Our vision of a better way to farm animals, is one where they have experienced the Five Freedoms during their lives. We will use the following principles to guide our sourcing:

Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area Freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering

We can achieve progress toward this vision by working to improve the treatment of animals in our own supply chain and through supporting groups, like Farm Forward who affect positive change on a world scale. If we think we can have a bigger overall impact by focussing on helping animals outside our supply chain, this will have first priority.

Our hope is to also find, or encourage the development of, a certification of animal welfare standards that is transparent and allows us to trace hides back to their point of origin. We've currently found excellent, internationally respected certifications for the environmental impact of the leathers we source, but currently no satisfactory leather certifications with regard to animal welfare.

We're working with our leather suppliers to improve their animal welfare transparency and standards, just as we worked with our tanneries to achieve LWG gold-rated certification. Since August 2015, Farm Forward have been helping us reach out to other potentially viable leather suppliers who are recognised for their ethical standards. Compassion in World Farming is assisting us in shaping our policy.

We have also established an Animal Welfare Advisory Board, which meets quarterly to review our actions in this area. Our key near-term policy goals are to:

Gain proper clarity on sourcing within the opaque leather supply chain. Create an action plan with Farm Forward that pinpoints high impact areas we can leverage as a company to improve animal welfare.

Further revised aims will be updated on this page as things progress.

We're always searching for better ways to source materials and work with suppliers. If you have any thoughts on how we could improve, we welcome feedback.