FUR POLICY
For more than 80 years Saga Furs has been the company that has led the fur industry in initiating sustainable and responsible practices all along the supply chain. Saga Furs offers the world’s greatest selection of luxurious types of fur and has always worked closely with fur breeders to help them improve animal welfare, while our efforts in product development have inspired designers everywhere for more than 30 years after the establishment of the Saga Design Centre. In all the links between farm and fashion, Saga Furs has attempted to promote, develop and share responsible practices.
Saga Furs has succeeded in building a brand recognized around the world for its superior quality furs, sustainable practices and transparency that has made Saga® the most trusted label in the business.
Certification ensures responsible fur for the fashion industry
Saga Furs leads the industry in sustainability as the only fur seller with a supplier certification and auditing programme on the environment and animal health and welfare.
Saga Certification by Finnish Standards, now with WelFur inside, is a unique farm management system producing the highest level of animal welfare. Responding to demand from global brands and the next generation of consumers on sustainability and animal welfare, Saga Furs has continually developed its certification programme to ensure it meets the high standards that go well beyond what the law requires. As a result, Saga Furs has become the trusted partner of the fashion industry in providing sustainable and ethical furs.
The Saga Certification by Finnish Standards, which has been in place since 2005, has evolved in close cooperation with the industry, Finnish authorities, the EU, and veterinarians specialising in fur farming. This very strict and inclusive approach puts fur farming well ahead of other industries with production animals in terms of animal welfare standards.
Traceability and transparency from farm to fashion house
In addition to certification, traceability in the production chain is increasingly important. Saga Furs has created a pelt traceability program that enables manufacturers to trace the origin of each pelt lot down to individual farms.
Global consumers expect to know where their clothes have been sourced from and the way they’ve been produced, as well as be assured that the animals were treated humanely. With traceability Saga Furs can verify the origin and location of pelts from each lot with documentation.
The Saga Furs Traceability System (STS) is an integral tool in Saga Furs commitment to transparency and traceability. The Saga traceability program also discloses the proportion of certified farms in the company’s offering; dates of farm certification; and countries of origin.
Animal welfare
Health and well-being of fur animals
Saga Furs through its strict certification system actively contributes to the advancement of animal welfare on fur farms. Saga Certification is the most important tool in the measurement of animal welfare. Also the WelFur assessment brings new tools for assess.
The international fashion industry is very interested in the conditions in which fur animals are bred. In order to support its partners, Saga Furs must have a means of guidance in the matter. However, within the value chain, animal welfare is ultimately the responsibility of the individual fur farm entrepreneurs who operate at the beginning of the value chain.
Saga Certification by Finnish Standards is the most important management system connected to animal welfare in Finland. Saga certification, launched in 2005, is a comprehensive quality management system that places a high emphasis on animal welfare and health. By gradually increasing the share of certified pelts in its offering, the company makes a commitment to ethical and sustainable fur production.
To promote animal well-being and safety, Saga Furs expects all fur farms to comply with the Council of Europe’s recommendation on fur farming or equivalent national or regional regulations or standards. Furthermore, the company reserves the right to abstain from selling or grading pelts that do not comply with current legislation or standards of fur farming or that come from areas that do not have such legislation or standards.
This also applies to situations in which a fur farm or its owners support fur farming in a country or region that does not have formal standards in place. The company monitors that these conditions are met, and if it finds pelts in its own sales or grading selections that do not meet Saga Furs’ criteria, these pelts will be removed and either returned to the owner or destroyed at the pelt supplier’s expense.
Well-being and health is about quality
Animal health and welfare are an absolute prerequisite for high-quality animal breeding. On certified fur farms, animal welfare is promoted with immediate and preventive measures. These include:
- Control of any infectious diseases
- Compliance with FFBA vaccination recommendations
- Daily monitoring and documentation of animal health
- Euthanising animals within the farm location