CSR
OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE, OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Our children are our future. We want to help fill their lives with play and equip them to explore and challenge the world. A world that forms the framework for their future, and therefore we must take care of it, its inhabitants and its resources.
Responsibility, safety and sustainability are the cornerstones of our work with CSR, and we do not compromise on any of these when developing our products. Our intention is to create timeless, high-quality children's clothing, which should ideally be able to hold up to the toils, wind turbines and trips in the forest of entire groups of siblings and several generations.
UN GLOBAL GOALS
At VER de TERRE, we work with the UN's global goals for sustainable development. The 17 goals form a good working framework, and they clearly show how broad and complex sustainability is. It is about much more than just climate and CO 2 .
We have selected 4 of the 17 world goals as our strategic benchmarks:
Number 8: Decent jobs and economic growth, because we have a responsibility to everyone who plays a role in making and delivering our products to you as a customer.
Number 12: Responsible consumption and production, because we are part of an industry with a need for both, and because it is one of the points where we have the best opportunity to contribute to positive change.
Number 13: Climate action, because there is a need for us all to work actively to reduce our CO 2 emissions.
Number 3: Health and well-being, because all the world's children have the right to a healthy and safe environment and living conditions, no matter where they are born.
Read more about how we work with the four goals below.
GOAL 8: DECENT JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
VER de TERRE only works with a few selected suppliers with whom we have a long and close collaboration and who share our ambitions and approach to responsibility. Open dialogue and transparency are a prerequisite for good cooperation and to be able to put responsibility on the agenda. Thus, we not only know our direct suppliers but also their sub-suppliers.
It is important for us to choose skilled suppliers who are specialized in the specific product groups we have them produce. Equally important is that they produce them in a responsible way, with respect for the people who sit at the sewing machines, the local community and the environment around them.
We want to influence the conditions in our value chain in a positive direction, and focus on the development of each individual supplier. We therefore regularly visit our suppliers so that we have a better understanding of and insight into the conditions in the sewing rooms where our products are made. In addition, it is a requirement that all our direct suppliers have undergone a social audit, where a professional third-party auditor checks the conditions.
The fashion industry has a great influence on our society's ideals of beauty. It affects children, young people and adults, but also the people on the catwalk and behind the scenes . In 2007, the The Fashion Industry's Ethical Charter thus developed. The charter aims to ensure respectful and inclusive working conditions for everyone who works in the Danish fashion industry , as well as contribute to creating an industry where health and diversity are reflected in all groups. VER de TERRE has of course joined the charter , thus committing us to comply with its five core values , as well as to comply with its five rules . Read more about the Fashion Industry's Ethical Charter here, and learn more about the important work.
GOAL 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
Durability is an important element in our understanding of responsible products. So when we select materials and develop products, it is always with quality and durability in mind. We simply put in the effort, and in addition to laboratory tests, all new products are always tested by real children and on real playgrounds.
We would like to contribute to the responsible use of our products. Because even though we only use the best materials and test our products thoroughly, children and their imagination still surprise from time to time. We therefore guide our customers to take good care of their clothes. We have therefore prepared a CARE & REPAIR guide, with instructions on how best to care for and repair your VER de TERRE products. Find it here .
At VER de TERRE, we want to help reduce the amount of overproduction in the fashion industry. Therefore, all production of our products is based on created orders and not gut feelings. For the same reason, we also do not hold stock sales or give large discounts to reduce residual stock.
While our good qualities, timeless design and life-extending initiatives play an important role in our products' impact on the world and our customers' experience with them, we are also aware that there comes a time when they have served their role in one family. Sometimes it happens long before the products are "used up", and here VER de TERRE wants to take responsibility in respect of the resources used to create our products and based on circular principles. Thus, our customers can return their "RE-LOVE" VER de TERRE products to us, after which they are checked and prepared for a new life with a new family. Read more under FAQ and shop RE-LOVE VER de TERRE products here.
VER DE TERRE'S VALUES
All our direct suppliers have signed our Code of Conduct and its underlying policies. These documents are an expression of VER de TERRE's values as well as our approach to responsibility and sustainability.
We have policies for child labour, animal welfare, anti-corruption, environment, diversity, social equality and inclusion, and then we have a number of requirements for ethical behavior in our value chain. They describe our requirements for working conditions, including prohibition of child labour, treatment of animals and the environment, prohibition of discrimination and harassment, as well as our zero tolerance towards corruption.
By signing these documents, our suppliers undertake to follow their content, and at the same time they show us that they share our ambition to create a more responsible value chain with better conditions for those who are part of it.
Read more about our values in VER de TERRE's Value Manifesto here .
