Workplace wellbeing: Bike to Work facilities: bike storage, bike purchase scheme, showers and changing room. Each Friday, there is “Fresh Friday” where healthy snacks and food are offered. For example, home made bread and houmous, soups made using local vegetables, organic meats from local suppliers ,etc… All manufacturing is undertaken within the OSHAS 18001, flex time available and help with child care vouchers, non discriminatory policy.
CSR: - At the end of the season, used socks are send to Nepal for the porter and Sherpa communites. It’s the same for returned socks from the consumers. Last year at least 800 pairs were sent to Nepal.
Investment in local communities: 100% of production takes place in the USA.
Environmental site management: The company purchases wind energy certificates from Renewable Choice to match 100% of office and manufacturing electricity and recycles all it’s genral waste. Use of videoconferencing. Training sessions are organized for employees : they tend to be only 50% about the product. The rest of the time the focus is on sustainability, eco standpoint, what people can do to help in their local community and the partners that they work with. Catalogues are printed on 100% post consumer recycled & FSC certified papers, and use vegetable based inks. Teko employs a full time director of sustainability.
Education & information: Tips for making more sustainable choices, including care instructions, and information relevant to consumers for applying sustainable principles are available on product packaging and on the company website/blog.
Environmental commitments: Teko supports The Conservation Alliance (http://www.conservationalliance.com) and John Muir Trust (http://www.jmt.org/) and now the Lake District National Park (http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/) & Waldpatenschaft (http://www.waldpatenschaft.ch). A percentage of each product sold is provided as a donation to JMT, Conservation Alliance and LDNP on an annual basis. With Waldpatenschaft, Tekosocks works closely with a disabled charity who knit ‘Sock Monkeys’ from some of socks which have been manufactured incorrectly. When a consumer purchases one of these they also get a piece of land in a forest to help protect it for future generations. Teko is currently in talk with 1% for the planet and EOCA.
Durability: Any returned products are fully examined by the R&D team and any relevant feedback is given to the design team.
Eco design actions:Polyester is 100% recycled and recyclable . Wool comes from farms which do not practice mulesing. Use of a new yarn that requires 15% less water in its production. These actions concern all socks at different levels.
Non toxicity: The wool used is Bluesign (www.bluesign.com) and Oekotex (www.oeko-tex.com) certified, recycled polyester is certified to the MBDC silver standard (www.mbdc.com/c2c/): MBDC Certified dyeing in USA, Use of a McDonough Braunart Design Chemistry certified dye house. This certification represents a commitment to the use of non-toxic dyes, alternative energy sources, water protection guidelines and transparency in corporate ethics and fair labor practices.
Packaging & logistics:Shipping of products only by sea. Packaging is now 30% smaller and made with fully recycled and recyclable cardboard and printed with non toxic vegetable inks.
