Sustainable Brand Platform

Sustainability Rating

Sustainability rating

Rated: 5 out of 6

Value Chain Bags and Backpacks

Company Sustainability

Community

Traceability
Data provided only from brand

Company Info
Brand Name	Qwstion
Country	Austria
Company size	independent brand
Category evaluated	Bags and Backpacks
Category	Bags and Backpacks
Established in:	2008
Website	https://www.qwstion.com/en/
Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/qwstion_official/

Next Sustainable Goals and SBP challenge

Recognized by the United Nations as a project to accelerate the implementation of sustainable actions in the fashion industry, Sustainable Brand Platform has committed to tracking future goals pursued by brand.

Total goals

2/12/23

Next check date

Goals achieved

Goals to achieve

Next Sustainable Goals

Here below the goals that the brand aims to achieve in the near future:

	Deadline	Status
Raw Materials Building a circular economy system using only regeneratively produced, biodegradable natural fibers and fully recyclable metal buckles/parts.	02/12/2023	in progress
Production Using 100% energy for production from renewable sources.	31/12/2023	in progress
Packaging Using only recycled/recyclable packaging based on paper/cardboard.	30/06/2022	in progress
Logistics Moving to fully carbon neutral logistics/transportation.	31/12/2025	in progress
Donation, charity and awareness campaign Sharing awareness for all sustainability issues with sharing tools, open source material data (Bananatex®) and investing in new cooperatives for the cultivation and harvesting of abaca banana plants.	31/12/2023	in progress
Employee satisfaction 1 Fair working conditions, which includes paying living wages that allow for social and health security.	02/12/2023	in progress
Social inclusion & gender equality Equal treatment of anyone, regardless of gender, heritage or sexual orientation.	02/12/2023	in progress
Renewable energy Increasing the amount of renewable energy used throughout supply chain, up to 100%.	31/12/2023	in progress
Circular economy Being a fully circular business by 2025.	31/12/2025	in progress
Others Inspiring other companies and individuals to invest their skills in changing current linear system to one based on circularity.	31/12/2025	in progress

Main Goal pursued based on SDGs

ENVIRONMENT

Sustainability info

Qwstion is an Austrian brand which makes everyday bags from plants.

The story of Qwstion started in 2008, when Sebastian Kruit, industrial designers Christian Kaegi and Fabrice Aeberhard, graphic designer Matthias Graf and Hannes Schoenegger founded Qwstion.

The brand combines design and functionality with sustainability. Since 2008 the design studio has been developing versatile carry solutions for everyday use, with an understated look and a low environmental footprint.

Value Chain

Its value chain from production to logistics is divided in Taiwan, China, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Its raw materials are sourced in Philippines, Germany and China.

About raw materials the brand uses natural fibers wherever possible to achieve the highest sustainability.

Using organically grown fibres and PFC-free water-repellent coatings allows the brand to avoid harmful substances and make healthy products.

Next to its own high density organic cotton canvas, the brand has just released Bananatex®, a new shell fabric made from the fibers of banana plants.

The brand has visited all its suppliers in order to be aware of the working conditions of its workers.

The development activity is made with materials already in stock in order not to waste new materials.

Regarding packaging, each piece goes into a 60% recycled materials.

Company Sustainability

Qwstion has an ethical code which includes sustainable issues, a fire evacuation plan and a social security contribution.

It provides extra service for free in work life (ex. parking for bike, transportation for free to reach the office, lunch meal for free...).

The brand allows smart working and some paid free time to its employees in order to better balance their private life and work.

Qwstion organizes webinars or meetings about sustainable topics in order to educate its employees.

Community

The brand makes donations to several NGO's addressing environmental issues.

Customer Care

The brand protects its customers through information services, kits to improve the durability of an item and take back's service.

Certifications

Raw Materials
Production
Packaging
Logistics

Blockchain

Last blockchain update

02 December 2021

Supply Chain Track


Raw Materials¹	Production²	Packaging³	Logistics⁴
Made in Philippines	Made in Taiwan	Made in Germany	Made in Austria

¹ 70% of the rw collection Made in Philippines. 20% of the rw collection Made in Germany. 10% of the rw collection Made in China.
² 40% of the pdt collection Made in Taiwan. 38% of the pdt collection Made in China. 12% of the pdt collection Made in Switzerland. 10% of the pdt collection Made in Czech Republic
³ 60% of the pck collection Made in Germany. 25% of the pck collection Made in Austria. 15% of the pck collection Made in China.
⁴ 50% of the lg collection Made in Austria. 30% of the lg collection Made in Switzerland. 20% of the lg collectionMade in China.

Questions & Answers

1	What does sustainable fashion mean to you? -Durability -Adopting fair work practices -Minimal use of chemical elements -Using recycled materials -Fair worker conditions -Sharing the business benefit with the community
2	What would you like your target audience's priorities to be? -Quality/Design -Brand identity -Sustainability
3	Is your communication properly inspired by your level of sustainability? What should you do to improve it? Yes. We are continuously working on improving transparency.
4	Describe your ethical production. Manufacturing takes place in Europe and China, while our most important partner is in the city of Huizhou, around 120 kilometers from Hong Kong. The factory is audited by BSCI (Business and Social Compliance Initiative). Our regular visits to suppliers enable us to know who makes our product and achieve exceptional quality. We use renewable resources wherever possible for our shell fabrics, lining, straps as well as our metal hardware. We use waxed vegetable tanned leather to avoid pollution.
5	Describe your sustainable side. We believe an important aspect of sustainability is durability. The vegetable tanned leather handles and details darken and become softer over time. Natural materials generally tend to have irregularities, which we embrace as a quality that adds individual character to the look of our bags. The materials and level of workmanship we offer is meant to hold up to years of daily use.