We work according to DIN ISO 9001:2015 as part of our product development. Own design, prototyping and the various finishing departments on-site enable us to find new and sustainable solutions, time and again. Many awards for our products provide the evidence.
SUBJECT PRODUCT
Here at HALFAR®, we ask ourselves every day how we can increase the benefits for our customers even more. How we can improve the quality of our products even further and how we can optimise our manufacturing processes even more? We always try to improve, looking for new innovative solutions. In doing so, we conduct ourselves responsibly in the market towards other market competitors and build sustainable relationships with our stakeholders.
Process led development
Stable, audited quality assurance system
All our suppliers are obliged to work in accordance with the ILO core labour standard, the social standard for decent working conditions and adequate occupational health and safety. Audits are regularly carried out by Halfar employees in the factories. The aim is to develop and support our production sites. In doing so, they check the working conditions and advise with know-how around the bag production.
They also actively participate in optimising packaging, transport and storage issues as well as in process improvements. Most of our bag plants are audited according to amfori BSCI. The association's amfori BSCI programme works to improve social standards in a global value chain. Halfar has been part of the amfori BSCI network since 2009, making it one of the longest-standing members. In our international cooperation, we therefore refer to the amfori BSCI Code of Conduct.
In line with the sustainable development of our standard range, 15 % of our manufacturing plants, as well as Halfar itself, are GOTS certified. In addition, 25 % of our suppliers as well as HALFAR® work according to defined quality management processes, audited according to the quality management system DIN ISO 9001:2015.
A robust, tested quality assurance system
All our suppliers are committed to working in accordance with the ILO core labour standards, the social standards for humane working conditions and sufficient protection at work. Halfar employees regularly carry out audits in the factories. The aim is to develop our manufacturing sites and to support them. Hereby, they monitor working conditions and provide advice with their expertise on bag production.
They also actively participate in optimising issues of packaging, transport and warehousing, as well as in the improvement of processes. Moreover, our top ten factories are fully audited according to amfori BSCI. The programme of the amfori BSCI association campaigns for global improvement of social standards in a worldwide value creation chain. Halfar has been part of the amfori BSCI network since 2009 and is one of its long-term members.
In addition, the Halfar quality inspectors check our bag production according to the AQL Standard before they are dispatched. The inspection of components is carried out through accredited institutes, such as Bureau Veritas (BVCPS). In addition, Halfar employees check arriving goods once again upon arrival in Bielefeld to establish whether formal quality criteria have been met. We utilise all the results and findings of the quality controls in order to actively steer quality, to optimise processes and to manufacture positive, sustainable products under positive, sustainable conditions.
Logistics and waste management concepts
Apart from the direct manufacturing processes, we also keep an eye on the logistics of our goods. In the area of strategic procurement and manufacture of our products in the Asiatic regions, we take spatial and temporal components into consideration with the aim of bundling the flow of goods and controlling them so that a smooth stream is guaranteed. This creates reliable planning on all levels, alleviates capacities, saves costs and ensures that emissions are reduced.
Similarly, we also optimise the transports to and from our European manufacturing sites. The utilisation rate of means of transport and avoiding empty runs are our logistical standard. In order to also improve logistically, our new logistics centre Bielefeld Altenhagen was put into operation in September 2019.
We also concentrate on disposing and avoiding waste. In the spirit of responsibility for our products, we have been connected to the German recycling system for more many years. Packaging waste accumulating at our site is mainly taken to recycling plants, separated into single type materials. A new goal we have set ourselves is to lower the share and the cost of the residual waste that still accrues by a further 3 %. In addition, we are working on avoiding unnecessary packaging. In the area of product development, we are also striving towards viable recycling solutions for our warehousing programme.
Our range
As consumers, we rarely choose promotional products. We get them as a reward or as a gift. Therefore, it is difficult to find information on the intrinsic values. HALFAR® considers it as its duty to bring products to the market, which are of high quality and reliable and are produced according to social and ecological standards. For this, we develop our stock range with sustainable aspects in mind and allow our customers attractive price access to quality promotional products.
The "Green" offensive – our ORGANIC series
As we are always looking for new solutions, we developed the idea at Halfar of offering a series from stock, which constitutes an alternative within the context of ecological promotional materials. In 2016, the first models of our ORGANIC series were launched. To date, this series has grown to include a shopper, three zipped bags in various sizes, a drawstring backpack, a bag with stand-up function and a reusable bag.
