Products

Material selection and repair

Perfect fit, high functionality, contemporary design and technical innovations. This is what characterises LOWA shoes. Our high-quality materials, which have to fulfil demanding conditions of use, should not only be durable and robust, but also environmentally friendly and healthy. We have to master this balancing act.

We are continuously expanding our quality and sustainability standards - from design to the end product. To this end, we are developing a product sustainability guideline. From 2027, we will only launch products on the market that meet these requirements - with a focus on durability and materials with a low environmental impact while maintaining high performance.

In addition to the choice of more sustainable materials, the most significant ecological advantage is the durability of the shoes. It is this durability in particular, combined with our repair and care service, which significantly extends the lifespan of many of our shoes, that characterises our products.

Material selection and harmful substances

Sustainability begins with the choice of materials. LOWA attaches particular importance to the fulfilment of all requirements regarding the absence of harmful substances. We use a "Restricted Substances List (RSL)" for all products, which is based on international criteria such as the requirements of the EU Chemicals Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 (REACH) and the CADS-RSL.

In addition to using this "Restricted Substances List", LOWA has its materials tested regularly and randomly for harmful substances by external, recognised laboratories. Among other things, LOWA ensures that no leather tanned with chrome VI is used and makes sure that no toxic chrome VI has formed from the non-toxic chrome III during storage.

The requirements in terms of quality, durability and freedom from harmful substances naturally apply not only to leather, but also to all other materials we use. These include, for example, textile uppers and linings, adhesives, dyes, laces and soles.

We also test the robustness and physical properties of our materials in our own specially equipped laboratories. Additional field tests help us to guarantee the quality and performance of our products.

Leather and textiles
We pay particular attention to the selection of our leather. This natural product is the basis of many LOWA shoes. The special properties of leather are certainly its high durability, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability and breathability. However, this requires the right care, because as a natural product it dries out and can become brittle and crack as a result. However, if you look after your leather shoes properly, you will be able to enjoy them for many years to come as they mould perfectly to your feet. This is also one of the advantages. Incidentally, this is also demonstrated by the models that we resole, which are often 15 years old or more. We cannot answer whether the use of an animal product such as leather, which is a waste product from the meat industry, is more morally justifiable and sustainable than the use of textile fibres from fossil resources. The first point can probably only be answered by each customer for themselves; in terms of sustainability, life cycle assessments (LCAs) will help us.

Life cycle assessments (LCAs)

In isolation, leather does not have a good carbon footprint to begin with. However, leather shoes are particularly durable if cared for properly. This often results in fewer emissions over the entire life cycle than shoes made from other materials, which have to be replaced more quickly. There is therefore no reason to curse leather. Quite the opposite: as with so many things, it depends on the right, responsible handling.
This brings us full circle to our tanneries. LOWA consciously selects its partners, not only according to the quality of the products, but also according to their own environmental and/or social commitment, for example. Examples of this are Heinen from Wegberg (Germany), VIVIANI from Zagreb (Croatia), DANI from Arzignano (Italy) and DERCOSA from Cheste (Spain). These are all deliberately selected tanneries whose corporate philosophy of ecological and socially responsible production matches that of LOWA.

Leather origin and Leather Working Group (LWG)
Only leather from the EU is used for LOWA shoes "Made in Europe". Together, we have set ourselves the goal of developing all partner tanneries to the Gold Standard of the Leather Working Group (LWG) by 2025. The LWG audits tanneries according to 17 criteria in the areas of procurement, environmental protection, chemical safety and occupational safety.

Eleven of the 15 tanneries that supply LOWA in Europe are certified by the LWG, six with the highest "Gold" standard and five with the second-highest "Silver" standard. The four tannery partners without LWG certification already have a high standard regardless of this and are on the way to being certified.

One exception to the sourcing of European leather is our Outdoor Essentials collection in Vietnam. Here, an audit of procurement has led to the conclusion that the use of LWG Gold-certified tanneries based in Vietnam, from which we source hides exclusively from the USA, results in a lower overall environmental impact.

Exclusion criteria for materials

LOWA excludes real fur, down and feathers, angora, materials from reptiles and fish, nanotechnologies, antiperspirants, biocides and anti-mould agents from the materials used in its products. Furthermore, LOWA does not use merino wool obtained by mulesing in any of its shoes or socks.

"Vegan collection"

LOWA offers a wide range of vegan* models, especially in the "Light Hiking" and "Trail Running" segments.

* vegan in the LOWA sense = shoes without leather, without animal wool and without animal components in the adhesive

Proving that there are no animal products in any of the components used is time-consuming. It takes real detective work to check whether the colours, chemicals, finishing substances etc. used are also free from animal ingredients. This is mainly due to the fact that high-quality outdoor shoes consist of many individual parts and components. The INNOX model, for example, has more than 150 parts. It is almost impossible to test all of these according to the above criteria. LOWA is also unable to make any reliable statements about the very strict vegan criteria, which include the fact that no animal testing was carried out on the materials used in the product, that all plant fibres come from controlled organic cultivation, that there were no negative effects on the water balance, etc.

Repairing instead of throwing away

Circularity, the return of products and their individual materials to the cycle, will play an even more important role in the future. For us, as a manufacturer of a complex mountain boot consisting of many components, this represents a major challenge. It is not yet possible to recycle the materials in our shoes and, from an energy point of view in particular, this is not in any meaningful proportion to the benefits. However, our repair and care service offers a very good basis, as it significantly extends the service life of the shoes, which contributes to a considerable reduction in the CO2 footprint.