The issue of sustainability is everywhere these days: from the "Last Generation" (climate activists) to the environmental impact of plastics and emissions to the damage done by fossil fuel power generation, everyone has their own take on sustainability. But it's more complicated than we hear every day from the media. Sustainability is about much, much more.
You can download our Sustainability Report 2022 free of charge here: Sustainability Report 2022
Sustainability even affects our beloved hobby: equestrian sports. This, too, contributes to environmental pollution through various factors and causes CO2 emissions. This starts with the masses of plastic packaging, e.g. for treats or various care sprays. Also for the production of bedding a high expenditure of resources and energy is needed. As close to nature as our passion may seem, it still contributes to environmental pollution. But the beauty is that everyone has the opportunity to give something back to our nature. Right? At Royal Horsemen, we believe that every little eco-friendly action shows that we're on the right track. Even Winnie the Pooh used to say, "A good deed can bring a smile to any face." Because doing good is fun!
Here is a listing of things we are already implementing:
Fabrics: We use organic cotton, (recycled) polyester, leather alternatives and other eco-friendly alternative fabrics such as Tencel modal to produce our textiles. We are also constantly looking for new developments and possibilities to be able to use even more or newer fabric creations.
Transport: We strive to ensure geographically short transport routes from the fabric supplier to the garment maker. The finished goods are then usually delivered by ship or by truck to our warehouse in Germany. Orders in the online store are shipped exclusively by DHL GoGreen.
Packaging: Our product packaging consists of paper banderoles and paper bags. Also the shipping cartons and the adhesive tape are made of paper. Thus, we manage to work almost plastic-free.
Certifications: We, and our producers, are GOTS and GRS certified respectively. This allows us to ensure the purchase of sustainably impeccable materials, their correct processing and reasonable working conditions.
Highlight: A special highlight in 2022 was the Innovation Award for our belt made of sustainable AppleSkin.
Travel: We strive to conduct all travel with the lowest possible carbon footprint. In the wake of the Corona pandemic, we have switched many processes and meetings to digital alternatives.
A sustainable lifestyle is always equated with doing without. But it's not always about doing without. Rather, it's about taking responsibility. Just as you do with your horse. The species-appropriate and healthy interaction between humans and animals requires respect. The trust between you and your darling is the basis for your time together. You must empathize with your horse or pony, respond to its character and engage with its nature. When you sit on a horse, it is based on the horse's good nature. Trustingly it lets you sit on its back and you take the responsibility not to break this trust and to be a fair friend to your horse. We show this responsibility in all areas of our lives. We want only the best for ourselves and our animals. And the best is always that which
- does not harm our health
- does not harm the health of our animals
- does not leave irreparable damage to the environment
- uses only as much material and resources as is absolutely necessary, and
- does not harm the people involved in its production.
1. we only use raw materials that we can be responsible for. These are for example organic cotton, recycled paper and harmless recycled polyester.
2. we make sure that only harmless chemicals are used in the production of our riding clothes, which can also be recycled or disposed of harmlessly without any problems.
3. we do not want clothes from productions that discharge chemicals into water bodies - sustainability means that the water is treated.
4. we attach importance to the use of the so-called green energy from solar power, wind power and water power.
5. we do not produce fast fashion. Our goods remain in the assortment until they are sold out.
6. we have our goods transported preferably and mainly by ship and train.
7. our products arrive in sustainable and plastic-free packaging.
And for us, that means ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions. Sufficient work breaks are a matter of course for us. Sustainability strictly excludes child labor! Certificates like GOTS and GRS show you that we don't just talk about sustainability, but actually do something about it.
As a young start-up company, we are still looking for defensible solutions in some areas and are generally constantly striving for improvements. Our sustainability standards are high - but no one is perfect. We work on it every day. We're building our company sustainably from the start - even if it takes longer. And we want to support even more research projects in the future.
One of our core values is transparency. We want to be honest with you and make the world a better place together with you! Because sustainability is especially important to us, but of course we are not perfect either! Every day we try to become even more sustainable and take you with us on this journey. We personally stand behind everything we do. That's why you'll always find posts and videos where we tell you about the materials, the supply chain and the manufacturing of our products, or explain the pros and cons of materials. And if you ever have any additional questions about us or our products, someone from the team is always there to answer them personally. Our goal is to live sustainability while always meeting and even exceeding our quality standards. When you wear our riding clothes, you set a sign for environmental awareness, fair wages and reasonable production conditions.
Our long term and big goal is to create a closed loop system by paying attention to materials and production processes that bring the possibility of recycling. In addition, we want to create awareness, but without being moralizing. Thus, we want to stimulate a rethinking in the equestrian world to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle together with you. And we are looking forward to this journey - together with you!
As an economic company, we are aware that we also contribute to consumption in the equine world by using resources and selling products. And this is exactly what we take responsibility for. Not only by acting as a climate-friendly company, but also because we want to achieve even more beyond that. We want to do good and thus support charitable projects and deeds.
Every six months, we select a charitable project together with you, which we support for half a year. We donate 1% of our monthly net sales to the respective organization. To date, we have donated to "the bee rescuers", the maritime waste collection "One Earth - One Ocean", the children's hospice Balthasar, the "IG Mustang", Aktion Deutschland Hilft (Ukraine war), "Plant for the Planet Wipperfürth", the GREEN FOREST FUND e.V. and the "Tenerife Horse Rescue Organization". So a really colorful mix of organizations from different areas. In total we have been able to donate over 25,000€! We are overjoyed that together with you we can give something back to our nature!
We have always wanted to help animals in need. Because in our opinion, every animal deserves a second chance. So it happened that in September 2020 we saved two wonderful foals from slaughter. Our two protégés Nakito and Dean are namely two Haflinger colts (now laid), which unfortunately did not meet the breeding ideal and were thus condemned to slaughter. Fortunately, we became aware of these two treasures through the organization "Schlachtfohlen auf dem Weg ins Glück". In the meantime, the two have been able to find their new dream home here in Germany. On YouTube, social media and our blog posts you can follow their journey with us so far and find all relevant information about our former charges.
