One key environmental aspect of products is their durability. This also applies to LOWA footwear products, all of which are known for their high quality and robustness. But even high-quality boots need and require good care. With such care, they will remain comfortable and resistant to soiling and water. Regular care will extend their life.
This applies in particular to leather as an animal-based resource (skin) that has been cut off from its natural method of care (the way the animal cares for itself). The care of leather is absolutely necessary, since it will otherwise dry out, become brittle and lose its core characteristics such as high resilience, abrasion resistance, shape retention and breathability.
It has been a few years since the outdoor industry has declared war on PFC (per- and polyfluorinated chemicals). PFC consists of a specific group of chemicals that due to their characteristics – they repel water, oils and dirt – are often found in outdoor and work apparel as well as in waterproofing products. These chemicals are in no way harmless since they are not degradable and remain in the environment for a very long period of time. LOWA has its own brand of care and cleaning products that have been totally re-engineered and are made completely without the use of PFCs. There is also now a new cleaning product in the series, LOWA Shoe Clean, which is based 90 per cent on natural components, such as bamboo. In combination with the new LOWA Water Stop PRO and LOWA Active Creme there is nothing in the way of environmentally friendly cleaning, waterproofing and care of footwear.
Boots do not have to be replaced just because the soles wear out. Many shoes can now be resoled. At LOWA, resolable shoes are, for instance, shoes with pinched soles from the Mountaineering and Trekking lines. If you are unsure about your shoes, contact a speciality store or our LOWA service department. If the shoes belong to a resolable category, you can send them in right away. They are delivered to the service workshop in Jetzendorf, where LOWA shoes are resoled at raw-material cost. The LOWA repair service resoles roughly 15,000 shoes a year.
Austria
Switzerland
Germany
(as of 2019)
Resoles Germany: Year by year
Our heel renewal service has also enjoyed growing popularity. More than 1,000 repaired heels are returned to customers each year.
Heels from all shoes in the All Terrain Classic and All Terrain Sport lines can be repaired as follows: The worn heels are sanded down until they are aligned with the remaining soles. The back of the heel is then slightly rounded so that the shoe can roll over nicely after the heel renewal. The sanded area is coarsened, pretreated with a substance, coated in a special PU glue and then assembled.
The next step is an oven. The heat activates the glue so that the heel can be pressed onto the shoe in the second step. Then it is just a matter of making aesthetic adjustments, such as trimming off any loose material, sanding down any protruding edges and making sure the colour matches the existing soles. The costs for this renewal likewise amount only to the personnel and material costs.
Heel renewals Germany, Austria, Switzerland (as of 2019)
For LOWA, a collaborative relationship with service providers, retailers and consumers is just as important as good value for the money. A key feature of the company is the business relationships that it has formed over the years and that have created a strong bond of trust among the partners. As a matter of course, the company handles customer data in a responsible manner and complies with legal requirements regarding data confidentiality and data protection.
Furthermore, LOWA guarantees a high level of availability and service quality and offers comprehensive individual support to retailers.