Only about a month after receiving its official certification under NSF International’s rigorous Global Traceable Down Standard (Global TDS) – already making ALLIED Feather & Down the industry’s largest supplier of Global TDS-certified down – ALLIED has earned certification on another, even larger, European supply chain, doubling the amount of GLOBAL TDS-certified down available to the industry..
The addition of this supply chain will more than double to more than 2 million the number of birds currently certified under the program, all of which come from Eastern Europe which produces much of the world’s most coveted down. It’s also another major step towards ALLIED’s ultimate goal of having 100% of its down certified under either or both of the two major international standards by 2017: GLOBAL TDS or the Responsible Down Standard (RDS), which has already certified well over 70% of its global supply chain.
What makes this latest achievement even more impressive is ALLIED’s substantial efforts to make the second supply chain’s approval possible. When the European Union recently created new animal welfare guidelines on foul for the food industry – of which all down and feathers for insulation is simply a byproduct – the ruling was mistranslated in a major producing region therefore allowing a certain small part of the supply chain to engage in minor practices no longer used throughout the rest of the European Union. This held up ALLIED’s first certification as they worked directly with these smaller parts of the supply chain to ensure they were in compliance with not only their regional laws, but with the strictest practices throughout the whole of Europe.
The brand is now working closely with a major supply chain partner to correct the translation with local legislators, thereby resolving the mistake that can lead to future confusion, and ultimately improving the welfare of all birds throughout the whole of Europe. This will clear the way for hundreds of thousands more birds to be certified across the region, not just for ALLIED, but for all brands that source from Eastern Europe.
“It was important for us to really take our time and identify supply chains that would prove scalable. We are proud of the work we do with all the standards and the amount of certified material we are able to offer our partners,” says ALLIED’s President Daniel Uretsky. “We see the Global TDS as another opportunity for all our partner brands to further their own corporate social responsibility initiatives and be able to select which standard is right for them. In making all these standards available to a wide range of brands and markets also helps to get the message to a wider audience and educate the consumer on the positive attributes of what is essentially the most environmentally friendly insulation upcycled from what would otherwise be waste. In working to certify our entire supply chain, we are making a commitment to use our leverage in the industry to try to affect real change in animal welfare. Now there’s no reason any brand using down can’t source verified, responsibly sourced, 100%-traceable product, whether in the fashion, outdoor or bedding industries.”
Animal welfare groups like FOUR PAWS have taken notice of these efforts. “Suppliers have a big responsibility and major role to play when it comes to ensuring that the animals in their supply chains have not been live-plucked or force-fed,” says Nina Jamal, Head of Farm Animal Campaigns at FOUR PAWS International. “ALLIED Feather & Down has taken on the challenge and is one of the first major suppliers that can credibly exclude the cruel practices of live-plucking and force-feeding from a number of supply chains by implementing full supply chain traceability standards. Their efforts helped increase the guarantees that hundreds of thousands of animals are spared from live-plucking or force-feeding. We welcome their ongoing efforts in that direction and call on all other down suppliers to follow suit.”
