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our handprint
Karpos journey towards sustainable development
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Our history, which began in the Dolomites, has always been characterized by our careful consideration for people, the local area, and mountain communities, recognizing that the resources available to us are limited. This care is in our DNA.
Over the years, we’ve become increasingly aware that it’s not just a question of where we want to go or what we want to achieve, but how we want to do it. We are here to imagine a different tomorrow: this is why we want to inspire others, to design a future together in harmony with nature and the mountains.
Through our activities, we want to strengthen our positive impact on our surroundings and reduce our negative impact as much as possible.
Our journey toward sustainable development has begun!

People are at the center of Karpos’ business. We share with our employees and partners a passion for the outdoor world and a lightweight and high-performance approach to the mountains. With the support of MVC Group, we’ve developed a social responsibility strategy based on the adoption of an internal Code of Conduct and activities that support our employees’ work-life balance.
We’ve extended our commitment to protecting people’s rights to our network of suppliers, with a view to developing a responsible supply chain. The result is the Business Partners Statement of Ethics — a declaration of compliance with the law, ethical principles, fair treatment of people, and the promotion of a safe workplace — which we invite our partners to sign.

Our passion is made of calloused hands on the rough rock of a crag, of trails traversed under a powerful summer cloudburst, of a snowstorm during our ski mountaineering outings. Nature with its elements represents our space for freedom and personal expression. We want to give something back to our playground, and we want to celebrate its beauty. This is why we support initiatives that promote the maintenance and sustainable development of the mountains.
In 2021, with the Help the Mountains – 1% for the Outdoor Community program, we transformed this commitment into a mission: donating 1% of our annual turnover to a series of activities aimed at supporting mountain areas and protecting the environment.

Our products tell of an unconventional passion for the mountain sports that energize us and of our way of experiencing them with lightness, intensity, and color. At Karpos, we try to transfer our way of living the outdoor life into our production processes.
We’re aware that we cannot eliminate our impact, which is why we’re trying to limit it as much as possible in the development of our new collections. We pursue “responsible performance” in the belief that aspects such as consumer health and safety, the protection of workers’ human rights, and the humane treatment of animals are just as important as warmth, waterproofness, and breathability.

our sustainability pillars

WORKING AT KARPOS

People are at the center of Karpos’s business. From the time they join us, we try to make our employees feel at the center of the project, ensuring that they can contribute with ideas and innovations and enhancing their skills and cultivating talents.

For us, well-being in the workplace and work-life balance are two elements that are critical in creating a work environment that is productive while at the same time recognizing the commitment of those who contribute to the growth of the group on a daily basis.
 

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ISO 9001 AND 14001 CERTIFICATIONS

In October 2023, MVC Group was awarded ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification by the TUV accredited body. These certifications follow the adoption of an integrated quality and environmental management system. MVC group and Karpos are now certified as environmentally responsible suppliers.
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HUMAN RIGHTS

Respect for the human rights and working conditions of the people who make our garments is the starting point for ensuring responsible performance.
 
We’ve already adopted a certified personnel management model in the offices of our headquarters, and we are making an effort to ensure that the rights of workers in the factories of our suppliers of raw materials and finished products are also defended, especially in areas where they enjoy less legal protection.

Our partners’ commitment to respect the working conditions of employees is demonstrated by our factory inspections, together with the MVC Group Code of Ethics and the Business Partners Statement of Ethics, two documents that partners in the MVC Group supply chain are invited to sign and through which they affirm their compliance with ethical, social, and financial sustainability standards.
 

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HELP THE MOUNTAINS

Protecting the mountains and protecting the environment: two principles that are foundational to Karpos.

The mountains are our home, which is why we have always been committed to projects that enhance and protect these areas.
Over the years, we have supported numerous events and activities on mountains near and far.

Through the program Help the Mountains – 1% for the outdoor community, we support projects, organizations, and activities connected with climate change, the melting of the glaciers, and littering.

