Your textile wholesaler for promotion, leisure & profession in Europe!

Sustainability & responsibility

an overview and many services

Long-term thinking paired with pragmatic action, always solution-oriented and geared to the needs of our customers, reliable and down-to-earth - that is our DNA.

Taking responsibility for the future of our family business, our employees, society and the environment: that is and always has been our task. In times of climate change, corporate due diligence in global supply chains and increasing demand for product transparency and sustainable materials, this task is becoming ever more challenging and far-reaching. As part of our customers' supply chains, we are aware that we also have a responsibility here. We are rising to the challenge. We want to take responsibility, take a stand and do things well and better.

We don't rest on phrases like "We've always done it this way". We take a closer look: What can stay the same? Where do we need to make adjustments and what do we need to change?

We don't have a sustainability promise for you that sounds complicated and is wrapped up in empty words. Our DNA also runs like a red - or in this case green - thread through the topics of sustainability. We have big plans and are far from having the perfect solutions for everything. But we are on the road as a reliable partner as you know it - also when it comes to sustainability. That is our responsibility.

Your L‑SHOP‑TEAM.

The supply chains of L‑SHOP‑TEAM and its suppliers

A code of conduct for all partnerships

We in the L-Shop team follow values and principles that we have set out in a code of conduct. (Code of Conduct) have written down. It determines our actions at L-Shop-Team and with our partners. It is based on international standards and the industry code of conduct for the textile and fashion industry. We carry out risk analyses with our suppliers and are in dialog with them about this. We expect them to recognize our values and implement them within their supply chains. The measures comply with the requirements of the German Supply Chain Duty of Care Act (Lksg).

Risks and violations can be reported to us and we investigate them. The established complaints procedure serves as an early warning system for us to identify and, if necessary, resolve problems before people or the environment are actually harmed.

A guide for an overview

We keep track of standards, certificates and memberships in textile supply chains that aim to achieve ecological and social improvements.

A section in the newsletter for more transparency

Keep an eye out for the "In-depth & in demand" section in our newsletter. Here we provide information about the supply chains, standards, norms and certificates of the brands in our range.
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Legal requirements for fewer chemicals

The EU REACH Regulation is mandatory: every company must comply with it. The main aim of the regulation is to protect the environment and human health from potential risks that may arise from the use of chemicals. REACH sets limits for chemicals in end products and articles that must be complied with. Many brands in our range have their products tested in accordance with the requirements of Oeko-Tex 100 and therefore go further than the EU REACH regulation prescribes. You can find out everything you need to know about reduced-pollutant production in textile supply chains in our statement.

Do you need proof of individual products and the respective supply chain?
Talk to us!

Sustainable product ranges in the store

Four symbols for your orientation

The textile supply chain is long and process-oriented: Many individual production steps are necessary before the textile is ready for sale. There are numerous standards and certifications relating to sustainability aspects in textile supply chains. We want to help our customers keep an overview. Here you can find out how to quickly identify which items in our store are certified with regard to sustainable aspects and which standards are behind the symbols.

A filter for the right matches

Customers can use the "Certifications" filter in our online store to quickly find suitable products that meet their customers' criteria. With just one click, you can filter items that are certified according to STANDARD OEKO-TEX® 100, organic cotton or another relevant EU standard, for example.

Our aim is to help you find sustainable items quickly and easily.

A seal with potential

Fairtrade Certified Cotton: A seal with a high level of recognition and trust - and high sales potential. You will find over 100 Fairtrade-certified items in our range. The demand for these items is increasing. We have put together a list of how you can take advantage of the sales opportunities for you and your customers.

You can read everything you need to know about our Fairtrade partnership and the impact of Fairtrade here.

A renewable raw material

Organic cotton: is there actually enough for everyone? The demand for items made from organic cotton is constantly increasing. Many of the items in our range are already made from organic cotton. But what does organic cotton actually stand for, what is the switch to organic cotton and what is Tiger Cotton all about?

A cycle for waste and production residues

Whether recycled materials are more sustainable than newly manufactured materials is often debated. By recycling plastic waste and cotton products/residues, for example, a new product life cycle begins for existing materials.

However, the recycling process also causes CO2 emissions; nevertheless, the circular economy is one aspect of greater sustainability in textile supply chains. Recycled materials are used to create textile collections, buttons, labels and packaging.
In addition, our suppliers are increasingly investing in the development of recyclable items in order to take subsequent recycling into account when planning new items. We will keep you up to date.

Shipping in the right direction

Many shipping partners, one direction

The L-Shop team works with several partners for its Europe-wide shipping. All of them have strategies and measures in place to reduce emissions caused by parcel shipping.

For each parcel, we jointly invest in climate projects to offset the CO2 emissions caused by parcel shipping. We bear the costs ourselves and do not pass them on to our customers. We see this measure as our responsibility.
Would you like to find out more about climate-neutral shipping?

