Contact Us
Help & FAQ
Contact Us
Help & FAQ
Our Future Programme

Materials and product development

The selection of materials and the product development are important components of our Future Programme. We are working continuously to further increase the proportion of selected materials, such as organic cotton and recycled materials, in our collections. You can find information on the materials used and on our programmes in the following sections.

Cotton

Cotton is one of our most important raw materials. To promote fibres produced in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, we use certified organic and recycled cotton. Through our Empowering Farmers project, we purchase sustainable materials and help farmers in India to grow organic cotton.

More about the origin and certification of our cotton

cms image

Organic cotton and transitional cotton

Organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. In order to ensure that our products contain organic cotton, we use established standards within our supply chain. This allows us to ensure reliability – from the raw material and the yarn to the final product. To support organic cotton ever further, we also use cotton from the transitional phase. It can take up to three years to transition to organic farming. During this time, farmers adhere to the principles of organic farming until the cotton is officially certified as organic. In order for you to be able to rely on the origin, we work with standards set by Textile Exchange. We are certified in accordance with the Organic Content Standard (OCS), which verifies organically sourced fibres from farm to finished product.

cms image
cms image

Recycled cotton

We use recycled cotton to make use of materials that have already been used, thereby reducing the use of new raw materials. For example, recycled cotton comes from used clothing or home textiles. For traceability and security, we rely on established certification systems: We are certified by Textile Exchange in accordance with the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS). Both standards verify recycled fibres from farm to finished product.

cms image
cms image

Better Cotton Initiative

Better Cotton helps cotton farms to grow cotton in a more socially and environmentally responsible manner. Farms that supply Better Cotton must meet minimum requirements and constantly improve their practices – through less pesticides, more efficient water consumption and measures to protect the soil and biodiversity. You can find an overview of the Better Cotton criteria here (link: https://bettercotton.org/what-we-do/defining-better-our-standard/). The cotton is fed into the supply chain based on the mass balance approach. This means that it is not possible to clearly assign Better Cotton to a specific end product. So, we refrain from communicating on the end product.

cms image
cms image

Mass balance

In mass balance, the raw material and the end product balance each other out. Our suppliers purchase a specific amount of cotton that is needed for the manufacture of our goods through the Better Cotton initiative. During further processing, this cotton may then be mixed with conventional cotton. This means that the final product isn’t necessarily completely made of cotton from the initiatives. It is important, however, that the amount of more sustainable cotton purchased remains in the system. Every purchase supports the demand for more sustainable cotton – even if this is not directly evident in the product.

cms image

Materials of animal origin

Animal rights are important to us. That is why our animal welfare policy applies to all animal-derived fibres and materials that we use. We aim to steadily increase the proportion of responsibly sourced materials and rely on established standards to achieve this.

Wool
Wool is one of our most important animal-derived materials. We oppose the use of wool sourced from sheep that have undergone mulesing. Furthermore, we prioritise wool that is sourced in accordance with animal welfare criteria, as well as recycled wool.
To verify that our wool and recycled fibres are sourced responsibly, from origin through to the finished product, we are certified to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), as well as the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) by Textile Exchange.

Cashmere
The Good Cashmere Standard® by AbTF defines animal welfare requirements as well as social and ecological criteria in the production of cashmere. The standard includes, amongst other things, guidelines on animal health and welfare, as well as compliance with social requirements for herders and workers in the supply chain.

Alpaca
More responsibly sourced alpaca wool – a high-quality fibre with warming properties and a soft feel – is verified by the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS).

Down and Feathers
Downandfeathers, which are known for their heat-retaining properties, are certified under the Responsible Down Standard (RDS).

Cellulose fibres

The LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose fibres from Lenzing come from certified and sustainable forestry. LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibres are manufactured using at least 50% lower CO₂ emissions and at least 50% less water consumption.
*In comparison to conventional (non-brand-specific) viscose. The results are based on life cycle assessments (LCA) in accordance with the ISO 14040/44 standards and are available in the Higg MSI Version 3.12.


LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibres are certified with the EU Ecolabel for environmental excellence.
*EU Ecolabel for textile products (licence no. AT/016/001).


LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibres are obtained from certified or controlled wood sources.
*FSC® (FSC-C041246) or PEFC certification (PEFC/06-33-92).
*Not applicable to LENZING™ Viscose EV Black, LENZING™ Viscose EV RB and LENZING™ EV Wool Types.


Our partner Birla Cellulose™ also specialises in extracting fibres from wood. LIVAECO™ uses only wood from certified forests to produce its cellulose fibres.

