- "Recycled Down - Recycelte Daune" -

Re:Down®

Re:Down® is committed to delivering an alternative down product to the outdoor industry with clear sustainability advantages. Due to its unrivalled technical qualities, down is a very desirable material for use in outdoor products and in increasingly high demand. Recycled down helps to lighten the pressure on the production of virgin down. In all steps of the process Re:Down® chooses the best possible alternatives, including washing only with soap with soap only, not using any chemicals and transforming the unusable down waste into an organic fertiliser for agriculture.

Re: Down® verpflichtet sich, der Outdoor-Industrie ein alternatives Daunenprodukt mit klaren Vorteilen in Nachhaltigkeit zu liefern. Daunen sind aufgrund ihrer unübertroffenen Eigenschaften eine sehr wünschenswerte Zutat für Outdoor-Produkte und sorgen für eine steigende Nachfrage. Recycelte Daunen tragen dazu bei, den Druck auf die Produktion von Daunen, die als Bei-Produkt bei der Fleischproduktion anfallen zu verringern.

In allen Schritten des Prozesses wählt Re: Down® die bestmöglichen Alternativen. Z. B. die Daunen nur mit Seife zu waschen, keine Chemikalien zu verwenden und den unbrauchbaren Daunenabfall beispielsweise in einen organischen Dünger für die Landwirtschaft umzuwandeln.

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GRV Transparency ToolRe:Down®

 

2021

Management
Commitment
Products

Brand Management

  • The company was founded with the goal of supplying the outdoor industry with a more sustainable alternative to virgin down
  • Re:Down® only works with partners that are aligned to their company vision towards sustainability
  • Focused business concept with maximum transparency within their scope
  • Exceptional water and energy management in processing
  • Innovative waste management

Brand Commitment

  • Re:Down® has conducted an LCA mit myclimate on water use
  • Since there is only one product, 100% of Re:Down® output is according to their sustainability guidelines and vision
  • Processing is done in a low risk country from an ethical workplace conditions point of view
  • Innovation focuses on continuous improvement of the environmental performance, and adding lifespan to the product

Products

  • 100% traceability back to the collection of the used downs according to the Global Recycled Standard
  • Compact supply chain, washing and sorting are both done in Hungary
  • Within the scope of Re:Down®’s process there is no risk for any potential violation of animal welfare, since it’s a recycled product
  • The only chemical used by Re:Down® is soap for washing
  • No hydrophobic treatments or other chemicals are used
  • Re:Down® leaves no waste
  • Brand Management
  • Brand Commitment
  • Products

At the level of Brand Management we look at all the aspects, which are directly controlled and integrated by the Brand’s Management towards business and supply chain strategy as a whole.

At the level of Brand Commitment, GRV is looking at the pro-active efforts towards sustainable development on all levels, like the % of sustainable product lines within the whole portfolio, or life cycle assessments and public reporting. These are key indicators of the Brand’s engagement towards ecological and social responsibility.

On this level GRV is looking at product related information, like material content, supply chain and certification. Warranty, reparability and “end of use” advice are also important aspects. At the moment, GRV is looking at selected highlight products from different product lines, which show the special sustainable efforts of the brand. At Re:Down® there is only one product to look at.

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  • Integration of Sustainability

    The US company was founded 2015 to create a sustainable circular solution for natural insulation. Both founders and all additional staff are concerned with optimising the ...more

    The US company was founded 2015 to create a sustainable circular solution for natural insulation. Both founders and all additional staff are concerned with optimising the sustainability performance in every way.

    Das US-Unternehmen wurde 2015 gegründet, um eine nachhaltige, kreislauffähige Lösung für natürliche Isolierung zu schaffen. Sowohl die Gründer als auch alle zusätzlichen Mitarbeiter sind bestrebt, Nachhaltigkeit im Unternehmen in jeder Hinsicht zu optimieren.

