Lowa testing labs show the right approach to sustainability

The Lowa's laboratory in Jetzendorf, Germany is full of modern machines that test the quality of their footwear. At the same time, the company tries to ensure that its products show as few defects as possible even before the first testing. All models reflect the footwear company's commitment to high-quality products right from the beginning.

Lowa is a well-known manufacturer of outdoor footwear that makes no compromises. In Jetzensdorf, Germany, they run 120 square meter testing laboratories, where every model is subjected to a thorough examination, so that not a single defective piece reaches the customers.

Lowa tests everything in their laboratories - from the materials used to the durability of the laces to the finished shoes themselves. The new laboratory started its operation only at the beginning of 2020. Until then, testing services for manufacturers were provided by external laboratories

120 square meter lab

The Lowa's internal laboratories have a generous area of 120 square meters, which is about the size of a larger apartment, let's say a four-bedroom one. A total of 38 devices are located in this area, which are capable of performing a large number of tests. A few types of tests are still performed externally, but it's far less than it used to be. These include, for example, chemical analysis, ankle protection testing or impact resistance tests.

The factors that are tested include, for example, the durability of laces. Have you ever had a shoelace tear on your outdoor trips? It's not a good thing to happen and it requires a lot of improvisation. In Lowa's testing laboratories, they try to make sure that nothing like this happens.

You can see the testing processes in the Lowa laboratories directly in the original video from the manufacturer. The video can be watched in English.

Durability means sustainability

And there's one more interesting fact about Lowa's approach, namely the principle that the longer a product lasts, the more environmentally friendly it is. And that is why the manufacturer tries to make its products last as long as possible for its users. The quality of the materials that the company uses in its footwear plays a big role in this. It's thanks to the new laboratory that Lowa can continue to offer the quality the customers .

With this goal in mind, Lowa is planning to gradually open its own laboratories in its branches in Slovakia and Italy. Thanks to this, stable and uniform quality can be ensured throughout the brand's product chain. Thanks to internal laboratories, an even smaller percentage of defective products reaches customers than before. Which, of course, will reduce the number of warranty claims and ultimately the number of packages needlessly traveling around Europe. And this is exactly what we consider the real ecology.