In order to give everyone involved a comprehensive insight into local textile production, a team from the German Corporate Workwear provider Brands Fashion traveled together with football clubs in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, Fairtrade Germany and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The trip took place as part of the project “From the field in the fan shop”, which was started in 2022 and whose first project phase has now been completed.
This first phase was about successfully supporting 450 Indian small farmers in the changeover to sustainable, biological cotton cultivation. The football clubs involved undertook to accept the cotton for the production of their merchandise articles, some of which have been available in the fan shops since mid-2023. Social projects are also part of the initiative, including in the form of educational and sports offers for children and adolescents in the cotton building regions. A total of around 1,000 adolescents were funded by various training sessions during the period.
“As a football club, we are responsible not only to offer our fans high -quality textiles, but also to ensure that they are produced under fair and environmentally friendly conditions,” says Marieke Patyna, director of sustainability at HSV Football AG. “The trip to India impressively showed us how important long -term commitment and transparency are. The direct exchange with the local people is very important to us, ”adds Sascha Steinbrück, Head of Merchandising HSV Football AG.
Second phase: intake of other small farmers
Now the second phase of the project is to start, in which other cotton farmers are included in the program and supported in the switch to sustainable agriculture. In addition, other themed modules are considered that will continue to promote additional social and ecological aspects in the future.
The football clubs have already signaled to stay in the team of “From the field to the fanshop” and to support the project for another three years.
“It is great to see how committed everyone involved is to make positive changes in the long term. Sustainability does not end with a single project – it is a continuous process that we continue to drive together with our partners, ”explains Mathias Diestelmann, CEO of Brands Fashion.