We develop and produce articles with the aim of acting sustainably along the entire value chain. We take responsibility for what we do and carefully examine what effects this has on people and the environment.
We select all production materials according to our criteria, so that only components are used that meet our expectations with regard to this responsibility. We produce stylish, sustainable bags and backpacks for everyday use.
7cloud's responsibility in relation to material, environment and social
shipping boxes
7clouds celebrates over 10 years of shipping with used shipping boxes.
Since we were founded, we have not used a single new shipping carton to deliver to our customers, which we are very proud of. Of course, we will continue this sustainable concept in the future.
Many words about a box:
To supply our shop customers, we reuse the boxes that we receive when the goods are delivered from the production facility. Of course, we deliver our online orders in smaller boxes.
To this end, we have developed a network of relationships with shops, which put boxes aside for us.
Once a week we drive to the stores to pick up the reusable boxes. The collection takes place within a radius of 20 km from our company headquarters. In recent years we have already been able to reuse well over 50,000 boxes.
We would like to thank the participating shops, which support us in the idea of saving resources. It is clear that the personnel effort involved is far greater for everyone involved than if boxes were thrown away or new goods were delivered. After the boxes have been collected, the adhesive tape is removed, the adhesive label removed with a hot-air blower and sorted by size.
Let's ask ourselves the question:
Do we need super nice packaging - or reasonable content?
The boxes we use are closed exclusively with paper adhesive tape. The shipping envelopes for delivery notes are also made from recycled paper.
All our products leave our shipping warehouse with a paper sticker saying:
HELLO I'm a recycled BOX
It's clear that our mailer boxes won't win a beauty contest, but maybe the idea behind it!
The repair service we set up is part of our sustainability strategy.
If a repair is due, we will repair the product for our customers within the two-year warranty period, according to our motto:
«Repair instead of replacing and throwing away».
If a product proves to be irreparable and we have to replace it, we remove individual parts such as zipper slides, metal fasteners, belt buckles, etc. These are used again for any other repairs.
Tarpaulin material is cut out of the product and reused in the upcycled RFID wallets.
The production of the upper material by 7clouds
We also try to select our producers in the manufacture of raw materials in such a way that our products precede a philosophy that is consistent with us even before production begins.
The supplier of the upper material SRF India has a long tradition in the areas of ecology, social affairs and education.
SRF seeks the balance between the needs of society for environmentally friendly production and stable environmental conditions.
The company not only protects the given environmental situation, but also actively promotes and invests in production solutions for health promotion and in the sustainable use of the ecosystem.
The company understands its responsibility to minimize environmental pollution by reducing waste and emissions in production.
Reduction of coal, energy containment, water balance and water treatment are some areas that the company is proactively working in to minimize waste and optimize the use of natural resources.
Management of natural resources
Water, the most widespread and most necessary natural resource on earth, has become a limiting factor in many regions of India, expressly threatening agriculture and the economy.
In order to reverse or stop the depletion of the groundwater table, the SRF Foundation, with the help of its local NGO partners in Bhiwadi, has started the project on natural resource management (NRM-Natural Resource Management) in Bhiwadi.
In addition to verifying groundwater level depletion, this project is helping convert barren land into arable land - promoting best farming practices, growing fruit and vegetables - thereby increasing farmers' livelihoods and contributing to the country's water and food security will.
More recently, the NRM project has focused on integrated watershed development which is currently being implemented in Rajasthan's Tijara block, which includes the villages of Gwalda, Alupur, Milakpur Turk, Palpur, Sirohi Kalan, Kidarpur, Bagod and others. The program includes various initiatives, including the construction of water-use structures.
wind energy
In 2008, SRF installed nine 14 MW wind turbines in Tamil Nadu to feed the partial energy supply for the plant in southern India.
The amount of generated wind energy, a coal-free resource, has resulted in GHG emissions being reduced to the same extent as the consumption of coal for electricity production.
This project, which was implemented as a major source of renewable energy, is part of the company's CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) initiative.
The generation of energy from these wind turbines is supported by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB).
As a result of this project, SRF reduces around 35,000 metric tons of CO2 annually in its power generation.
This climate contribution would roughly correspond to the planting of 150,000 trees or removing 30,000 cars from the streets.
Biomass project:
SRF has built a biomass tank for gas generation for the plant in Bhiwadi. This not only led to the saving of fossil fuels, but also resulted in a cleaner environment by recycling agricultural waste in an eco-friendly way. The use of biomass curbs the consumption of coal, reduces carbon dioxide and sulphate dioxide. The biomass is used from the surrounding villages within a radius of 50 km.
Water balance:
SRF has undertaken various water initiatives around the plant for its plant in Bhiwadi. The company treats wastewater so that it can be used again for agricultural purposes for irrigation. 35% of the factory premises have been landscaped and are supplied with recycled water. The plant in Bhiwadi does not emit any wastewater to the outside, and is therefore a 'zero-emission complex' of wastewater.
RPET-recycled PET-bottles
In addition to tarpaulin, we combine the backpack upper material with RPET fabric from PET-recycled drinking bottles.
Global Recycled Standard GRS certified
Process flow of the recovery of the PET raw material
Used PET bottles are collected and led into factories that specialize in the sorting of the bottle cods of PET bottles and the removal of labels and bottle cleaning.
After shredding the PET bottles, the flakes are cleaned with laser cans by non-pet-like plastics. What remains is a pure PET raw material that is processed into a fiber in our case.
