Durable, recyclable and biodegradable - for our skin and for our future
Welcome to Wolford
In 1950, Wolford began producing quality yarns from our hometown, near the protected shores of Lake Constance in Bregenz, Austria. We are now the market leader in luxury skinwear. Our company has always been renown for its technological innovations: from developing the first transparent and elastic tights in 1969; to the recent introduction of our iconic body shaping lingerie; all with the first prerogative of sustainability foremost, that of durability, then enhanced by the groundbreaking development of our latest creations in both recyclable and biodegradable materials. Today, our focus is on taking these sustainable initiatives to the next level.
Our mission
Wolford’s mission is to drive sustainable progress through transparent innovation.
In an effort to reduce the use of nylon, we are focusing our attention on researching and innovating alternative materials and fibers that are kinder to the planet. Our mission is to create the same, high-quality, long-lasting pieces that Wolford is known for, whilst reducing the associated waste and environmental impact. We are committed to achieving this – and you can expect to see incremental changes across our current and future collections.
Our people
Wolford is powered by a team of diverse people. As well as our historical headquarters in Bregenz, we have an International Sales Platform in Milan, plus another production site in Slovenia, and points of sale in 50 nations around the world. Meanwhile, each of our suppliers are carefully selected, ensuring full compliance with ecological standards (via certificates including Standard 100 of OEKO-TEX®; REACH regulation).
Our products
We’re known for pioneering exclusively patented yarns. The one we currently use the most is the ‘Individual Material’, whereby elastane is double-covered with polyamide for stronger, more durable products that are made to last.
Discover the sustainable collection
In fact, we believe strongly that durability is a key pillar for sustainability along with recyclable and biodegradable materials. It becomes an intrinsic added value that easily justifies the extra price for that extra quality and product guarantee. Longer-lasting creations are an absolute priority for Wolford, coupled with the exhaustive and numerous quality controls that are undertaken before every single piece produced leaves our plants.
Meanwhile, we’re increasing our use of sustainable materials across the board. Since summer 2020, we have swapped plastic foils in favor of FSC®-certified cardboard to package all of our legwear. In the near future, we plan to change the packaging of ready-to-wear items from paper to recycled poly bags, which is projected to save 22 tons of paper per year.
WORLD OCEAN DAY
For World Ocean Day, we launched net tights made from ECONYL® regenerated nylon – a material created from recycled fishing nets and other nylon waste, sourced from the ocean and landfills, giving a second life and ever longer life to the material. We’re now using this unique thread across our luxury skinwear.
Our innovations
To date, our Cradle to Cradle Certified™ collection is the one of which we are most proud. It won the company a Gold award for the development of environmentally compatible products in both the biodegradable and recyclable categories; and it is set to implement our future product lines.
For certification requirements, every section of the product cycle must be sustainable: from the wastewater being free of toxins, to the use of renewable energy in production, to the development of toxic-free dyes, and the guarantee that materials can be fully recycled or biodegraded.
Our hope is that as many companies as possible benefit from our research and development in this area. We’re happy to share any and all of our sustainable expertise.
Our progress
Wolford is the first legwear producer in the world allowed to call itself a partner of the bluesign® system – which stands for safe textiles, environmentally compatible production and the careful use of natural resources.
Wastewater management, for example, has long been a priority for Wolford, as our manufacturing facility in Bregenz borders on a protected area where the city’s drinkable water supply is located, close to the protected shores of Lake Constance. Wastewater discharges at Wolford are channeled to the water treatment plant in Bregenz, based on a long-term agreement.
We will continue to evaluate and improve our sustainable practices to maintain and exceed these standards.
Our sustainability pledge
We acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done and improvements to be made.
Our goal is for 50% of all Wolford products to be recyclable by 2025. By 2029, we aim to up this number to 100%.