For us, sustainability is a synonym for high-quality, durable, and long-lasting items. Items that you can use again and again for years to come. Because the longer something lasts, the lesser the need to replace it is. Our intention is to create true investment pieces with high-quality leather that will be loved and passed down to new generations. As it is our customers that use and experience our products, they are also the ones most capable of discovering any problems our designs might have. We, therefore, actively provide first-rate customer service, through which we can review their feedback, allowing us to refine our products as well as reduce and prevent future defects. This way, we work to ensure that our products can stand the test of time.

Since 2017, we have been producing our bags at Pelletteria Graziella. This Italian factory resides in Riviera Del Brenta, an area known for its high-end leather manufacturing industry. We have built a personal relationship with the owners and all their craftsmen producing our bags. They are passionate about their craftmanship and production, a passion which is evident in the details of each of our products. Italians are proud of the quality they deliver, as is the case for the craftsmen from Pelletteria Graziella. All of Wandler’s products are produced in Italy, and we aim to stay local and reduce transportation when we can. As such, a considerable number of our hardware and leather suppliers in Italy lie within a one-hour drive radius.

Leather comes from animal hides. However, we believe that it is wrong to kill animals solely for the purpose of crafting fashion products. For this reason, we never use exotic or virgin leathers. On the contrary, all our leather is produced with hides that are by-products from the food industry. Furthermore, we will be following the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), a list of chemical substances banned from intentional use in facilities processing textile materials, including leather, which our manufacturing partner has signed off on. This means that we will not make use of any of the restricted hazardous chemicals listed by the ZDHC.

LEATHER WORKING GROUP

Wandler is a member of the Leather Working Group (LWG), and all our leather is LWG certified. LWG is a not-for-profit organisation working with continuously evolving audit standards covering environmental and social criteria to measure and certify leather suppliers. Their journey began as a collaboration between brands and leather manufacturers, and they have since worked with more than 680 brands in over 60 countries, impacting around one third of the world’s leather production. They wish to drive best practices within the leather industry, namely reducing emissions, increasing transparency and due diligence in the supply chain, and improving resource efficiency and working conditions. LWG also presents its members with the opportunity to participate actively, empowering us to use our insight and experiences to contribute to LWG’s goals.

A part of Wandler’s responsibility as a company bringing products into the world is to minimize the waste we leave behind. Therefore, we work with the ‘Order on Demand’ principle – we only place orders with our manufacturers when a product has been ordered by a customer. Consequently, we avoid overproduction and overstocking. Ending up with leftover material is a common issue, one we wish to avoid as best as possible. The high quality of the leather that we work hard on creating and maintaining does not fade as the leather becomes leftover in the production. As such, when we have batches of leftover leather, the volume changing from season to season, we aim to reuse as much of it as we can in upcoming seasons or special make-ups. It goes into the production of small leather goods and small components used in our pieces. In case the leftover leather has scratches and cannot be made into products, it finds its use as first prototypes, which we make in-house, thus also avoiding oversampling.

BAGS

Protecting a leather bag until it reaches its destination requires appropriate packaging. For boxes and hangtags, Wandler uses FSC-certified materials. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) works for the protection of biodiversity, the preservation of the rights of indigenous people, as well as for forest conservation and restoration. The paper covering the boxes and bags is recycled, and the dustbags in which we place the leather bags are made of organic cotton. To shield the metal hardware on the bag, we wrap it in bio-based polybags made from renewable resources such as plant waste and algae. Finally, the paper used inside our luxury boxes contains post-consumer waste, for instance from kiwis.

SHOES

Just as we work to protect our bags on their way to their new home, so we work to protect our shoes. Here, the paper used to make the hangtags as well as to cover and fill the box and shoes is recycled, while the material used both inside and outside the luxury box is FSC-certified and recycled. The dustbag in which we place the shoes is made of BCI cotton. Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world, educating cotton farmers and working with them to create better yields, working conditions, and financial security.

WEBSHOP

Our webshop orders are delivered to our customers in 100% recyclable plastic. The double glue strips also allow the receiver to easily reuse the shipping bag.
We will continue to educate ourselves on the possibilities and new innovative alternatives seeing the light of day within the packaging realm.

People are the heart of our operations; only with a committed and competent team are we able to remain on the course of becoming the progressive and creative business we want to be. To ensure that we only work with partners that share our values regarding high quality, fair working conditions, proper pay, and protection of workers’ rights, we require that our suppliers sign our Code of Conduct. 

With our base in Amsterdam, where there are more bikes than residents, the majority of our team bikes to the office. We urge all employees to use public transportation as much as possible when needing to travel and the bike does not suffice.