European tanneries that practise a sustainable production philosophy.
The leather used by LOWA is mainly from European cattle. LOWA obtains about 70 per cent of its leather from its main supplier Heinen with headquarters in Wegberg, Germany. Other tanneries from which the company buys leather include VIVIANI from Zagreb (Croatia) and DANI from Arzignano (Italy) and DERCOSA from Cheste (Spain). All of the tanneries were carefully selected, in part because their company philosophies of ecological and socially responsible production align perfectly with LOWA’s own philosophy.
LOWA obtains about 70 per cent of its leather from its main supplier Heinen with headquarters in Wegberg, Germany.
Aside from leather, LOWA also uses textile uppers and linings. Guidelines such as those regarding the elimination of harmful substances naturally apply to all materials used. These include, for example:
LOWA does not use Merino wool from sheep that have undergone mulesing, down feathers, milk or other food fibres, nano-technology, antiperspirants, biocides or antifungal agents.
A broad array of individual components goes into the production of high-quality outdoor and mountaineering boots. For decades, LOWA has been successfully drawing on innovative technologies offered by external partners to produce boots that meet all needs and requirements.
Vibram
Vibram has been one of the leading brands of high-quality soles for many years.
GORE-TEX
During the winter, the GORE-TEX membrane equipped with a cosy and warm lining (80% polyester and 20% wool) provides optimal comfort.
PrimaLoft®
PrimaLoft® insulation is a synthetic, water-repelling insulation fibre. The exceptional warming performance delivered while keeping the weight down and offering the best compressibility is produced by a particularly thin polyester fibre. These ultra-fine polyester micro-fibres are bonded to one another at millions of contact points through the use of heat. This creates a tightly adhered fibre mesh that mimics the structure and functionality of down while countless small air chambers are created. The body’s warmth is trapped here while the cold outside air is effectively repelled.
The word “vegan” can be defined in various ways. Using uppers made of fabric instead of leather gets you halfway there in the process for boots. Neither leather nor animal wool is used in all boots of the All Terrain Sport collection and of some other models. No animal glues are used to make the boots either.
But the process used to demonstrate that no animal products are used in all components is fairly elaborate. It takes real detective work to determine whether the dyes, chemicals, enhancement substances, etc. are free of animal parts. The main reason for this is that a very large number of individual pieces and components are used to make high-quality outdoor boots. The INNOX model, for instance, has more than 150 parts. It is nearly impossible to examine all of these criteria. LOWA is also unable to make any credible statement regarding the very strict vegan criteria that require, among other things, that no animal experiments were conducted on the materials used in the boots and that all plant fibres were produced by certified organic farms.
LOWA is one of the founding members of cads e.V., an association of manufacturers and suppliers under the umbrella of the German Shoe Institute that seeks to prevent the use of harmful substances in shoes. All member companies have voluntarily committed themselves to meeting the deliberately demanding requirements of the cads e.V. guideline entitled “Catalogue of restricted substances in shoes”.
Cads e.V. has set itself the aim of formulating minimum requirements and promoting dialogue with NGOs with respect to critical substances. The elaborated “Catalogue of restricted substances in shoes” was created in close coordination with a renowned independent testing and research institute in Pirmasens, Germany.
Furthermore, LOWA meets all the requirements regarding harmful substances imposed by Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 (REACH). With a view to Article 33 of REACH, LOWA assures its products and their packaging do not contain any of the substances specified in the latest version of the candidate list in accordance with Article 59 (1) of Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 (REACH).
Furthermore, for all products LOWA has drawn up a <a href="https://www.cads-shoes.com/en/documents“ target=”blank">“Restricted Substances List” that conforms to the CADS guideline and specifies prohibited substances or those that can only be used in limited quantities. Among other commitments, the company guarantees that it does not use leather tanned with chromium (VI) and ensures no toxic chromium (VI) is formed from chromium (III) during storage. LOWA spot-checks its materials for harmful substances, with tests carried out by the company itself and by recognised external laboratories.