PET is a plastic made from crude oil and is 100% recyclable. In principle, it does not lose its properties and can therefore be repeatedly processed into high-quality products.
The closed PET cycle makes it possible to create new raw materials from empty PET beverage bottles. PET is particularly valuable as a recyclable material.
It has the advantage that it does not lose its properties during recycling and can therefore be processed into new bottles again and again.
This makes an important contribution to environmental protection.
process flow of the recovery of PET raw material
Used PET bottles are collected and sent to factories that specialize in sorting bottle caps from PET bottles, removing labels and cleaning bottles.
After the PET bottles have been shredded, the flakes are cleaned of non-PET plastics using laser scanners. What remains is a pure PET raw material, which in our case is further processed into a fiber.
Plastic, especially PET, is light and inexpensive.
It is one of the most widely used materials in the world. Due to its extreme durability, disposal is a challenge. It is therefore essential to use high-quality recycling technologies to process plastic waste.
PET recycling makes an important contribution to environmental protection, as the use of recycled materials to manufacture new plastic products reduces the need for raw materials, requires less energy to process and reduces the amount of plastic sent to landfill.
Of course, a recycled PET bottle is better than a PET bottle thrown away in the sea.
But first and foremost, the credo that a sensible reduction in the strain on resources can be achieved by extending the useful life of products still applies.
organic cotton
We use organic cotton for all 7clouds bags and backpacks that have a cotton lining.
When you choose a 7clouds product, you support farmers who cultivate their soils organically and in an environmentally friendly manner.
Organic cotton is grown without chemical pesticides, artificial fertilizers and genetically modified plants.
Conventional cotton production, on the other hand, is chemically intensive and can negatively affect both people and the environment in the growing areas.
Switching to organic cotton therefore has a positive effect on the environment and the people in the cotton fields.
leather
The vegetable tanning uses natural tannins from bark and leaves, makes the leather firmer and lets it age nicely. With full-grain leather, the top layer of the hide, which contains the strongest fibers, is used.
The leather is aniline dyed, which means that no pigment is used to hide natural defects in the leather. Our leather is a natural product, some scratches and imperfections may be visible.
These natural variations do not represent defects or defects, they rather show the character of the products.
The leather ages naturally over time and receives its natural patina, which also supports our design language.
LWG (Leather Working Group) certified:
The LWG (Leather Working Group), which works as a multi-stakeholder initiative with various actors from industry, trade, NGOs and scientific institutes, was founded in England in 2005 and aims to make leather processing transparent.
The LWG wants to make the conditions in tanneries and at middlemen more transparent and change them sustainably.
This includes that the manufacturers do not use any potentially critical substances in leather processing and that the high water and energy consumption is reduced. In addition, work safety is checked regularly.
To implement its goals, the LWG has developed an audit protocol for sustainable and responsible leather production and has now implemented it in more than ten percent of global leather production.
With the production of 7clouds we ensure that the employees are paid fairly for the work they do.
Fair production thus includes adequate wages for the staff, a negotiated price that covers production costs and provides long-term income.
It also includes long-term production guarantees.
There are jobs for women and men in production.
We assure that no children are involved in the production process. We promote economic stability in the factory in Kolkata (India) by pre-financing 65% of the production costs.
This security of the producer offers the wage security of the employees accordingly.
We take full responsibility of the production orders by financing 100% of the production before the goods are shipped.
The 7clouds production facility is a family business in Kolkata.
Our designer Reinhard Margelisch is present for 3-5 weeks each year to develop collection samples and implement work processes in the production facility.
Accordingly, we are able to directly influence production standards ourselves, in line with our criteria and philosophy.
Handcrafted
Since our products are all handcrafted, we consider this to be a crucial aspect of our product authenticity. Over the years we have found that this claim also corresponds to that of our customers.
In times when the whole world is talking about digitization, we try to preserve the tried and tested in our production methods. All of our production raw materials are cut by hand.
This way of working enables us to reuse small residues of leather or tarpaulin sections in the production of bag details.
Automated production would make this impossible.
Since we strive to create jobs in production and not to rationalize them away, we will not use digitally controlled sewing machines in the future either.
By maintaining such processes, we protect jobs and promote handicrafts - this is how our products will remain authentic in the future.
From people for people.
The amfori BSCI
is a leading corporate initiative to improve working conditions in global supply chains. With the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct, companies can consolidate their business in the long term and thus reduce the risks - also for business partners and investors, lenders or insurers.
The amfori BSCI Code of Conduct is based on the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the universal human rights declarations of the United Nations, the UN Global Compact and the OECD guidelines.
All amfori BSCI participants agree to the CoC and undertake to comply with it.
Mandatory goals by joining, the participants undertake to involve their suppliers in the amfori BSCI process and their progress is constantly monitored.
The suppliers of the BSCI participants, in turn, undertake to comply with the BSCI Code of Conduct and are audited accordingly.
In addition, the companies are supported with training in further development. Industry sectors Today, amfori BSCI covers all sectors and can be applied in all countries.
Through studies and research it has been found that there is not enough skilled or competent workforce for the industry and that this has been the main challenge facing India.
To address this issue, the Foundation has established centers for livelihood and skills development that provide needs-based employability and skills-based training, such as: B. the basic program for electricians (BETP), excavators (JCB) and forklift drivers, English lessons for young people, courses for tailors, drivers and cosmetics courses for women.
These centers are central to improving employability and livelihoods, reducing poverty, increasing productivity and promoting green development.
source: SRF/online