Schoenfabriek Van Bommel is a family business. The current ninth generation wants to hand the company over to the tenth generation in better shape than when it was passed down by the eighth. The tenth generation, in turn, will have the same responsibility towards the eleventh. As a family business, Van Bommel looks beyond the next collection or financial year. We want to be able to pass the company on to the next generation in good shape. This also means considering the impact of our activities on employees, suppliers, our surroundings and society.

Making shoes requires raw materials, energy and transport. Our shoes are no exception. On this page, we explain which materials we use, where our shoes are made and the choices we make in running our business.

In 1997, when environmental issues and sustainability received far less attention in business and society, Schoenfabriek Van Bommel became the first shoe manufacturer in Europe to produce a shoe bearing the official Dutch Milieukeur environmental label. The shoe's entire production chain, from cow to finished product, underwent an extensive review. To meet the label's requirements, parts of the production process were adjusted where necessary, and the materials and processes used were documented. The Milieukeur criteria covered, among other things, the environmental impact of raw materials, energy and water consumption, harmful substances, packaging and waste. Working conditions, animal welfare, crop protection and nature conservation were also assessed.

Despite the publicity surrounding its launch, there was little market interest in the shoe. Production stopped after just over a year. The environmentally certified shoe disappeared, but our attention to the environment remained. Since then, Van Bommel has no longer used sustainability as a stand-alone selling point for its shoes. Instead, the focus has been on the choices the company makes in its everyday operations.