TENCEL™ lyocell and modal fibres are manufactured using at least 50% lower CO₂ emissions and less water consumption.
*In comparison to conventional (non-brand-specific) lyocell and modal fibres. The results are based on life cycle assessments (LCA) in accordance with the ISO 14040/44 standards and are available in the Higg MSI (Version 3.12).


TENCEL™ lyocell and modal fibres are certified with the EU Ecolabel for environmental excellence.
*EU Ecolabel for textile products (licence no. AT/016/001)


TENCEL™ lyocell and modal fibres are obtained from certified or controlled wood sources.
*FSC® (FSC-C041246) or PEFC certification (PEFC/06-33-92).

Synthetic fibres

Polyester is the main component of our synthetic fibres and materials. It is associated with environmental and social risks, in particular when it comes to raw material extraction. This is why it is so important to reduce the use of synthetic materials overall and use less new polyester.

By using recycled polyester, fibres remain in the material cycle for longer and fewer new resources are required. We are certified in accordance with the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS). Both standards verify recycled fibres from farm to finished product.

Certifications & Standards

OCS – Organic Content Standard

s.Oliver ist nach dem Organic Content Standard (OCS) zertifiziert, der biologisch angebaute Baumwolle vom Ursprung bis zum fertigen Produkt verifiziert.

Zertifiziert durch Control Union TE-00104454.

RCS – Recycled Claim Standard

s.Oliver is certified in accordance with the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), which verifies recycled materials from farm to finished product.

Certified by Control Union TE-00104454.

This standard can be used for cotton, polyester and wool, as well as down and feathers.

GRS – Gobal Recycling Standard

s.Oliver is certified in accordance with the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), which verifies recycled materials from farm to finished product. Certified by Control Union TE-00104454.

This standard can be used for cotton, polyester and wool, as well as down and feathers.

RAS – Responsible Alpaca Standard

s.Oliver is certified in accordance with the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS), which verifies alpaca wool from farm to finished product.

Certified by Control Union TE-00104454.

RDS – Responsible Down Standard

s.Oliver is certified in accordance with the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), which verifies down and feathers from farm to finished product.

Certified by Control Union TE-00104454.

RWS – Responsible Wool Standard

s.Oliver is certified in accordance with the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), which verifies wool from farm to finished product.

Certified by Control Union TE-00104454.

Information on compliance with standards

For our products that are certified according to Textile Exchange standards (OCS, GRS, RCS, RDS, RWS, and RAS), it may occur in individual cases that our suppliers fail to provide us with the necessary documentation in good time. If these documents do not arrive on time, we cannot confirm that the styles in question meet the requirements of the respective standard. In order to be completely transparent and to comply with the Textile Exchange Standards, in such cases we would like to proactively inform you.

During our regular quality and standard checks, we have found that this is currently the case for some certified labelled items.

For all other products, we have fully verified and valid evidence at our disposal.

We are working closely with our partners to locate the missing documentation and to further strengthen our processes in order to ensure the highest standards are maintained in the long term. Thank you for understanding.

What we are going to do next

In our strategy for more sustainable materials, we have continuously been setting ourselves targets for the use of even more sustainable materials in all our products for several years now. And we’ll continue to work on it in the future – for even better styles!

cms image

Sustainability at s.Oliver

Learn all about our integrated sustainability approach.

Learn more
cms image

Circularity and care

Our vision is to drive the change from the linear fashion system to a circular model. To do this, we are integrating more sustainable standards and materials into all stages of production.

Learn more
cms image

Social responsibility

We want to strengthen fairness and diversity in our supply chains. That’s why it’s important that we work in partnership with our suppliers to improve working conditions for people in order to achieve this goal.

Learn more
cms image

Environmental protection

The textile industry has a huge impact on our environment. We are aware of this responsibility towards nature and want to reduce our negative impact on the climate and the environment.

Learn more
cms image

Our more sustainable highlight products

We regularly generate momentum for more sustainable fashion through special highlight products. These styles combine several elements from our sustainability strategy in innovative products.

Learn more
cms image

Shipping and packaging

Wherever possible, we reduce the use of packaging materials to the minimum necessary. We use certified and recycled materials for all packaging whenever possible.

Learn more

Questions or suggestions?

Do other topics and actions seem more important to you and do you have questions or suggestions about our sustainability concepts? Let's talk about it! We know we still have a long way to go - there is still a lot to do. We are interested in your honest opinion. Write to us at [email protected].

Subscribe Newsletter for 10% Off Now

Subscribe Newsletter for 10% Off Now

Your Fashion-Update: Full of exclusive Fashion Inspiration, Surprises, and a 10% Discount on Your Next Purchase!