As you may have seen, we have started moving production closer to home. We’ve been sharing this exciting news as part of our ongoing drive to improve our sustainability practices and the long-term health of our planet. This production move has seen our latest styles of footwear move from China and other countries in Asia much closer to home in Europe. We are thrilled about this transition, because after much hard work by the V12 team, it will have a number of significant benefits to our wearers and the environment. Here’s how:
Moving production from Asia to Europe will result in an enormous reduction in our shipping mileage. The new shorter journey from factory to port means there will be over 8,000 less nautical miles of travel necessary for our footwear to reach the shelves and our wearers in Europe and the UK .
To put this simply, our newest style’s journey has been decreased by a staggering 31 days. This decrease in voyage time also means that each journey from the new factory to UK ports will emit 225 kilograms less carbon than the previous journey from China to the UK.
To add to this, the shorter shipping time will give us more flexibility as a company, and the ability to respond more swiftly to the varying needs of our customers.
Did you know, shipping is responsible for 3% of global carbon emissions? That’s approximately one billion tonnes of carbon generated per year. (International Council on Clean Transportation)
Shipping emissions have continued to increase and are now slated to be far from aligned with the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. International shipping has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by at least 50% of 2008 levels by 2050.
At V12, we go beyond linear to work toward a circular economy by paying attention to how our operational impact is connected to our global impact.
Producing our footwear closer to the UK enables us to acquire more materials from within Europe, rather than looking further afield. This also cuts back our production time drastically, because many materials are being sourced on the continent and transported over less distance – leading to another big carbon footprint reduction.
Did you know, according to a recent report from Simon-Kucher & Partners, globally, sustainability is rated as an important purchase criterion for 60 percent of consumers?
The move to European shores will have another fantastic advantage for our wearers. The shorter distance to our factory means we can continue providing innovative and high-performing footwear because we can carry out our quality assurance checks on products with absolute efficiency, as well as establish close control over the manufacturing process.
Another way our wearers will benefit from this transition is by knowing that they can expect a consistent and transparent supply chain. Currently, many parts of China are experiencing significant challenges in their own supply chains. These include nationwide power restrictions as China endeavours to meet energy and emissions targets as well as recover from strict COVID-19 measures.
Both of these factors have led to widespread port closures, reduced production capacity and slower supplies. We are confident that moving production to Europe will ensure that we will have a more efficient and reliable supply chain imperative for continuing to keep feet safe.
Did you know, in England, around 60% of 1–2-mile trips are made by car? (Smart Guide to Climate Change) Each of these short journeys emit on average100 grams of carbon - a distance that could be walked in 27 minutes.
Relocating our production is just one step in our continuing sustainability journey. To find out what other innovative methods and changes V12 have put in place to ensure we produce our footwear in the most responsible and ethical way possible, head over to our Sustainability page.