Animal Welfare Policy

Animal Welfare Policy

Download the Animal Welfare Policy Notice: Click here.

TO: All Boardriders Suppliers

Boardriders, Inc. (“Boardriders”) is dedicated to the sourcing of materials and manufacturing of our products in a manner that is in accordance with the highest ethical and legal standards. In furtherance of these standards, Boardriders requires that its vendors comply with the Boardriders Supplier Compliance Program set out in the Boardriders’ Quiksilver Ethical Standards of Trade (“QUEST”), which mandates, among other things, that Suppliers act responsibly and ethically when sourcing materials on behalf of Boardriders, including the sourcing of animal-derived materials and products. We also encourage and support the innovation of plant-based alternatives to animal-derived products. Boardriders expects its suppliers to follow internationally recognized industry best practices outlined by animal-welfare experts in support of the Five Domains of Animal Welfare
: • Freedom from hunger or thirs
t • Freedom from discomfor
t • Freedom from pain, injury, or disease
• Freedom to express normal behavior
• Freedom from fear and distress
Boardriders currently uses three types of animal-derived materials in our products - down, leather and wool - and is committed to sourcing each in accordance with best practices in animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Beginning with products produced beginning with the Spring 2023 season, Boardriders will adopt the following specific requirements for the animal-derived materials used in our products:

Down and Feathers:

All down used in Boardriders products must be certified in accordance with the Textile Exchange’s Responsible Down Standard: http://responsibledown.org/. Boardriders strictly prohibits the practice of live-plucking or force feeding.

Fur:

Boardriders does not use animal furs and prohibits the use of animal fur of any kind in its product.

Leather and Skins:

Boardriders will only accept leather and animal skins that are a by-product of the food industry and are not raised exclusively for their pelts. This means we will only use hides from animals such as cows, water buffalo, pigs, goats, and sheep. We also prohibit the use of materials from exotic, vulnerable, threatened, or endangered species, as defined by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) IUCN Red List.
We will only source leather and animal skins from sources that are responsibly managed to prevent deforestation. Suppliers may be required to provide attestations that their leather sourcing practices do not contribute to deforestation.

Wool:

Suppliers are expected to source recycled wool or wool from non-mulesed sheep. We also prohibit the use of angora or mohair products derived from goats or rabbits in our products. These policy requirements do not apply to feedstock that is used for recycled materials, such as recycled containing leather scraps or recycled wool containing scraps from wool garments.
Additional Supplier Obligations:

Suppliers must be able to trace leather and raw hides back to the country of origin and provide source origin documentation upon request. All animal-derived products must adhere to product labelling requirements including, but not limited to, the Fur Products Labelling Act and the Wool Products Labelling Act. Synthetic fur must be labelled appropriately. Suppliers must also comply with country specific import/trade regulations which apply to animal hides. Where applicable, products made with animal hides will be accompanied by the appropriate export certificate Thank you for your continued support of our efforts. Please sign and return the Supplier Acknowledgement below confirming you have read and understood the policy and that your company will fully comply with the policy.
Sincerely,
Boardriders Senior Management
November 2021