ANIMAL WELFARE
When we use animal materials in our products, we naturally do so with great consideration for the animals and their well-being.
It is a requirement that all direct suppliers sign our Animal Welfare Policy and undertake to live up to its content. This means, among other things, that they must respect and follow the five freedoms, and that no animals involved in the production of our products must be subjected to pain or harmful treatment. The animals can and must be treated with respect and according to legislation and international recommendations.
Read more about the five freedoms and animal welfare here .
MATERIALS
CASHMERES
Our luxurious cashmere products all consist of a minimum of 65% recycled cashmere. The delicious yarn is produced from used cashmere products and leftovers from production. With this, we give new life to material that we otherwise risk going to waste.
DOWN
We use down as a filling in jackets and jumpsuits as it has fantastic heat insulating properties which help to keep dear little ones warm and snug as they play and explore the outdoors.
At VER de TERRE we only use down from birds that have been bred for the food industry. We require our suppliers to comply with the five freedoms within animal welfare.
FUR
Fur provides fantastic protection against cold and capricious weather and changeable winds when we are out enjoying the fresh air and exploring nature. In particularly extreme conditions, fur has been used over the centuries to specifically protect against frostbite on the face; a property which, unfortunately, has not yet been able to be transferred to otherwise fine, synthetic alternatives.
Fur production must of course be done with respect for the welfare of the animals. Therefore, all the fur found at VER de TERRE is Saga Furs products. Fur from Saga Furs originates from European countries where national and local laws set high requirements for animal welfare. Saga Furs has developed a special tracking system through which the fur can be traced all the way back to the farm. It is our choice and your guarantee for fur produced under orderly conditions with respect for the animals.
All Saga Furs skins are selected by knowledgeable experts who ensure that only the best skins are awarded the prestigious Saga Furs trademark.
VER de TERRE x SAGA FURS
GOAL 13: CLIMATE ACTION
At VER de TERRE, we want to reduce our CO2 emissions. As a first step in achieving this goal, we are thus initially in the process of having our first CO2 account prepared. The account must lay the foundation for our detailed action plan for the reduction of our emissions. Work has started in 2022, and we look forward to sharing much more about our process and goals.
GOAL 3: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
VER de TERRE X Chimalaya Charity
We want to contribute to children and mothers in need having better living and survival conditions in the critical first months of the child's life. VER de TERRE is proud to support C himalaya Charity . Chimalaya Charity is a voluntary Danish NGO that works in Nepal, one of the world's poorest and least developed countries. It was founded by psychotherapist Pia Torp in 2010.
Chimalaya works to empower mothers and give newborns a better start in life. The focus is especially on fighting malnutrition and malnutrition, which is one of the reasons for Nepal's high child mortality.
Chimalaya offers, as the first in Nepal, that mothers can be visited at home by a health nurse – following the Danish model. The health nurse helps the mother with breastfeeding, they teach nutrition and hygiene to prevent the newborns from becoming dehydrated or malnourished.
Click here to read more about Chimalaya Charity and their work. 
SAFETY FIRST
When it comes to our children, safety must be top priority. They must be protected against wind and weather, accidents and harmful chemicals.
HARMFUL CHEMICALS
Neither children nor adults should be exposed to harmful chemicals. Therefore, VER de TERRE sets strict requirements for our suppliers regarding their use of chemicals in production, so that we ensure that we comply with all applicable legislation in the area, both in Denmark and in the EU. As an extra measure of security, we regularly test our products at accredited laboratories to ensure that the requirements are met.
REFLECTIONS
With reflectors, children become visible in traffic in the dark hours, and we thereby increase safety when they travel to and from home, the institution, school or friends. We have strategically placed reflectors on several of our outerwear products, and some products are even completely covered in reflectors.
The reflective material is made of fabric, glue and retro-reflective micro glass beads. When you use it, you will eventually experience scratches in the fabric. This happens when the glass beads wear off. This is completely natural and cannot be avoided. Despite the fragility of the reflectors, we prioritize having them on our products for increased safety. Scratches and/or peeling in the surface of the reflective material are therefore not recognized as complaints.
RECCO®
Selected ski jackets are equipped with an avalanche tracking system, RECCO®.
When the accident is over, every second counts in the rescue work after an avalanche. RECCO® makes the job easier for rescuers, and helps them quickly find victims hidden under the snow. This is done with the help of a reflective antenna sewn onto the clothing. This can be picked up by detectors used by the rescue team. The rescuers send out a signal, and when this is reflected back by the antenna, they immediately start the rescue work.
A RECCO® reflector is firmly mounted on the clothing and needs neither activation nor power.