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  • Certificates, Standards and Guidelines

    In terms of quality management, there are no third party certifications but statistical proof plans are in place to have a close eye on the ...more

    In terms of quality management, there are no third party certifications but statistical proof plans are in place to have a close eye on the performance. The Global Recycled Standard is used to guarantee traceability back to the collection point of the used down. There is an IDFL protocol at the end result. IDFL is a global leader in filled textile testing and is the world’s largest down and feather laboratory and testing institute.

    In Bezug auf das Qualitätsmanagement gibt es keine Zertifizierungen durch Dritte, aber es gibt statistische Qualitätsprüfpläne, um eine durchgehende Materialqualität sicherzustellen. Der Global Recycled Standard wird verwendet, um die Rückverfolgbarkeit bis zum Sammelpunkt der verwendeten Daunen zu gewährleisten. IDFL ist ein weltweit führender Anbieter von Tests gefüllter Textilien und das weltweit größte Daunen- und Federlabor und Testinstitut.

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  • Social and Environmental Responsibility

    Re:Down® only works with partners that are aligned to their company vision towards sustainability. Not only do they choose their raw material partners and ...more

    Re:Down® only works with partners that are aligned to their company vision towards sustainability. Not only do they choose their raw material partners and production facilities with care, but also their clients, making sure that the product Re:Down® offers ends up in the best product possible. This also means that Re:Down® helps their clients reach their environmental goals on material levels to increase their environmental credits. In terms of the ethical workplace aspects within the supply chain at Re:Down® there are only two process steps which involve labour, the laundry and the sorting. Both happen in Hungary, a low risk country from an ethical workplace practice point of view.

    Re: Down® arbeitet nur mit Partnern zusammen, die eine stimmige Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie verfolgen. Sie wählen nicht nur ihre Rohstoffpartner und Produktionsstätten sorgfältig aus, sondern auch ihre Kunden, um sicherzustellen, dass ihr Zutatenprodukt im bestmögliche Produkt verwendet wird. Re: Down® ist seinen Kunden dabei behilflich, ihre Nachhaltigkeitsziele auf der Materialebene zu erreichen. In Bezug auf die sozialen Aspekte innerhalb der Lieferkette bei Re: Down® gibt es nur zwei Prozessschritte, die manuelle Arbeit beinhalten, die Wäsche und das Sortieren. Beides geschieht in Ungarn, einem aus sozialer Sicht risikoarmen Land.

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  • Sourcing Strategy

    With Re:Down® the sourcing is pretty simple. Re:Down® work with European collectors of used, discarded bedding and clothing retrieved from existing End Of ...more

    With Re:Down® the sourcing is pretty simple. Re:Down® work with European collectors of used, discarded bedding and clothing retrieved from existing End Of Use infrastructures, though of course it is impossible to know from which exact source the original down has come from.

    Bei Re: Down® ist die Beschaffung der Rohstoffe ziemlich einfach. Es wird mit europäischen Sammlern gebrauchter, weggeworfener Bettwäsche und Kleidung zusammengearbeitet. Natürlich ist es nicht möglich zu wissen, aus welcher Quelle die Original-Daune stammt.

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  • Resource Management

    Re:Down®’s laundry facility works with thermal water, which means that no energy is used to heat up water for washing the down which ...more

    Re:Down®’s laundry facility works with thermal water, which means that no energy is used to heat up water for washing the down which saves considerable amounts of energy. After the washing process the water is cleaned and reintroduced to the natural environment.

    Die Wäscherei von Re: Down® arbeitet mit Thermalwasser, was bedeutet, dass das Wasser für die Daunenwäsche nicht erwärmt werden muss, und somit beträchtliche Mengen an Energie gespart werden. Nach dem Waschvorgang wird das Wasser gereinigt und der natürlichen Umgebung zurückgeführt.

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  • Product Transport Strategy

    There is no particular transport strategy in place nor any CO2 compensation.

    Es gibt weder eine bestimmte Transportstrategie noch eine CO2-Kompensation.

