aunts&uncles

Based in Germany, since 2004 aunts&uncles has put their heart and soul into highest quality and unique design. They combine tradition with zeitgeist and create authentic favourites for individualists and free spirits.

Every single one of aunts&uncles products is unique, handmade and designed with great attention to detail to carry you through the highs and lows of everyday life.

aunts&uncles is constantly working to minimize their impact on the environment. This includes, among other things, using energy and raw materials sparingly. The tanneries are located in state-approved and controlled, modern areas. Water quantities are strictly rationalized. Waste water is pre-treated and post-treated according to regulations. The import and export of materials is carefully controlled and taxed.

 

With aunts&uncles carefully selected partners in India and Italy, they have been working together for many years with mutual respect, because only close, personal contact creates a fair basis on which both sides can continuously develop. For this reason aunts&uncles are personally on site several times a year and visit their producers, medium-sized companies with approx. 100 - 300 employees as well as the tanneries.

In order to guarantee compliance with international standards with regard to quality, health, safety, environmental protection and social responsibility, the companies are also monitored and certified by independent institutions.

 

The certification is carried out by globally recognized organizations such as Bureau Veritas or BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) on the basis of the international standard SA8000. The audit of the companies takes place without prior notice and in particular ensures that the prohibition of child labour and discrimination (including on grounds of gender or religion) is observed and that strict standards are maintained in the areas of health protection and occupational- and building safety. Employees are free to form trade unions, there are health insurance schemes, restrictions on working hours and the so-called "Living Wages" pay salaries that are above the statutory minimum wage, because those who work for us should also be able to make a living from them.

 

Our leathers come from Turkey, India and Italy and have a very long service life due to their high-quality selection, finely cross-linked structure and careful tanning. They are free of CFC, PCB, PCP, formaldehyde and are dyed with dyestuffs that comply with AZO and other European regulations.

 

The majority of our leather is tanned high or pure vegetable tanned. In addition, we also work with particularly environmentally friendly leathers, which are processed without vegetable tanning agents. We use organic tanning agents that are easily biodegradable. In order to guarantee that our leather is free of harmful substances, it is regularly tested in internationally recognised laboratories.

Together with the tanneries, aunts&uncles continuously develop their recipes further and support them intensively in raising their social and ecological standards. A large proportion of their leather comes from tanneries that are members of the Leather Working Group and that have achieved the status of "Gold Members" by complying with strict criteria.