Bosideng, the Chinese down-garment specialist, has repeatedly demonstrated its innovative spirit with award-winning and groundbreaking products. Now the company is going one step further, by building a “smart” factory and focusing on transparency and sustainability.
Bosideng was founded in 1976 and is now one of the largest manufacturers of down garments in China. The company produces not only for numerous international premium outdoor brands but also for its brand family, geared primarily towards the Chinese domestic market. The company operates around 4,000 stores across the country under its own Bosideng brand. It also has a high-tech flagship store with a polar room and technology lab, which opened in London in 2022.
What sets Bosideng apart, however, is its commitment to environmental and social responsibility, which is reflected in its factories, its production processes and its product development. Through its ongoing commitment, the Bosideng Group has become a role model within the industry for the transition to green, low-carbon development. As recently as August, Bosideng was awarded an “A” rating by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) for its good ESG (environmental, social and governance) practices. MSCI ESG ratings measure a company’s management of financially relevant ESG risks and opportunities.
Automation for greater efficiency, sustainability and occupational health and safety
To produce even more efficiently, flexibly and sustainably in the future and to set the course for further growth, Bosideng has in recent years invested in the construction of a “smart” factory in China. From its various automatic and ultrasonic sewing machines to its fully automated down-filling system, Bosideng is using a number of novel production technologies to increase its responsiveness and efficiency. The smart factory can produce batches of as few as 100 pieces and remain cost effective. Ultimately, automation benefits quality, sustainability and the factory workers themselves – by reducing human error and increasing worker safety. It also reduces waste and scrap, helping to conserve valuable resources.
Digitalization continues in logistics: the group’s self-developed algorithms calculate the distances between the geographical locations of the products and the consumers in real-time and then decide from where the product is sent to the consumer. This has shortened delivery times and significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions during transportation.
Strict chemical management
It is impossible – even at Bosideng – to process down without chemicals. However, Bodiseng’s sustainability goals require strict compliance with the guidelines and limit values of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) program. ZDHC is an association of players in the international textile, leather and footwear industry as well as numerous research and certification institutes to eliminate harmful substances from the textile value chain. Among these restricted substances are alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO) in down-filling, dyes with harmful aromatic amines, heavy metals (such as lead and cadmium) and flame retardants. Bosideng already stipulates these restrictions in its raw-material procurement contracts to ensure product safety and strictly monitors its suppliers’ compliance.
Development of recyclable products
During product development, Bosideng also considers how products can be made more recyclable and therefore more resource-efficient. Numerous Bosideng products have won prestigious international awards for their sustainable solutions. In autumn 2023, the Eco-Design Circular Lightweight Functional Down Puffer Jacket received an ISPO Award. For this PFC-free 3L jacket, Bosideng uses 100 percent bio-based PA510 nylon fabric for the outer shell and 100 percent recycled nylon for the lining, in addition to a filling of RDS-certified goose down. All other components of the jacket are also made of nylon. At the end of the use phase, the nylons and the goose down are easily separated with a simple cut and can be reprocessed as used nylon and used down. This creates a closed recycling loop from material to material.
The Zero Pressure down jacket also boasts the complete recyclability of all its materials and was awarded the Red Dot Award in 2022. The outer fabric, lining, sewing thread and zipper are made from 100 percent recycled polyamide, and even the white goose down can be reused several times, after sterilization and reprocessing. Once it has reached the end of its useful life, the jacket can be dismantled with just two cuts along a pre-drawn line. In this way, Bosideng has made it easy to separate the materials, opening the way to cost-efficient recycling.
Long-term goal: net-zero emissions and a greener textile industry
In line with the global need to reduce CO2 emissions and China’s sustainability goals, Bosideng has made great efforts to save energy and reduce emissions. The goal is to achieve net-zero emissions while at the same time encouraging the rest of the apparel industry to offer greener products, and help create an ecosystem for industry sustainability through the transition to high-quality, low-carbon development. This long-term commitment has made Bosideng a role model in the Chinese textile industry. A study by the China Feather and Down Industrial Association, entitled “Towards Net Zero Emissions: A Study on the High-quality Low-carbon Transformation Path of the Down Apparel Industry,” describes Bosideng as a role model for low-carbon development and emissions reduction in areas such as raw-material sourcing, product design, environmentally friendly packaging, intelligent production and the digitalization and intelligence of business processes.
In the procurement of raw materials in the 2022/23 financial year, for example, 100 percent of the down clothing procured by the group received Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certification, 70 percent of the down clothing procured by the group received a certificate of OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, and 48 percent of the down clothing procured by the group received bluesign® certification.