  • Support of Environmental and Social Projects

    Re:Down® supports the athlete Mina Guli, who runs to raise awareness of environmental issues. She places a special focus on “Thirst”, which launched in 2012, ...more

    Re:Down® supports the athlete Mina Guli, who runs to raise awareness of environmental issues. She places a special focus on “Thirst”, which launched in 2012, and is a grassroots education and innovation organisation focused on raising awareness about the water crisis amongst the next generation.

    Here is Mina speaking about her work:

    “In March 2016 I finished running 40 marathons across seven deserts on seven continents in seven weeks. It was a world first. I was honoured and amazed to be named on Fortune’s list of the 50 greatest leaders in the world. It was a strange feeling to see my name alongside the Pope, Angela Merkel and Jeff Bezos, but there I was at no 45!
    When I was little, growing up on that big block of land, digging holes for trees and running under sprinklers, I never would have imagined I would be living in Asia, supporting an incredible non-profit, and working to bring inspirational stories from the front lines of the water crisis to people around the world. I now believe that every single one of us can make a difference.”

    Re: Down® unterstützt die Athletin Mina Guli, die für „Awareness“ läuft. Sie konzentriert sich insbesondere auf „Thirst“: “Thirst” ist eine Grass-Root Organisation für Bildung und Innovation, die 2012 ins Leben gerufen wurde um die nächste Generation für die Wasserkrise zu sensibilisieren.

    Mina berichtet über Ihr Engagement:

    „Im März 2016 habe ich in sieben Wochen 40 Marathons in sieben Wüsten auf sieben Kontinenten absolviert. Es war eine Weltneuheit. Es war mir eine Ehre, auf der Fortune-Liste der 50 einflussreichsten Persönlichkeiten der Welt genannt zu werden, und auch ein seltsames Gefühl, meinen Namen neben dem Papst, Angela Merkel und Jeff Bezos zu sehen, aber da war ich bei Nr. 45! Ich bin auf einem großen Stück Land aufgewachsen und habe Löcher für Bäume gegraben. Ich hätte mir nie träumen lassen, dass ich mal in Asien leben, und einen so wichtigen gemeinnützigen Verein damit unterstützen würde, inspirierende Geschichten von den Frontlinien der Wasserkrise an die Menschen auf der ganzen Welt tragen kann. Ich glaube, dass jeder einzelne von uns etwas bewirken kann. “

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  • Event Management

    Re:Down® has a very simple and low-impact display for trade fairs and runs long term cooperations with partners, like the biannual GreenroomVoice Showcase at ...more

    Re:Down® has a very simple and low-impact display for trade fairs and runs long term cooperations with partners, like the biannual GreenroomVoice Showcase at ISPO and OutDoor by ISPO.

    Auf Messen präsentiert Re: Down® bietet eine sehr einfache und reduzierte Darstellung ihres Unternehmens und unterhält langfristige Kooperationen mit Partnern, wie dem halbjährlichen GreenroomVoice Showcase auf der ISPO und OutDoor by ISPO.

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  • Waste Management

    Re:Down® receives their raw materials in the form of discarded clothes and bedding. After retrieving the down from the garments, the face textiles go ...more

    Re:Down® receives their raw materials in the form of discarded clothes and bedding. After retrieving the down from the garments, the face textiles go into a mechanical textile recycling process. This means they are shredded and down-cycled into textile insulation materials. After washing and sterilisation, the down is sorted into standardised quality levels, and all down which is too small or broken to be used in further processing, is collected separately and pressed into pellets. This is a pure protein and a welcome organic fertiliser for agricultural use. Re:Down® leaves no waste!

    Re: Down® erhält ihre Rohstoffe in Form von weggeworfener Kleidung und Bettwäsche. Nach dem Entfernen der Daunen aus den Kleidungsstücken werden die verbleibenden Stoffe einem mechanischen Textilrecyclingprozess unterzogen. Dies bedeutet, dass sie zerkleinert und zu textilen Dämmstoffen verarbeitet werden. Nach dem Waschen und Sterilisieren wird die Daune in standardisierte Qualitätsstufen sortiert. Alle Daunen, die für die weitere Verarbeitung zu klein oder zerbrochen sind, werden separat gesammelt und zu Pellets gepresst. Dies ist ein reines Protein und ein willkommener organischer Dünger für landwirtschaftliche Zwecke. Re: Down® hinterlässt keinen Abfall!

