Despite the serious difficulties that have affected the industry throughout 2022, the year ended represents a successful one for AKU ITALIA SRL, specialists in the production of high-end outdoor and professional footwear.
“We are very satisfied with the result obtained at the end of a difficult year, characterized by numerous problems affecting the entire supply chain in our industry,” said CEO Paolo Bordin, “Despite this, our organization was able to react with flexibility and determination, still managing to guarantee our customers an adequate level of service, which in the end rewarded us, both in Italy and abroad.”
Successful products have been recognised by insiders, specialist retailers and opinion leaders as truly excellent in their category. These include the Croda mountaineering and Rocket hiking models, both awarded footwear of the year in their category by two authoritative sector magazines in Germany and Italy respectively.
Industrial development that goes hand in hand with high-profile responsible commitment initiatives confirms Aku’s leading role in the field of research into environmental impact within the outdoor footwear sector. A commitment seen in the achievement in 2022 of certification of the process for calculating CO2 emissions for the entire product life cycle.
It allows the brand, the first in the outdoor footwear sector, to certify the level of emissions and therefore the environmental impact of every single model in production, according to a verified procedure, in order to then proceed with compensation on a real and not just estimated basis.
The commitment to ‘responsible action’ began long ago, also thanks to collaboration with strategic local partners. Such as that with the Dani tannery in Arzignano (VI), a historical supplier of the company, the first to have developed a tanning process that allows the elimination of chromium and heavy metals in the production of the high quality Zero Impact leather, used by Aku since 2015 on the models of the Mountain Inspired line.
Initiatives in the social sphere, include the OUTDOOR4ALL (Outdoor for All) program which aims to offer experiences of contact with nature to people with disabilities. Initiatives in the field of environmental research include a collaboration set up in 2016 with the CNR ISP, the Italian Institute of Polar Sciences, as part of the Ice Memory project.
This is described as ‘A project of high scientific and moral value for the benefit of future generations of scientists, whose aim is the study of climate evolution through the collection and preservation of ice samples from glacial areas threatened by global warming.’ All this is in the AKU REPORT OF RESPONSIBILITY, published by the company at the end of 2022.
Bordin added, “The future of AKU remains strongly linked to the outdoor sector, where the company intends to maintain a strong link with its high-quality manufacturing tradition by continuing to provide products of absolute excellence for mountaineering, trekking and hiking with an ever-greater commitment to the new front of developing professional footwear for environmental, safety and military work.
“A sector, the military one, in which AKU, since 2017 the official supplier of the British army and special corps in Europe, Asia and North America, is increasingly assuming the role of reference brand, thanks to the technical quality standard of its products. To support this strategy, a new managerial figure has been integrated with the task of developing this specific business area, and we are currently looking for new human resources for the research and development area, as well as technical staff to strengthen the Montebelluna plant.”
Main pic credit: @scouseroutdoors