Just as all other HALFAR® bags, this series distinguishes itself by taking relevant ecological, economic and social factors into consideration. This means that the model is designed independently. Moreover, cuts are optimised so that unnecessary use of material is avoided. The models are suitable for many purposes. They have an attractive price and reach a wide range of target groups. At the same time, they offer functional added value, so that the consumer can use the bags for a long time in everyday life. In particular, the articles of the ORGANIC series can be introduced to the recycling loop and their ecological credibility can be verified throughout the entirety of production and marketing steps by an external agency. For this, the models are made from organic cotton according to GOTS.
For synthetic fibre models, we increased the share of PVC free bags to over 50 % and will continue to do so. For models, which cannot entirely do without a share of PVC as yet, we exclusively use clean materials that conform to legal requirements and are safe to use (REACH, LFGB). Moreover, we are constantly searching for alternatives. In this, new and innovative solutions are just as exciting as innovations in the range of familiar materials. The onward use and reuse of materials also play a role. The use of pre-processed materials (Upcycling) as well as the application of secondary raw materials is part of our work. So far, these materials have found their use primarily within the context of individual production for customers. Be it old airplane seats, headlight lenses or airbag fabric, the suitability and availability of the material turned much supposed waste into a new and favourite item. You can find exciting examples of these highly individual and sustainable productions on our Upcycling bags page.
Avoid - Reduce - Extend
Bags don't necessarily have to be made of polyester or cotton. We have often shown that there are other ways. The more unusual and exciting the past of the materials is, the more interesting the bags we make from them. Whether leather from aeroplane seats or old bicycle tyres - you can literally feel the history that these materials have experienced. It is not without reason that some of our special upcycled bags have already won awards.
Reusing materials that have already been used has many advantages. On the one hand, consumption and energy generation for the extraction of new resources are almost completely saved. Another positive aspect for "recycling" is the saving of waste that would be generated during disposal. For this reason, we at HALFAR® have added two completely new series to our range of promotional bags made from recycled materials.
Cotton serves as the basis for our sustainable PLANET series. However, we use this in recycled form as pre-recycled cotton. Old cotton cuttings are shredded and processed into a new fabric. This way we save waste and water for the new cultivation of the raw material.
The CIRCLE series is also made of recycled materials. The series, which currently consists of three models, uses a raw material that is available in huge quantities but is not biodegradable - PET plastic. For the new bag series, HALFAR® sources a material that is obtained from old PET plastic bottles. These are washed in a process, shredded and then processed into a fabric. This is characterised by its robustness and resistance.
Tested materials
Tested material is more than a symbol for the quality of our bags. It is backed by an intelligent, comprehensive quality assurance system. The renowned Bureau Veritas provides confirmation of this. This independent laboratory tests our bags and backpacks before, during and after production at control sites in Germany and China. Special attention is paid to the safety and legal conformity of the materials used. Chemical components, in particular, must conform to the appropriate EU guidelines (amongst other LFGB and REACH). This includes testing the physical-mechanical properties as well as the durability of materials and finishing processes (e.g. fade resistance or mechanical robustness). Equally important: social dealings with staff at the production sites in Asia, which is founded upon our amfori BSCI social standards.
GOTS
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a standard applied worldwide for the processing of textiles made of organically produced natural fibres. It defines technical environment requirements along the entire textile production chain as well as stringent social criteria. Conformity is verified through independent, accredited testing institutes on the basis of the GOTS monitoring system.
Fairtrade seal
Fairtrade identifies goods, which originate from fair trade, where certain social, ecological and economic criteria have been complied with during production. Products with the Fairtrade seal allow the cooperatives of small farmers to obtain stable prices as well as long term trading relations. Farmers as well as employees on plantations receive an additional Fairtrade bonus for community projects. Furthermore, standards include criteria for democratic organisation structures, environmental protection and secure working conditions. Inspections are carried out by FLORCET.
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is a globally uniform, independent testing and certification system covering all steps in production as well as the supply materials used for textile raw, intermediate and end products. Scientific development of test criteria, threshold values and test methods constitutes a central focus, founded on a catalogue of comprehensive, stringent measures with several hundred regulated individual substances. Ranked in order of relevance, discussions and developments are considered as soon as and as effectively as possible when STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® requirements are updated. Test criteria and threshold values go frequently and significantly beyond nationally and internationally valid specifications. Moreover, comprehensive product controls and regular company audits also ensure responsible handling of chemicals for a globally sustainable sensitisation of the industry