Sustainability

At LouLou, our mission is to design stylish leather accessories that make your life easier. With a passion for product, we look at every accessory from every angle. If it is not too heavy, the tires are long enough. Everything to ensure that you will enjoy your LouLou for as long as possible. As far as we are concerned, that pleasure starts at the base. It is of utmost importance to us that our designs are produced fairly. Together with our producer, we aim to keep as small as possible environmental footprint to leave behind and contribute to a sustainable fashion world. We are aware that we can always do better, but we also believe that we have already been able to take major steps. Read below how we and our producer do our best to achieve this.

 

Solar energy

All our products are produced in India and we are very proud that this happens in a workshop that is the only one in the world that runs 100% on solar energy! In addition, they use a new technique to collect rainwater, so that optimum use is made of water during the production process. Extra attention is also paid to this waste management, which means that all residual waste released during production is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.

Every season we do our best to ship all products by boat, because this has a lower impact on the environment than road or air traffic. It may happen that due to a late delivery, the products still have to be shipped via the aircraft. To prevent this, we try to tighten our schedule so that all products can be shipped on time by boat.

 

Durably dyed leather

The leather that we use for all our bags, wallets and accessories is dyed in an innovative way, so that the dirt that can be released is converted from liquid to a solid form. This prevents residual waste from seeping into the ground, causing soil contamination. By converting the residual waste into solid form, it can easily be collected, after which it can be destroyed locally. The guidelines for this have been drawn up by the Leather Working Group. Do you want to know more? Then be sure to click here.

 

Social sustainability

In addition to a lower impact on the environment, it is of course very important that all craftsmen in the workshop work under good conditions for a fair wage. We have a good relationship with the producer and regularly visit our workshop in India. In this way we witness the circumstances with our own eyes.

In addition to a fair wage and a good working environment, the craftsmen also have good secondary employment conditions. They receive annual bonuses based on their performance, they build up pension and accommodation is provided for employees who have to travel a great distance to work. In addition, trainings and workshops are regularly given in which employees can further develop their skills.

 

Female empowerment

Many women from economically disadvantaged areas have not had the opportunity to learn skills that will enable them to find good employment. A special program for these women offers them the opportunity to receive training to develop these skills and to become part of the team of craftsmen in our workshop. In this way these women can work on their future and support themselves and their families.

Single parents receive extra support, so that they can go to work without stress and can continue to take care of their child (ren). In this way they can follow various training courses on nutrition, finance and they can make use of free childcare.

 

Certification 

Our producer in India has a SA8000 certification. This is an international certificate that you can obtain if you as a company meet certain social and environmentally-friendly conditions. This means that they have developed a socially acceptable workplace with enough opportunities for employees to develop themselves. They are consciously concerned with the impact on the environment through activities with employees, partners and suppliers. Read more about the SA8000 certificate here.