HAKRO MILE STONE 2023: CERTIFICATION “CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED®”

The global standard ‘Cradle to Cradle Certified®’ is awarded by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII), a non-profit organisation that aims to promote the circular economy and ensure safe products. In the certification process, the institute checks material and product properties in relation to five categories: Material Health, Material Cycle, Renewable Energy, Water Management and Social Responsibility. The certifications are based on strict criteria and are divided into bronze, silver, gold and platinum levels. The levels reflect not only the quality of the individual components of a product, but also the depth of data collection.

With 14 T-shirts and polo shirts made from 100% cotton from its partner company in Bangladesh, the corporate clothing supplier HAKRO GmbH achieved ‘C2C Certified®’ certification at bronze level straight away. ‘We want to be the leading provider of integrated sustainable corporate clothing by 2030,’ says Carmen Kroll, who is the second generation to manage the medium-sized family business with 200 employees. ‘After we became the first provider of corporate clothing to make our entire collection climate-neutral at the beginning of 2022, the C2C Certified® certification of our cotton products from Bangladesh is another milestone in our sustainable business strategy.’ She sees this first ‘C2C Certified®’ certification process as a pilot project and already has her sights set on the comprehensive expansion of ‘C2C Certified®’ certifications for HAKRO.

Antonia Hammel, responsible for the ‘C2C Certified®’ certification at HAKRO, comments: ‘A ’C2C Certified®" certification is a very demanding and complex process from all points of view. Achieving bronze status with 14 products is a great success, but for HAKRO it's just the beginning. In line with our high standards in all sustainability issues, we also want to have the model range from other production sites certified."

Commenting on the decision to undergo the first ‘C2C Certified®’ certification for HAKRO T-shirts and polo shirts from Bangladesh, project manager Antonia Hammel from the Purchasing, Quality & Development department says: ‘Our long-standing production partner in Bangladesh runs a vertically integrated operation that bundles several production stages at one location, so that we were able to obtain the comprehensive data required for certification from a single source.’

Implementing a genuine circular economy is still a major challenge in many areas, including the textile industry. Although the ‘Cradle to Cradle Certified®’ certification guarantees the recyclability of textiles and thus their suitability in principle for closed material cycles, the certificate alone is not enough to make this a reality. "For a complete translation of the recyclability of materials into actual closed-loop management, more is needed than a commitment at company level. Currently, for example, there is still a lack of corresponding industry infrastructure in Germany. But HAKRO has staying power, and we are working shoulder to shoulder with like-minded market players, pioneers, NGOs and providers of joint solutions to achieve this goal," says Antonia Hammel, describing HAKRO's corporate commitment.

HAKRO Managing Director Carmen Kroll explains why the company has been acting comprehensively and consistently sustainably for many years: "Sustainability is not a marketing trend for us. At HAKRO, sustainability is right at the top of the agenda and is an integral part of our integrated sustainable business strategy. Our aim is to set a good example in the textile industry, to show what is possible and to encourage other companies to take the path to a sustainable future seriously."