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  • Life Cycle Assessment

    Re:Down® conducted a Life Cycle Assessment which compared recycled down to new down. This is what myclimate says about the study: “On behalf of ...more

    Re:Down® conducted a Life Cycle Assessment which compared recycled down to new down.

    This is what myclimate says about the study:

    “On behalf of Re:Down, myclimate evaluated the water consumption in the production of down for the filling of bedding and apparel. The goal of the study was to understand water consumption in the production of new down fill material compared with the production of recycled down. The comparison method was based on the approach of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology and and also considered the farming, slaughtering and further processing of each down material. Among other things, it was important to apply the correct allocation with regard to meat and feathers/ down to the animals.”

    As the process of recycled down does skip farming and slaughtering, where the majority of water is used, approx. 100 litres of water can be saved per kg of recycled down. But also during the washing of the down, recycled down saves another 25% of water, because fewer washing cycles are needed. In summary, 74% of water can be saved with every kg of recycled down in compassion to virgin down.

    Re: Down® hat eine Ökobilanz durchgeführt (LCA). Hierbei wurden verschiedene Parameter im Vergleich von neuer Daune zu recycelter Daune betrachtet.

    Das sagt myclimate über die Studie: „Im Auftrag von Re:down hat myclimate die Berechnung des Wasserverbrauchs bei der Herstellung von Daunen zum Befüllen von Bettwäsche und Bekleidung ausgewertet. Ziel der Studie ist es, den Wasserverbrauch bei der Herstellung von neuem Daunenfüllmaterial im Vergleich zum Wasserverbrauch bei der Herstellung von recyceltem Daunenfüllmaterial zu verstehen. Die Vergleichsmethode basierte auf dem Ansatz der Life Cycle Assessment-Methode und berücksichtigte die Prozesse in der Landwirtschaft, Schlachtung und Weiterverarbeitung der Daunen. Unter anderem war es wichtig, ökologische Kosten (die Menge des verwendeten Wassers bis zur Daunenernte) sinnvoll zwischen dem Endprodukt Fleisch und dem Endprodukt Dauen als Füllung zuzuordnen.“

    Da der Prozess des Recycling von Daunen den Wasserverbrauch in der Landwirtschaft und dem Schlachten spart, wo der Großteil des Wassers verwendet wird, werden ca. 100 Liter Wasser pro recyceltem kg Daunen eingespart. Aber auch beim Waschen der Daunen spart die recycelte Daune weitere 25% Wasser, da weniger Waschzyklen erforderlich sind. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass 74% des Wassers per kg recycelter Daune eingespart werden können.

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  • Standardised Environmental Reporting

    No official environmental reporting yet.

    Es besteht noch keine standardisierte Umweltberichterstattung.

  • Definition and Share of «Environmentally Friendlier» Products

    With Re:Down® that share is 100%, as they only produce one product.

    Bei Re: Down® beträgt dieser Anteil 100%, da nur ein Produkt hergestellt wird.

  • Share of «Socially Responsible» Products

    Re:Down® only has one product, which is handled in Hungary (sorting and washing). Hungary is a low risk country from an ethical workplace conditions ...more

    Re:Down® only has one product, which is handled in Hungary (sorting and washing). Hungary is a low risk country from an ethical workplace conditions point of view.

    Re: Down® hat nur ein Produkt, das in Ungarn verarbeitet wird (Sortieren und Waschen). Ungarn ist aus sozialer Sicht ein Land mit geringem Risiko.

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  • Progress

    At “Progress” we ask for three indicators on which the brand wants to improve its sustainability or social performance in the next few years. Automation ...more

    At “Progress” we ask for three indicators on which the brand wants to improve its sustainability or social performance in the next few years.

