Established in 1970 as a leading women’s fashion brand at the higher end of the market, Claudia Sträter launched its Green Project in the summer of 2008; a new initiative and package for corporate social responsibility aimed in part at increasing overall sustainability in the company's facilities and logistics management.

With more than 60 points of sale in Benelux, Germany and the UK, the cleaning up of Claudia Sträter’s supply and production chain represented a demanding plan and a project that will stretch over a number of years. It was at this time that the company engaged in dialogue and started working with MADE-BY.

“As a well-known fashion brand, we are at the heart of society. This position means that we automatically take responsibility for the areas we can influence,” explains Frits Helmstrijd, Claudia Sträter’s Chief Operations Officer.

“As part of that natural consequence, we are happy to make our contribution, but without it becoming our primary focus.

And that's exactly what we like about MADE-BY: they offer guidelines, but they do not demand that you're entirely 'green' the next day, which in my view would be impossible. The question is whether a company can ever be '100% green'; that is quite a challenge, to put it mildly."

As part of the Green Project, Claudia Sträter launched a test series of products made of organic linen and cotton. “Before we start using sustainability as a selling point, we want our products to be developed further,” adds Helmstrijd. “The aim is that by the end of 2010, five percent of our garments will meet MADE-BY standards."

As its own collections are designed from within the company, Claudia Sträter has been able to respond quickly and effectively to signals from the market, and that has allowed it to position the label in the best way possible in the market, including in respect to sustainability.