Animal welfare

1. Introduction

RICHARD BEHR & CO. (RIBECO) takes responsibility towards its customers, partners and the environment. Therefore, we are committed to upholding ethical animal husbandry and animal welfare standards in the sourcing and processing of animal-derived raw materials.

This policy serves as a binding guideline for a sustainable, responsible and transparent supply chain.

2. Scope of application

The animal welfare directive applies to:

  • Poultry by-products

  • Textiles and non-food products made from animal raw materials

3. Obligation to animal welfare

RIBECO demands compliance with all legal animal welfare requirements for all relevant products.

Furthermore, we are guided by the five fundamental freedoms of animal welfare:

  • Freedom from hunger and thirst

  • Freedom from discomfort

  • Freedom from pain, injury, and disease

  • freedom to exercise natural behavior

  • Freedom from fear and stress

Our goal is to avoid unnecessary animal suffering throughout the entire supply chain.
We are specifically expanding our product range by sourcing from production facilities whose standards exceed legal requirements. Suppliers are also obligated to comply with minimum social standards.

4. Requirements and Implementation

To ensure our animal welfare standards, we implement, among other things, the following measures:

Animal welfare-oriented product standards

  • Collaboration with customers to implement high animal welfare standards

  • Orientation towards the highest applicable customer requirements

Goose and duck products

  • Available exclusively from:

    • appropriately certified companies

     

  • Consistent exclusion of:

    • Live plucking

    • Forced feeding

  • Contractual obligation of all down and feather suppliers

  • Disclosure of the supply chain up to the farm

Vegan

  • Clear labeling of all vegan products

  • "Vegan" means: no animal-derived ingredients

Examinations and certifications

  • Use of recognized standards:

    • DOWNPASS

    • RDS - Responsible Down Standard

  • Provision of certificates upon customer request

Cleaning and washing agents

  • Compliance with all legal requirements

  • Vegan and biodegradable

  • No animal testing if alternatives exist

No endangered species

  • Exclusion of all types of:

    • IUCN Red List

    • CITES list

5. Active implementation and control

The implementation will take place as follows:

  • in close cooperation with suppliers

  • through regular assessments and audits

  • In the event of violations, binding corrective action plans will be implemented

Further development and traceability

We continuously improve our product range through:

  • Expansion of certified sustainable products

  • Expansion of the vegan range

In addition, we demand traceability of animal-derived raw materials back to their origin, supported by labeling, documentation, and supplier audits. Where structural limitations exist, we actively work towards improvements.

Regular review

The animal welfare policy is reviewed and adapted annually to ensure consistently responsible procurement.