A pilot project for even more impact: DHL Go Green Plus

With DHL GoGreen Plus, we are investing in the avoidance and reduction of emissions caused by parcel shipping in our supply chain. Familiar processes and infrastructures are being replaced by modern and climate-friendly technologies.

Marketing and catalog mailings

We want to communicate with our customers - mainly digitally, but sometimes also by post. It's the mix that counts. Our mailings, such as catalogs, our customer magazine or our popular "Winter Weeks" Advent calendar, are designed to provide our customers with important information, ideas, tips and offers. We always use climate-neutral dialog mail for postal mailings. This means that we also invest in climate projects to offset CO2 emissions for these mailings, as we do for parcel delivery. This topic is also covered in the climate-neutral shipping statement.

Labeling products, companies and services as climate-neutral is often discussed. This is because it gives the impression that environmental disadvantages can be converted into money and then simply offset with renaturation projects. This contrasts with the view that companies that invest in offsetting measures for environmental and climate protection should also communicate these efforts.

Two carton sizes, many individual mailings

This means that we ship in a volume-optimized way. The parcel fits exactly and we don't ship air. This not only saves CO2 during shipping, but also costs and makes us more economical. This is also part of sustainability. In addition, our customers often reuse the boxes to send the goods to their customers. We have created instructions to ensure that the boxes are easy to handle and remain intact for a second use.

Change of direction: returns from our customers

Sometimes shipments are returned to us. We offset the CO2 emissions for the return shipment with our shipping partners.
We are also pleased that our returns rate is comparatively low. This is due to the consistent quality of the brands in our range and also to the fact that our customers generally know exactly what they are ordering. Our customer service team is always on hand with help and advice. Returns are checked for quality and stored again, even if this is time-consuming.
Once we have unsaleable samples or remaining stock, these items are given a chance by our employees. If there are more, we do not simply dispose of the goods in the bin, but sell them to remnant dealers who recycle the textiles. In future, we would like to become even more involved in recycling and closed-loop projects.

Our employees

A family business for a strong team

We are a medium-sized, owner-managed family business and now employ almost 200 people in the office and logistics. With our subsidiaries, we are represented in 12 countries and have thus grown into an international L-Shop team group.
We take responsibility as an employer in our region, we provide training, we create a modern and pleasant environment, we are diverse and colorful and we do not tolerate discrimination. We are a strong team - it depends on each individual. We are characterized by flat hierarchies, flexible working hours and working time models. We support commuting to us with the Deutschlandticket (job ticket).

Health management for a team that feels good

Occupational health and safety are a matter of course. We also offer company integration measures after long periods of illness (BEM). We offer our team modern workplace and office equipment as well as pleasant break rooms and rest areas for office and logistics employees. We enable mobile working, if the workplace allows it, and organize team events for fun and cohesion beyond the workplace.

Cooperation that integrates

Work is not just work. It is a social responsibility that we are happy to take on because it means we have a lot of great people around us! And that is precisely why we are glad that we have had so many employees and partners at our side for so many years.
Some of our colleagues have been permanently employed in logistics for more than 15 years through the Workers' Welfare Association (AWO). The first collaboration with Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) took place at the end of the 1980s.
Since then, our colleagues at AWO have supported us in many areas. The in-house carpentry workshop repairs our desks when necessary and the sewing workshop supports us with small repairs to textiles. In addition, the implementation of many of our marketing measures would not be possible without the active support of the AWO workshops.
The AWO is one of the leading non-statutory welfare organizations in Germany. It is involved in various support and working groups as well as in working groups against right-wing extremism and poverty, but also in youth and disability welfare.

A location with future prospects

At our site in Unna, our employees and visitors have access to electric charging stations for cars - powered by green electricity, of course. As a service, our employees can charge their e-bikes free of charge at the bicycle charging stations.
We have installed a photovoltaic system on part of the roof of our building. During installation, we took into account the fact that we could expand it.
Our convenient location with direct access to major highways provides truck traffic with optimal conditions for efficient transportation and saves journeys in city traffic.

A logistics building with certificates

Our entire logistics site in Unna has been awarded the gold prize for sustainable logistics buildings by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). The DGNB is an independent, non-profit association that was founded in 2007 and has developed into Europe's largest network for sustainable construction. In addition, the energy audit for the Unna site was carried out in accordance with the DIN EN 16247-1 standard in May 2024.

The energy audit is a key instrument for evaluating a company's energy efficiency and identifying improvement measures as part of sustainable business management.

We are a logistics company with large space requirements. Our warehouse is our customers' inventory. Our location must be economical and competitive. But we are pleased that it also complies with contemporary building standards, that quality standards are met and that the building has been tested with regard to various sustainability aspects.

A future with great ambitions

You will always find up-to-date information on other sustainable topics on this page.
Greater transparency in supply chains, more responsibility for people and the environment and joint work on climate targets will shape the actions of society and companies in the coming years.
A guideline on corporate sustainability reporting, including a carbon footprint, will become mandatory for commercial enterprises. Textile cycles and resource-conserving processes are further major challenges for the textile industry.