Wouf

Wouf was created in Barcelona, with their atelier still in the same city where most of the production is conducted. This makes it easier for the owners to ensure ethicalness and sustainability of the production work. They also produce some products in Italy, and claim to source their materials locally as well. They have a strong relationship with the suppliers that they have worked with almost since the conception. However, have not specified the locations, or the names or addresses of the atelier or the suppliers, which makes it difficult to verify the working conditions. 

They have also not specified any other social certificates, except for using Oeko-Tex certified printing inks, which makes the products non-hazardous to the handler. However they do not provide proof of this certification. 

99% of Wouf’s products are made from recycled or otherwise sustainable materials, such as 100% recycled polyester from post-consumer plastic bottles (certifications are not mentioned., This makes up for a major chunk of the brand’s products, however this is still not ideal considering the environmental effects of such products later down the line, such as microplastic release, and non-biodegradability. They also use organic cotton in many of their products, and recycled leather for a few more. Wouf also has a line of notebooks that is made of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, which ensures ethical management of the forests and the communities local to the forests. 

Their commitment of using 99% sustainable material does not just apply to the main materials but also to other smaller materials. Such as their recycled leather and organic cotton labels, recycled polyester and organic cotton linings, bio-based protective foams, recycled leather buckles and organic cotton drawstrings. Their Oeko-Tex certified printing inks are also better for the environment than conventional ones. 

All that being said, none of the material certifications for any of the products are stated, making their sustainability unverifiable. They also state the use of sustainable packaging, which is also a step towards sustainable practices, however it is not specified what makes them sustainable. 

Wouf uses mostly recycled materials, which contributes to their circularity, and their final products are also almost all mono-material, making them easy to recycle at the end of use. However, they do have many products containing recycled polyester blends containing about 70% synthetic materials, which is too high a percentage for it to be easy to recycle at the end. The brand also does not provide any take-back services or instructions on responsible discard of the products after use.

This brand was created in Barcelona, where its atelier still exists, and they have local suppliers that have been part of the network for years. They conduct most of their production from Barcelona, and some from Italy – this ensures that the supply chain is kept local, reducing CO2 emissions from travel. However, they have not specified exact locations or production or sourcing, so their definition of local cannot be verified.

Wouf uses recycled leather for some of their products, however being recycled they need not publish an animal welfare policy as no animals need to be harmed directly for creating this product. However, it is not mentioned whether the leather is pre- or post-consumer recycled, and certifications and sources would be beneficial in verifying the sustainability of this material.

Wouf makes products from durable materials such as polyester and cotton, however they do not provide care instructions, repair services, or warranties to keep them in use for longer. These products are timeless, and genderless, including laptop sleeves, toiletry bags and so on, with beautiful bright prints of animals and nature. They are designed to be used by anyone who wants to get into the contemporary world and own bold prints.

Wouf provides transparency through its product description page that states detailed materiality and production location of each product. They also provide some information on their ​“about the brand” page.

All in all, this brand is a very sustainable one in terms of the materials used and local sourcing, however has a long way to go in terms of transparency of the specific sources of the materials, certifications, sustainability of their packaging, etc. They seem to be working (March 2023) on a ​“responsibility” page on their website, which when ready may provide more clarity on their sustainability.