    1. Automation of the extraction of the used product’s fillings. At this point in time, it’s still all done by hand.
    2. Further utilisation of any possible waste. So far, the unusable down has been directly used in agriculture. However, there are possibilities to further use the down “waste” before the last step to become organic fertiliser.
    3. Re: Down® would like to inspire their partners to participate in the circular economy concept in order to increase the amount of returned down.

    Progress messen wir an selbstbestimmten Schlüsselthemen die bei der Marke im Fokus stehen, und anhand deren sich ablesen lässt, wie die Marke selbst-definierte Ziele umsetzt.

    1. Die Automatisierung des Prozesses zur Trennung von Daune und Textil der gebrauchten Produkte. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt ist alles noch von Hand erledigt.
    2. Bisher wurden die unbrauchbaren Daunen an direkt and die Landwirtschaft gegeben. Es werden aber auch Möglichkeiten erschlossen, bei denen eine weitere Nutzung vor dem letzten Schritt als Dünger möglich ist.
    3. Re:Down® möchte ihre Partner inspirieren, sich an dem Konzept er Kreislaufwirtschaft zu beteiligen, um so die Menge der zurückgeführten Daunen zu ermöglichen.

     

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  • Innovation

    Innovation at Re:Down® focuses mainly on continuous improvement of the environmental performance, and adding lifespan to the product. But one big innovation is the ...more

    Innovation at Re:Down® focuses mainly on continuous improvement of the environmental performance, and adding lifespan to the product. But one big innovation is the transformation of broken unusable down into organic fertiliser.

     

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  • Traceability

    Traceability is tricky with all recycled materials. It can only be guaranteed back to the the point of collection. Re:Down® works with the Global ...more

    Traceability is tricky with all recycled materials. It can only be guaranteed back to the the point of collection. Re:Down® works with the Global Recycled Standard- this guarantees that the batches are traceable from the point of collection of the raw materials right through to the end product.

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  • Supply Chain

    Being an ingredient brand, RE:Down represents the second Tier. Re:Down® buys their raw materials in batches of product filled with down, only in ...more

    Being an ingredient brand, RE:Down represents the second Tier.

    Re:Down® buys their raw materials in batches of product filled with down, only in Europe. Then this goes to sorting and washing in Hungary (See Brand Management). From there the downs are sent to the customers manufacturing facilities, which can be all over the word.

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  • Ingredient Materials

    Used down in different grades and loft.

  • Social and Environmental Management

    Re:Down® only works with partners, that are aligned to their company vision towards sustainability. Not only do they choose their raw material partners and ...more

    Re:Down® only works with partners, that are aligned to their company vision towards sustainability. Not only do they choose their raw material partners and production facilities with care but also their clients making sure that their product ends up in the best product possible. This also inclines, that Re:Down® helps their clients to reach environmental goals on material levels increase environmental credits. In terms of the social aspects within the supply chain at Re:Down® there are only two process steps which involve labor, the laundry and the sorting. Since this happens both in Hungary, which is a low risk country from a social point of view.

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  • Chemical Management

    Re:Down® doesn’t treat it’s product with any water repellency, etc. the only place where Re:Down® handles “chemicals” is in the washing process, where they only use regular soap.

  • Animal Welfare

    Since Re:Down® is a recycled animal product there are a few aspects to take into account. Of course no one can say for sure, ...more

    Since Re:Down® is a recycled animal product there are a few aspects to take into account. Of course no one can say for sure, how the animals have been treated in the first place. The downs are collected in Europe, that’s as far the information goes. But nevertheless, using recycled down, means less pressure on the demanded volumes of virgin down, hence helps to cater for the market without potentially harming any animals right now.

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  • Product Transport

    The downs are transported by truck to Hungary and then shipped all over the world to manufacturers, mostly by ship.

  • Product Packaging

    The raw materials enter the Re:Down® process in pressed bales, there is no packaging. Re:Down® sends their finished product in reusable polyester polybags of 25kg to the manufacturers.

Re:Down® was founded in 2015 in Las Vegas, USA and has seven full time employees.

Re: Down® wurde 2015 in Las Vegas, USA gegründet und beschäftigt sieben Mitarbeiter Vollzeit.