From the very beginning, the main objective of Pomppa’s operations has been improving the well-being of dogs as well as creating long-lasting products. Even to this day, this is our driving force. We are guided by a strong set of values, which emphasize the dog’s well-being, boundless curiosity and joy, valuing each other and respecting the environment. To us, it’s important that these values are always reflected in our decision making.

The first Pomppa coats were created in the hands of Pomppa’s founder Meri Alku, who designed the coats for her own agility dogs. Her goal was to design a long-lasting and durable product that enables natural and unrestricted movement. This is how the classic PerusPomppa was created, and it was successfully introduced to the public for the first time in 2008 at Agility World Championships in Helsinki, and the rest is history.

As our operations continue their rapid growth, it’s increasingly important for us to pay attention to our impact on the world around us. We’re continually working to identify areas requiring improvement to minimize the negative effects our operations have on the environment. We’re only at the starting line of our sustainability journey, and there’s still a long path ahead of us. On this page you can find where we currently are on this path.

Sustainable development goals

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The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to achieve a better and more sustainable future for us all. They address the global challenges we face, including climate change, environmental degradation, inequality and poverty. Learn more about the program here.

We have indentified three primary Sustainability Goals that allow us to make the greatest impact through our operations:

Sustainable product development

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Long-lasting product is the key to a sustainable product development. Timeless design, quality materials and thoughtfully designed product guarantee that our customers want to use their Pomppa products year after year, and also take good care of them. We hope that each Pomppa will be used to the very end of its life cycle, which means the product may be able to delight more than one tail-wagger in its lifetime.

The foundation of our product development is based on the principles of circular economy:

• Only carefully designed and tested products are brought into our collection, with each new product created for a real need. The original Pomppa design from 2008 is still present in our products, and addition to the timeless design, the colors and patterns are also made to stand the test of time.
  
• The materials are chosen with the intended use of the product in mind. They must withstand heavy use and varying weather conditions for years, but the products must also be easy to care for. The simple design ensures that there are as little fragile and breakable parts as possible. Also, the quality materials guarantee a good resale value for used products as well.
  
• We are not creating fast fashion or thinking seasonally. Our collection is not renewed each year, the products are only updated with a few new colors and, if necessary, materials. Pomppa products don’t get old, and the slow renewal of the collection doesn’t result in a large amount of stock, which would have to be emptied through big sale campaigns.

Carbon footprint & circular economy

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The climate crisis is an acute threat to our modern world, which is why environmental actions are at the forefront of our sustainability work. We’re committed to achieving carbon neurality by 2035 in the Carbon Neutral Textile 2035 commitment established by Finnish Textile and Fashion organization. Still, the commitment is only one step on our path towards more sustainable operations, more actions are needed.

Below we present our goals and actions in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and strengthen the circular economy. For a more detailed review on what measures have already been taken, read our Sustainability Review 2022.

We aim to increase the share of circular economy in our operations, and by doing this, we’re able to directly affect the carbon footprint of our entire value chain. The circular economy rejects the throwaway culture and aims to extend the life cycle of existing products, e.g., by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling. As the life cycle of products extend, the amount of waste decreases, the consumption of raw materials and energy decreases, and the total annual greenhouse gas emissions decrease.

The new RePomppa second hand service supports our circular economy goals. Using the service, our customers are able to sell their used Pomppa products to us easily and reliably, after which the used products are placed on our online store and sold as RePomppa products. This way one Pomppa may have more than one owner in its lifetime! In addition, all received RePomppa products have been in great condition, which further proves the durability of Pomppas.

To help our customers extend the lifespan of their Pomppa, we also share information about the proper maintenance and care of the products. Our online store also has spare buckles available, with which the customer can use to replace a broken buckle of the coat.

Dog wellfare at the heart of everything

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We believe that dogs are at their happiest when they have the freedom to be themselves and live an active life full of outdoor adventures. Although dogs don’t necessarily need clothing like we humans do, it may be necessary to protect them from various weather conditions for them to be comfortable and healthy.

For an active dog, exercise and motion in general have a great affect on both physical and mental health. The top priority of our product design has always been enabling the natural and restriction free movement. The simple yet unique design of Pomppa products ensure that dogs are able to run fast, dig around, sniff the ground and wag their tail without restricting their natural range of movement. Pomppa has been created to improve the everyday life of our four-legged companions, regardless of the weather.

