In order to offer you an insight into the sustainability of our bags, it's time for a little history lesson: after all, only having an awareness of the past can help us understand the present.
10 years ago, in the early days of Jeune Premier, our collections were manufactured in Morocco. A fantastic country with extremely friendly people with a lot of know-how. However, since there are very few raw materials available in Morocco, we still had to extensively import from far away Ostend. The upshot was that, in the end, only assembly took place in Morocco. As this was no longer ecologically responsible, production was moved to Portugal, with 100% cotton still being made on genuine Belgian Picanol weaving machines. Portugal, too, turned out to have a wealth of craftsmen, but 100% cotton wasn't really the most ideal material to be making schoolbags from ..... The search for the perfect technical material had begun, with this treasure hunt ultimately ending in an ISO certified factory in Guangdong that meets all standards and certifications.
To make 1 school bag, we need as many as 24 suppliers! These are all within a stone's throw of the factory, which has enabled us to reduce our ecological footprint enormously.
Because for us, quality is key! To give our customers across the globe the quality they deserve, we collaborate with SGS for the inspection, verification, certification and testing of our products. SGS (formerly Société Générale de Surveillance, French for General Society of Surveillance) is a Swiss multinational company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, which provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services.
Of course, we would never be able to deliver this quality without the excellent team of professionals who work day in and day out to manufacture our bags. We therefore place great emphasis on a high-quality working environment and pleasant working conditions, where rest times and the statutory 44-hour working week are respected.
Our artisans give the best of themselves every day with great respect and love for the brand... and that shows in our products!
Fun fact: All our technical fabrics are made from recycled PET bottles & completely water repllent. All of our products are 100% vegan & were extensively tested!