On paper, supply chain due diligence sounds simple. In reality, we ask ourselves every day: what does it actually take when we look closely? Material certificates are just a starting point for us. Collecting stamps isn't enough – we need to understand where raw materials originate and how they're processed. Only with full supply chain visibility and open conversation about our challenges can we identify risks to people and the environment. That requires real trust and genuine local partnerships.
In the few years we've been producing for, we've learned a lot – also through mistakes. But what do we need to do to avoid mistakes in the future, and to really remain true to our values, from the selection of raw materials through to the end of a Wildling shoe’s life?
Before we can change a supply chain, we have to understand it first
Real change doesn't happen through policies at a desk; the work begins long before shoe production, with the people in the fields, spinning mills, and weaving facilities. And it doesn't end when the shoe leaves the factory.
It’s a big challenge that we’re taking on.
During production, the materials we’ve selected are made into a shoe, but where do those materials come from?
We want to know exactly where our suppliers get their raw materials - the cotton, pure new wool, linen, hemp or paper - and also what working conditions are like for the cotton pickers, weavers and textile-processing companies. We ask about which chemicals are used when washing and dying, and which additional products the textiles are treated with.
To do that, we first have to know about everyone involved in the supply chain. Transparency from raw material to finished product. In the Fashion Transparency Index 2019, the 200 biggest fashion brands were investigated with regard to information about their supply chain. In 2018, only one brand gave the name of their raw-material supplier. It's not possible to tell from the Index whether the other brands didn't know who their suppliers were, or if they simply didn't want to name them, but it shows how hard it is for both companies and consumers to obtain complete transparency.
Image: Wildling Shoes/Jonas Schweitzer-Faust | Wildling minimal shoes being produced
How we bring transparency to our supply chains, step by step
To address working conditions and environmental impacts in a meaningful way, we first need to map where our materials actually come from. When Anna and Ran founded Wildling, two questions stood out: where do we get organic fabrics, and where do we manufacture? The intention to consider social and environmental criteria was there from day one. But it quickly became clear that choosing organic cotton was only the beginning. It's a continuous process of learning, testing, and being honest about what we don't know yet.
Which criteria guide us as we work on our supply chains?
The Global Compact Network Germany defines sustainable supply chains as follows:
“Sustainability in supply chains is the management of ecological, social and economic effects and the promotion of good corporate practices throughout the life cycle of products and services”
How do you fill this definition with life when you have a product that is made of many parts and - because there are various designs – not always made from the same materials?
Before we can drive targeted improvements, we need to clearly define what we aim to achieve together with our partners.
For our own use we expanded the Global Compact Network’s definition a little bit, defining the sub-areas as follows:
Environmental: We work to minimize ecological impacts and prioritize resource-conscious raw materials across the entire value chain.
Social: We focus on honest, equitable working conditions for the people involved in every step of our production.
Economic: We build long-term, fair partnerships with all partner facilities involved.
The ecological dimension can be broken down into many more parts: What’s our energy consumption, how high are our CO2 emissions, what do we do with the water used when creating the product, what effect do our actions have on biodiversity (think about cotton mono-cultures), which chemicals are used, and so on.
For us that means that over the whole product life cycle:
We take responsibility for our own business actions as well as for the supply chain that comes before and after us.
That means that responsibility starts with the raw materials and doesn't end with the delivery of the shoe to the customer, but also goes beyond that, to the disposal or reuse of the shoe and/or the materials used.
Image: Wildling Shoes/Sarah Pabst | A person flipping through samples
Over 15 supply chains for one Wildling shoe
Depending on the model and the season, a single Wildling shoe consists of about 15 different pieces: upper material, lining, eyelets, laces, membrane, microfiber, thread, soles, glue, tongue, insole... A t-shirt on the other hand is made of fabric, for example cotton, and perhaps also thread and the washing label.
Having fifteen parts means that we have to request information and data from 15 different suppliers, who then also have to ask their suppliers for that information and data. With a great number of standards and certificates it can soon get complicated.
So we request certificates, ask about working conditions, the processing of materials, and if necessary we think together about alternatives. Whenever possible, we go to our suppliers’ companies and have a close look at everything. We've already been working with many of them for a long time and have a relationship of trust. With regional suppliers such as Nordwolle we can trace the entire process from the raw material (in this case the sheep’s wool) to the finished lining. Ideally we would like to do the same with all our other raw materials. In most cases the origin and background of materials used can be checked on the individual product pages in the shop.
The bigger Wildling Shoes gets and the more shoes we produce, the better will be our bargaining position with suppliers, who are mostly prepared to patiently answer all our questions and want to work openly with us. In that way we boost our influence and take responsibility, which also helps make us more interesting for additional suppliers who are willing to tackle the hard questions with us, share data transparently, and keep learning along the way.
Because certified materials and supply chain visibility are only the starting point.
Header Image: ©obsessedwithbarefootshoes | Three people wearing minimal shoes