The key to a dog’s well-being is in the choices of the owner

We do our best to ensure that choosing the right product is as easy and effortless as possible. This has a direct effect on the dog’s well-being: Having a product that fits the dog well, and is chosen for the right weather conditions, guarantees the best possible protection. Also, when choosing the right product is easy, the burden for the environment is reduced as the number of order exchanges and returns decrease.

We aim to use our social media channels and other platforms to further promote and enhance the well-being of dogs, e.g., by giving a voice to professionals who are working towards improving dog welfare on a daily basis, such as positive dog trainers and animal health professionals. We also actively share information about our products and their care in order to have our products serve our customers as long as possible.

Responsible communication

We recognize our responsibility as dog welfare advocates in our communications as well. For this reason, we do not use any imagery of dogs that can be interpreted as violating the Finnish Animal Welfare Act, such as dogs with certain characteristics or maltreatment of dogs. With this policy, we aim to prevent the normalization of poor dog health and other problematic dog ownerships.

Supply Chain and Code of Conduct

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The biggest impact of our operations takes place in our supply chains in terms of both environmental and social impact. Also, our biggest financial investments are directed to our manufacturers. Our products are manufactured in China, in the factories of two of our long-term partners. Our fabric is produced in Taiwan, China, and Japan. To find more detailed information on the manufacturing countries of our materials, see the “Materials and Care” tab on each product page.

We recognize that production in China involves risks. Our priority is to ensure the minimization of the negative environmental effects and the social sustainability of our production. In accordance with our company values, our approach on the matter is based on working together. We make sure to communicate with our factories on a weekly basis and share our thoughts on sustainability through our goals and actions. We actively involve our manufacturers in our sustainability work, e.g., in calculating our carbon footprint and supplying more sustainable materials.

We strongly believe that business can be sustainable and have a positive impact on people, economy, and the world around us through its value chain. However, as we continue to grow, we felt it necessary to ensure that we all commit to the same principles together, and so in 2021 we defined our ethical guidelines, the Code of Conduct.

The same principles travel through our entire value chain, from our own operations and employees to our partners, especially suppliers and their subcontractors. The ethical guideline is not only made for the supply chain, but it also binds us here at Pomppa. The guideline tells our current and potential partners about our internal rules and principles but also what we expect from them as well.

We have gone through the Code of Conduct together with our current manufacturers, and they have both committed to it with their signatures and via discussion. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, we have not been able to visit the factories for more than two years. Next, we’ll scope out the best ways to ensure that there is no conflict between commitment and reality, and the risks and points of development we’re able to identify in order to work together in an increasingly sustainable manner from this point onward.

We recognize that developing the sustainability of the supply chain requires persistent work. However, we have already noted that by understanding our own sustainability goals, our suppliers have also become more active in developing their sustainability work after understanding its importance.

Customers

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Our aim is to be fair, transparent, and responsible towards our customers when it comes to sales, marketing, and communications. We actively help and serve our customers in various platforms, and we continually work towards a deeper understanding of our customer base and their expectations. Our goal is to offer professional customer service leading to a high-quality customer experience.

Our retailers are also at the core of our customer relations. We invest in long-lasting customer relationships, and fair, flexible, and open cooperation. We find it important that our contracts and terms are fair to all retailers.

Employees

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Our employees are our greatest asset, and we are committed to taking care of their well-being. Our goal is that our team is committed, skilled and motivated, and they get to work in exciting and meaningful tasks under the leadership of superiors. We also support the health and well-being of our team members and their four-legged companions in various ways.

To us, it’s important that the values of our team members meet. For this reason, the company values of Pomppa have been created together with the team. It is also important to us that we regularly pause and go through our company values together, and if necessary, develop and expand on them. The sustainability values unite us, and our team members have defined their personal sustainability goals based on their position. These goals are implemented and developed in the daily work as well.

Respecting and appreciating each other is the key to a healthy workplace, and which also reflects on the outside. We value diversity and consider it an asset to our work community. To improve on the diversity of our team, we’ve implemented an anonymous recruitment process when using an external recruitment service. This ensures equality in the recruitment practices as well.

Even today, Pomppa Oy is a 100 % Finnish-owned company, which is owned by its original founder Meri Alku. All our operations, aside from manufacturing, are located in Tuusula, Finland.

Financial sustainability also includes taking care of the profitability and competitiveness of the business. Our operations are not aiming for fast profit but rather moderate and stable growth, with which we ensure the sustainable growth of the business in the long term.

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