Ucon Acrobatics started their business with cotton material bags and backpacks, however conventional cotton became objectionable to them over time due to it’s agricultural practices. So they shifted to synthetic products, most of which being recycled. They use mostly recycled polyester (rPET from recycled water bottles) in their products from the company “Repreve”, which is certified Oeko Tex standard 100 and GRS (Global Recycle Standard). They also use upcycled Neopren, however, they do not list certifications or certification numbers, and are not to be found on the Repreve website, making the recycled content unverifiable. This brand also makes their own custom fabrics using rPET and microscopic glass beads. They also use conventional polyester, polyurethane, wood fiber and iron in their products. For their water bottles, the brand uses stainless steel with a silicone protection sleeve. Considering their high usage of synthetic materials, the brand does not say anything regarding microplastic release and their effect on the environment at the end of use.
Initially, most of this brand’s products were made in Europe, but they reached their limits quickly and in order to avoid material importation and high transportation emissions they moved their sourcing and production to China. They also have a dedicated group of workers working exclusively on their products, which lets them produce in smaller quantities if needed, and avoid overproduction. The brand only releases 2 main collections throughout the year, and have implemented a ‘never out of stock’ programme to keep their products from becoming pre-consumer waste. Their environmental B‑Corp rating is at a high of 54.9 (higher than the average 50), proving their dedication to environmental sustainability.
Ucon Acrobatics is a partner of Bluesign, which is a certification system that covers the entire production chain from raw materials to finished products, ensuring responsible use of water, chemicals and energy. This certification can be verified on the Bluesign partners list. They are also REACH compatible, and have eliminated all environmental toxins, allergens, and carcinogens. All their fabrics are tested and certified by an external inspection board.
For transport, they state the use of trucks and ships to reach 500 retailers around the world, however they limit their ecommerce to only within Europe. For this they use the rail route from China to Germany to move products directly from the factory to sales partners. Air traffic is only used for most urgent cases. On their product description pages, they state the use of climate neutral shipping, however the details of which are not provided and hence unverifiable.
Ucon Acrobatics has eliminated plastic from their transport packaging, limiting it to recycled paper and cardboard packaging which is later recycled. They are looking for sustainable alternatives for their ecommerce product packaging, however have already made progress using recycled paper bags for their smaller products, and grass paper boxes for their larger products. The grass paper consumes reduced water and causes 75% less CO2 emissions than wood. However, it is unclear whether they have completely eliminated plastic packaging from their entire supply chain, including their product ecommerce packaging.
Ucon Acrobatics also takes part in other environmental sustainability activities such as supporting climate projects with their partner Ecologi, and plant trees for every order. Over 31,195 trees have been funded so far (2023), with different species in different locations. They also partner with Plastic Fischer, which helps them remove 1kg of plastic from rivers in Indonesia for every order placed on their website.