We strongly believe in the power of passing on our values and sharing them with younger generations. This is why we are also supporting educational projects that engage young people, especially students. Thanks to their contributions, our actions will have continuity and achieve greater results in the future.
 

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MATERIALS & TECHNOLOGIES

The technical garments we produce are the result of our manufacturing ability, where technology and innovation come together. 
Mountain sports are serious business, which is why we are always looking for new solutions to develop garments that offer maximum performance with minimum weight.

At Karpos, we try to transfer our way of experiencing the outdoors into the production process of our garments.

Synergy with suppliers has thus led us to use recycled fabrics as raw materials for production, to research and use some natural fibers and new sustainable synthetic materials, and to use fabrics and technologies of controlled origin:
 

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

To make the production of our technical clothing more responsible from an environmental point of view, and consequently safer for consumers’ health, we are committed to selecting fabrics with environmental certifications. These certifications allow the production chain to be traced and ensure a responsible production process, as well as improving the performance of the entire process. With this objective, we have imposed stricter limits on our suppliers than those established by European legislation, in terms of both the type and quantity of toxic substances that can be used. 

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ENERGY USE & EMISSIONS

In 2021 MVC Group used only electricity generated from renewable sources to power the offices at its headquarters in Fonzaso, Italy.

Seventy-two percent of this energy (799,907 KW) was self-produced by the photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the headquarters building in Fonzaso. The remainder was purchased from certified wind farms located in Puglia.

By the end of 2025, MVC Group aims to be using 100% renewable energy at all its sites, including those in foreign locations
 

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UPCYCLING

For us at Karpos, reusing available resources is a value as basic as it is important. A practice that our parents and grandparents passed on to us and that has taught us that finding a new context is all it takes to make anything functional and useful again, giving it new life.

“Upcycle - Reuse - Rethink” is our reinterpretation of this teaching. A slogan that sums up our commitment to creatively reuse fabric rolls, zippers, and labels otherwise destined for the shredder, while keeping the same performance and eliminating the consumption associated with a new production cycle.

The result is the family of garments marked with the “upcycled” label, which attests to the origin and provenance of these limited-edition technical garments. 

It’s a constantly evolving line that started with the Rina Bag and is expanding to include fleeces, hoodies, and, in the future, also jackets. Each product is designed based on the type of materials available: technologies and zippers come together to create a new story to tell!
 

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PACKAGING

Packaging is the indelible footprint of our business. Its impact on the environment can be irreversible. Aware of this, we have redesigned the packaging in which our products are shipped.

Beginning in the second half of 2021 we have adopted a 100% recycled plastic poly bag, which is currently used to bag and ship 70% of our garments ordered in the European market. By 2023, we plan to adopt this packaging system in 100% of the pre-consumer market, including in Asia. The use of recycled packaging has allowed us to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions resulting from a new production cycle by up to 35% compared to conventional plastic.
 

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PRODUCT CARE

Remembering to take a few simple steps — such as evaluating the type of wash, learning how to effectively use the functions of your washing machine, and treating and drying clothing correctly — can help preserve the garments and limit the environmental impact of washing them.

A long life doesn’t mean loss of function. From the first to the last day of use, the product delivers the same performance and the same standards of safety.
We have come up with ten simple tips to extend the life of our products.

 

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sustainability highlights

6.793

Garments in the upcycling collection produced by recovering fabrics, zips, elastics and labels and maintaining the same quality and performance 

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17

Activities supported through the "HELP THE MOUNTAINS - 1% for the outdoor community" programme

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799.907

Kw/h of self-generated sustainable energy in 2021 at the Italian sites of the mvc group
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100%

Percentage of t-shirts in the spring-summer 23 Free spirit line that contains at least one responsible natural fiber fabric

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19.455

Plastic bags saved on our shipments

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10

Tips on how to care for our garments and extend their life cycle

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