Understanding our responsibility
We care about people and the environment. That is why we are committed to sustainability and why it is inextricably linked to our quality standards. As a seventh-generation family business, we know what it means to build for the future. The ideals, visions and the world we leave to our children: it all rests in our own hands. As a company, we stand by our responsibility and uphold sustainable values for the people who work with us.
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH QUALITY
Sustainability means durability. If you manufacture products that last an exceptionally long time, you will end up using far fewer valuable resources. We don't just mean fabrics and yarns – the effects are far-reaching, reducing power consumption, packaging material and CO2 emissions.
The durability of BP products is an integral part of our sustainability concept and is therefore characteristic of all of our workwear collections, spanning all occupations. With our long-standing expertise, a sophisticated quality management system and our commitment to delivering products of the highest calibre, we don't hesitate to roll up our (exceptionally durable) sleeves and get to work.
SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH TRANSPARENCY
TAKING STOCK AND TAKING INITIATIVE
We work with high-profile institutions to review sustainability in the textile chain. In our annual sustainability report, we self-report on our activities and successes, as well as areas with room for improvement.
We set ourselves sustainability goals that we communicate to our customers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders, and use them to measure our ongoing performance and implement action for even greater sustainability. By adhering to the internationally renowned Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard, we ensure transparency about our progress and challenges.
QUALITY THROUGH PASSION
HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND MAD ABOUT QUALITY
We put our whole heart into every garment that leaves our factory. As our customers know, you can only achieve such excellent work quality with passionate, motivated individuals. For its staff of 110 based in the heart of Cologne, BP offers an attractive employee benefits package, including flexible working models, free access to over 100 gyms across the country, work-study options and numerous training opportunities.
These include international vocational trainings with work placements at partner sites abroad, sabbaticals, external counselling and much more. At BP we are receptive to new ideas and strive to improve every day. We work hard, but we play hard too. And that balance is important to staying motivated.
WHAT IS OUR GREATEST CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABILITY?
For us, the answer lies in the fact that BP® products are made to last.
Creating such products means using valuable resources. For example, making our 1998 work trousers from our BPlus collection requires around 172 grams of cotton and 318 grams of polyester. They are made up of 53 pattern pieces, 22 components (such as buttons and zips), 520 metres of yarn and the BP® logo – our quality seal. Our tailors lovingly turn these resources into one pair of trousers.
But what if we could double the lifespan of those trousers? Through our expertise, finely-tuned quality management systems and passion for quality, we conserve valuable resources. In this case, we would halve the resources needed to make a pair of trousers that we sell by the thousand! If we scale this concept to all of our BP® products, we are talking extending the lifespan of about a few million items of clothing per year.
Thinking about sustainability just makes sense.
Long-lasting products are sustainable. And they make a real difference in preserving the environment and, ultimately, to the people who wear our clothes.
IN ORDER TO MEET OUR RESPONSIBILITY, WE WORK WITH THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS:
FAIRWEAR
In 2010, BP was the first German supplier of workwear to become a member of the FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION . The multi-stakeholder initiative aims to improve working conditions for workers in the international textile industry.
It performs regular inspections of both our internal processes and our production partners in order to ensure that better working conditions are being maintained. BP has already been awarded the status “Leader” ten times in succession.
PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES
BP is a member of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles. This governmental initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development aims to ensure social, ecological and economical standards throughout the production and supply chain in the clothing industry. In addition, BP plays an active role in the work group “Social standards and living wages”.
OEKO-TEX®
BP responsibility also means that BP products are harmless in terms of human ecology. That is why all BP products are tested for harmful substances and are certified in accordance with Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex®.
You can find out whether your selected item is OEKO-TEX® certified in the product description, which you can find in the webshop. You can also contact us directly for more information.
OEKO-TEX® STeP
Some suppliers and producers are STeP-certified. STeP comprehensively analyses whether companies and pro-duction facilities are sustainably managing all relevant areas, such as chemicals management, environmental management, occupational health and safety, social responsibility and quality management.
STeP stands out from other certification systems in that it not only takes individual sustainability aspects into account, but also analyses and evaluates production conditions as a whole.
REPREVE
We are partner from REPREVE. REPREVE is the leading, most trusted, branded performance fiber made from recycled materials (including plastic bottles.
Sustainability Report
On trend: contributing to sustainability through quality
Fortunately for the future of our environment, ecological and economic responsibility is in demand. It is similarly important to our customers, employees and suppliers, which encourages us in our quest towards increased sustainability.
In our sustainability report, we show how we fulfil an extraordinary promise of quality through sustainable action. Quality. Our greatest contribution to sustainability.
CODE OF CONDUCT
The BP Code of Conduct represents a guideline for us, as well as for our suppliers and partners. We follow these guidelines in our daily work, and use it as a beacon toward self-improvement. In order to follow these guidelines, BP works with capable and dependable suppliers.
BP strives to establish long-term partnerships with suppliers, based on open communication and trust, so that all potentials within the value chain can be utilised across company boundaries. Compliance with the Code of Conduct is the necessary basis for ongoing cooperation in a spirit of partnership.
Brand Performance Check
The Brand Performance Check (BPC) is an independent assessment of how each member of the Fair Wear Foundation is working to further improve working conditions. Click here to go to the most recent individual BPCs.
Social Reports
We continue to work on optimising the working conditions at our production sites worldwide. The Social Report has been a part of the annual sustainability report since 2017. Find out more about our progress and challenges in our annual Social Report.
PARTNERSHIP SINCE 1995
Vetra, a BP production company, was established more than 25 years ago and its collective expertise is indispensable to BP.
Flexible and efficient
VETRA specialises in industrial manufacturing and sets benchmarks in this area.
HIGHLY SKILLED
Vetra employs 260 highly qualified people, a number of whom have been with the company for more than 15 years.
Craftsmanship
At Vetra in Tunisia, our most complex products are manufactured in small batches
Pro people
Vetra is regularly audited by the FAIRWEAR Foundation (FWF).
Close cooperation
Our textile experts in Cologne are in daily exchange with their colleagues in Tunisia, ensuring successful cooperation.
