-
Traceable Down
All of the virgin down we purchase is a by-product of the meat industry and comes from independently audited sources. In addition to virgin down, we also source recycled down from post-consumer sources.
In our virgin duck-down supply chains, birds are raised for their meat and slaughtered at 45-60 days of age. In our goose-down supply chain, birds are typically sent to slaughter at 16 weeks.
Our virgin down comes primarily from slaughterhouse-based supply chains (where a single large or defined group of farms supply a slaughterhouse directly). This more ‘industrial-based’ system has become increasingly common over the past decade. However, our goose down is from a collection-based supply chain where many small farms or individual smallholdings provide down to local collectors who then sell it. This can present challenges in traceability but frequently corresponds to the best animal welfare standards.
Our recycled down (DOWN CYCLE®) is not presently covered by Down Codex because our recycled down comes from a large variety of post-consumer recycling sources.
Our Down Supply Chains
No matter which type of down you are looking at, the down commonly used by us and others find its way into products principally via two types of supply chain - either via a Collection Based System or an Industrial System. Both have their pro’s and con’s. However it is generally accepted that from a traceability perspective, collection-based systems carry the greatest risk due to the complexities in accurately documenting any chain of custody.
Duck Down
For most products, duck down provides all the required performance and has considerable cost savings versus goose down. We use two supply chains for duck down. One is in China, Asia, while the other is in Poland, Europe. Both have been audited to DOWN CODEX® requirements and are RDS 3.0 certified.
Polish Duck Down
A high-quality duck down-sourced from Poland. Ducklings are supplied to the 99 farms which make up this farming group. The farms then raise the birds for around 45 days before slaughter. The slaughterhouse is in Kępno in south-central Poland. Due to the number of farms in this farming group, a representative sample of farms are visited to certify the group.
The down is sourced through a series of medium-scale farms that collectively supply a single slaughterhouse. Birds are raised in indoor barns with sufficient space to move around freely and express themselves.
The down is washed and dried in Poland before being sent to Germany for final sorting.
RDS Audit Frequency: Annual
Chinese Duck Down
The duck down is sourced from the Jiangxi province in Eastern China. The slaughterhouse provides ducklings and feed, and birds are typically raised for 50-60 days prior to slaughter.
The farms provide a mix of indoor rearing (typically in barns or large poly-tunnel type structures), with some giving access to outdoor space. In all cases, outdoor free-range access is provided from the age of six weeks. Some farms within this group provide access to open water through ponds. The slaughterhouse is in Nanchang City in Jiangxi province.
The down is shipped to a pre-processor and an intermediary before being sold to our supplier in Hangzhou province, China.
RDS Audit Frequency: Annual
Goose Down
For the highest quality products, we continue to use only the most exceptional qualities of goose down commercially available. We have only one source of Goose Down. It is a supply chain based in Ukraine. We have only recently started working with this supplier, following our decision to withdraw from our previous Russian supplier. Our Ukrainian down source has been audited to DOWN CODEX® requirements and is RDS 3.0 certified.
Ukranian Goose Down
A premium quality Goose Down sourced from Ukraine.
We chose to work with this supply chain because it offered the chance to source down from farms which are small-scale in nature and which, in turn, provide near-wild living conditions for the geese, with plentiful access to open space and the opportunity to access open water for swimming etc. Due to the number of farms in this farming group, a representative sample of farms are visited to certify the group.
There are typically 20-50 birds on each farm, usually raised in conjunction with ducks (although we only source goose down from this source). Slaughtering occurs both on the farms themselves as well as in local slaughterhouses.
Local agents collect the down in Ukraine before being sent to Poland for pre-processing and then to Germany for sorting.
RDS Audit Frequency: Annual
Trace Your Down
You can find your 12 Digit code printed on the DOWN CODEX® stamped label inside of your product.
Simply enter this via the link below to access to specific information relating to the down in your product.
