Transparent supply chains: Löffler wins German Sustainability Award Sport 2024

The German Sustainability Award is an honour that rewards companies with outstanding achievements in this area. With six competitions and over 1300 applicants, this prize is the largest of its kind in Europe. Löffler was successful in the race for the DNP Sport with its "Supply Chain Transparency" project and received the award at a gala event in Düsseldorf on 29 November.

In summer 2024, Löffler disclosed the supply chains of the entire mountain sports collection with 77 products for the first time. All associated garments are labelled with a retraced QR code on the product tag. This means that anyone can scan the code to find out how the item was manufactured. "We make it transparent where the materials for our products come from, where the manufacturing steps take place and what sustainability aspects the product has," explains Otto Leodolter, Managing Director of Löffler, and also gives a reason why this is so important: "Customers need as much information as possible to be able to judge whether a product has been manufactured sustainably and fairly and to be able to make a conscious purchasing decision. And that's exactly where we want to support them," continues Leodolter.

The textile manufacturer's aim is to disclose the supply chains of 100 per cent of the products it produces itself from summer 2026. Since the current 2024/25 winter season, the supply chains of the entire cross-country skiing collection with over 100 items have also been traceable. The bike collection will follow in summer 2025, meaning that the supply chains of 78 per cent of the entire Löffler collection will be traceable.

Repair at the site in Ried

What has characterised the Austrian manufacturer for years is its repair service for defective clothing at its site in Ried. Any customer who wants to make a complaint or have an item repaired sends an email to the relevant service department with a description and pictures of the damage. A cost estimate is drawn up on this basis; the repair of a bike jacket made of softshell material with crash damage, for example, costs between 27 and 45 euros, depending on the work involved. If the costs are higher, the customer is automatically informed in advance. According to Löffler, the entire process takes around seven working days and, as a thank you for brand loyalty, return shipping is free of charge.

About Löffler

The sportswear specialist continues to rely on regional textile production in Austria and Europe and produces around 70 per cent of the fabrics it uses itself at its headquarters in Ried im Innkreis, Austria. Most of the other production steps such as product development, cutting, sewing, quality control, warehousing and dispatch also take place there. Only for the sewing work does the brand buy in capacity from its own subsidiary in Bulgaria and from partner companies exclusively in Europe. Löffler has focussed on the bike, Nordic sports, mountain sports and underwear sectors and produces around 1.1 million items of clothing every year. In line with the claim "MADE FOR BETTER", the brand not only makes endurance athletes "better" as athletes, but also as responsible consumers. For Austria/Europe as a production location, for social responsibility towards employees and for ecological responsibility in production.