Sustainability

Heson conducts its business with respect for people and nature. For us, socially responsible operation consists of two parts; caring for people and choosing sustainable materials.

Employment conditions in Asia
Our products and processes meet the code of conduct of the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). This is an industry-independent organisation that investigates and checks whether manufacturers keep to their responsibilities. The manufacturers in Asia where our products are produced are regularly visited to inspect whether the employment conditions of the workers are good. As an additional means of checking, in China and Vietnam we have our own organisation that constantly inspects the situation and ensures that the work is performed properly, in terms of both quality and conditions.

Our own staff
Heson offers its own people an inspiring and stimulating working environment. The atmosphere is characterised by openness and honesty. Our staff are encouraged to develop and improve themselves. They have every opportunity to follow training courses. We also have a flat organisation in which everyone is equally important. We strive together for the best results.

Sustainable materials
We use as little leather in our shoes as possible. There are, of course, good alternatives: Developments on these are happening very rapidly. We prefer to turn towards fine synthetic materials that last as long as the shoes are actually used. Our objective is to be one of the first in our industry to fully apply ‘value engineering’. This means that we determine in advance the life of all the special materials selected so that all the components of the shoes (from sole to laces) last equally long.

Responsible shoe
As one of the few suppliers in the Netherlands, we joined the TFT Leather & Shoe Group, an initiative of the Macintosh Retail Group. This means that we gather together information on the complete production chain for all shoe components, right back to the source. How is it produced, what is in it, does it come from a good factory? The goal is to arrive at a ‘responsible shoe’.

Careful with energy
Taking responsibility for the things you stand for means starting at home. By not using lighting in areas that are not being used, no unnecessary printing and maintaining contact with producers in Asia more often via Skype rather than flying there. These are small but important things with which we are trying in a rational way to be economical with energy and help the environment. To us, being a leader in the business means being a leader by example.