Very Swiss Made
There’s a lot of Swissness in your polo.
Welcome to the journey from the cotton field to your product.
The proportion of added value in Switzerland is a proud 90 percent, very Swiss Made!
While a conventional polo shirt travels 20,000 km, your Swiss Made polo travels only 2,351 km.
Family Farms, Region Larisa, Greece
Number of farms: 45 Greek family farms
Area of forms: 450 hectares
Average wage: Cannot be stated, as these are family farms which do not only produce cotton. They receive a sustainability bonus by following the Supreme Green Cotton® protocol, a purchase guarantee for the quantities produced and all the tools to maximize their productivity while minimizing the use of resources.
Last visit: October 18, 2019
Supreme Green Cotton® only uses non-GMO cotton seed. Starting from the cotton cultivation the watering is strictly performed by a drip irrigation system. The cotton cultivation is monitored by state of the art technological equipment and a selected team of experienced agronomists leading to significant resource savings (40% less water).
Soil health practices: Crop rotation is a requirement of the Supreme Green Cotton® system. It is a well-accepted approach to manage pests and diseases and reduce the demand for herbicides. Moreover, diverse crops provide in nourishing the biological community below ground, resulting in more healthy soil. Besides the increased environmental benefits, crop rotation results in greater cotton yields and lower production costs. Crops used in rotation: wheat, clover. Crop rotation is verified by records that farmers have to keep for the previous two years.
Karagiorgos Ginning Mill, Larisa, Greece
Distance from field to ginning mill: 15 km
Company foundation: 1951
Number of employees: 32 all year, during the main cotton season (3 months) additional 80-90 persons
Average wage: € 880 per month
Working hours: 8 hours/day, in shifts during the main cotton season
Last visit: October 18, 2019
During ginning, a part of the energy consumption (25%) is covered by renewable sources. By-products as the cotton pie and the cotton oil which are entering the food chain are also non-GMO.
Varvaressos S.A., Stenimachos Naoussa, Greece
Distance from the ginning to the spinning mill: 178 km
Company foundation: 1964
Number of employees: 208
Average wage: € 1050 per month
Working hours: 8 working hours, 4-shift operation, 7 days a week
Last visit: October 18, 2019
The spinning process is environmental friendly using energy from renewable sources and reusing rainwater. Energy savings are achieved through installation of harmonic filters, optimization of compressed air system and replacement of fluorescent lamps. In addition, by using a heating circulation system, cool air is transformed into hot for heating purposes saving approximately 20.000 liters fuel annually.
Händel + Diller GmbH, Balingen, Germany
Distance from the Spinning Mill to the Knitting Factory: 1905 km
Company foundation: 1962
Number of employees: 30
Average wage: € 15.- per hour
Working hours: 40/42 hour week
Last visit: Our planned visits on March 20 and October 23, 2020 had to be postponed due to the pandemic
E. Schellenberg Textildruck AG, Fehraltorf, Switzerland
Distance from Knitting Factory to Dye House: 144 km
Company foundation: 1946
Number of employees: 95
Average wage: According to the Collective Labour Agreement of the Swiss Textile and Clothing Industry of January 1, 2020 (per month).
Unskilled workers CHF 3’600 / skilled workers EFZ (Federal Certificate of Competence) from 3 years of professional experience CHF 4’500 per month
Working hours: Depending on department and working model 40-44.5 hrs/week, 3-shift operation SU/MO – FR/SA
Visits: September 25, 2020 / August 28, 2020 / November 15, 2019 / September 18, 2019 / July 19, 2019
Electricity demand covered 100 % by hydropower. Textiles dyed and finished CO2 neutral
LU Couture, Willisau, Switzerland
Distance from Dye House to Sewing Factory: 104 km
Company foundation: 2013
Number of employees: 39 – of which 30 apprenticeships for apparel designers with Federal Certificate of Proficiency (EFZ)
Average wage: in clarification
Working hours: in clarification
Last visit: September 24, 2021
