SUSTAINABILITY AND UPHILLSPORT SOCKS

Sustainability

Sustainability is a key focus of UphillSport (Sukkamestarit) with all efforts focused ethical and ecological responsibility so you can make a conscious buying decision. We take responsibility for, among other things, how the material used in the product is produced, what kind of energy resources we use to produce the materials and manufacture the products, how we use the world's water resources and how we take care of the Earth's carrying capacity with sustainable production.

Quality and responsibility certificates are one way to embody the themes behind responsibility. In our core values, responsibility plays a big role, as does quality. High-quality, sustainable products are the textile industry's greatest climate action in contrast to disposable culture.

Nativa

Sukkamestarit Oy is the first sock factory in the world to be certified for Nativa merino wool sustainability and traceability. The first batch of wool entered production in April 2020, and with that, we switched to using only Nativa certified merino wool.

Starting in autumn 2020, product labels will also feature a QR code, allowing anyone to check the origin of the product's materials. Sockmasters' merino wool comes from the La Magdalena farm in Salto, Uruguay. All of the merino wool we use is mulesing-free.

ISO 9001

- is committed to customer focus and quality

We operate a quality system that meets the requirements of the ISO9001:2015 standard. Bureau Veritas has granted our operations a certificate on November 15, 2016.

ISO 9001 is the most internationally recognized quality management standard, which aims to continuously improve operations and increase customer satisfaction.

ISO 9001 does not dictate how business should be conducted, but rather provides an opportunity to meet the requirements of the standard in the way that is best suited to the organization. At the same time, it also promotes a culture of continuous improvement within the organization. ISO 9001 is a particularly good tool for improving operations by preventing the recurrence and occurrence of errors. ISO 9001 certification plays a significant role in implementing sustainable business, because reducing errors saves costs and reduces waste.

OEKO-TEX

Standard 100 By OEKO-TEX is an international certificate that indicates the safety of a product from the user's perspective. To obtain the certificate, the product's pH level must be skin-friendly, proven to be free of harmful substances, and the dyes used in the product must be non-toxic.

The certificate is issued for one year at a time, and certified products are always checked by an independent research institute. The more the product is in contact with the skin, the stricter the OEKO-TEX criteria are. The testing covers the entire production chain and all parts of the product, from threads to buttons and dyeing. Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX does not guarantee or require that the product is certified organic, but the certificate ensures that the product is safe for the user. All the materials we use are Oeko-tex certified.

Key Flag

The Key Flag is a sign of Finnish work. It indicates that the product is manufactured or the service is produced in Finland and employs people in Finland. In addition, the domestic content of the product or service must be at least 50 percent. On average, the domestic content of Key Flag products is over 80 percent. Sukkamestarit Oy products have been awarded the Key Flag mark. All of our socks are manufactured at our factory in Ylöjärvi.

Recover

Our sustainability program also includes socks made from recycled materials. The yarns we use to knit our socks are made from Recover recycled materials. The Recover dyeing process also provides a consistent colour fastness result without the use of water or chemical dyes. We use Recover yarn to make more environmentally friendly socks.

CE Mark

The CE marking indicates that the product has been inspected and meets EU safety, health and environmental requirements. CE marking is only mandatory for products for which EU-wide requirements have been defined and for which the marking is explicitly required.

Some products are subject to several different requirements in the EU at the same time. The manufacturer must ensure that the product complies with all the requirements that apply to it and affix the CE marking. The CE marking may not be affixed to products for which no EU requirements have been defined or for which marking is not required.