Social Responsibility

Formed in 1990, Kalas Sportswear remains a family-owned business, rooted in the community of our hometown of Tábor, South Bohemia, in the Czech Republic.

We are one of the biggest employers in our region.
Most of our workers are drawn from our local community. Their welfare and our success are unavoidably linked.
As we grow, we can offer greater opportunities, training, and benefits to our workforce and wider community.

We own our production facility. This is crucial to us having direct control of our processes and working environment.
Our “all-under-one roof” philosophy means wherever possible all
our departments sit together in the same building, enhancing internal communication and minimising our carbon footprint with minimal transportation and travel.

As a brand born out of a passion for cycling, we protect and preserve the natural environment. We want to play our part to ensure future generations enjoy the thrills and freedom of cycling in clean air, through green fields and on safe, uncongested roads.

We proudly promote ourselves as a socially aware and responsible business. For us sustainability is not an objective we take lightly. We ensure it is embedded in everything we do. It’s built in to our processes, the selection of our suppliers and the quality of our products.

Our philosophy is encapsulated within our brand claim: Your Ride Made Better. We want to make your ride better, not only with better clothes, but also by giving you confidence that they have been produced in a sustainable manner which has helped to maintain a safer, cleaner environment for all.

As a socially responsible business, we aim to meet the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in everything we do.

Our company’s approach to social responsibility can be divided into two categories, those of obligation and ambition.

Our obligations can be legal or regulatory, but also include those expectations we impose on ourselves through our own company values and beliefs.

Our ambitions include those aspects of our business where we want to progress, learn and grow, discovering how we can become better and more socially responsible in future.

These are our company’s commitments to comply with the law and the standards we have set for ourselves. We split them into five categories:

• Legality

• Ethics

• Environment

• People

• Human Rights

Kalas will always:

• Respect the law

• Observe our internal policies

• Only engage in legitimate business operations

• Keep our collaborations and partnerships open and transparent

Kalas will always conduct business with integrity and respect to human rights.

We observe and respect standards applying to:

• Safety at work

• Fair dealing

• Respect toward our consumers Anti-bribery and anti-corruption practices

As a company born out of cycling, we always want to protect and promote the natural environment. Keeping our environment clean and unpolluted is a benefit to all.

The fabrics used in our production all come from established sources located within a few hours’ drive, not imported from around the globe.

We minimise waste wherever possible. For example, our state-of-the-art cutting process ensures we get the optimum output from each roll of fabric.

Some waste is inevitable, and where this is generated, we follow best practice when disposing of it, finding alternative uses, and responsibly recycling the remainder.

Eco-friendly inks are used in our printing.
We always behave responsibly when planning and managing resources.

We have an “all-under-one-roof” policy. This means as much as is possible we manufacture all our clothes in our own factory in Czech Republic.

This reduces the need to ship garments back and forth multiple times. Once they are produced, they typically stay on-site in our facility before being shipped to the end customer.

We provide a safe and supportive environment where our employees are encouraged to develop skills and help us grow. We don’t tolerate prejudice
of any kind in the workplace. Since our inception, ability has always been more important than gender. Kalas was first incorporated by two people with complementary skills: Mr Kalaš and Mrs Filipová. Although the company carries the name of Mr Kalaš, the contribution of Mrs Filipová, who prefers to avoid the spotlight, is considered at least equal and she remains an important shareholder. Equality of opportunity has always been important to our company and today there remains an even gender split across senior management positions.

Kalas will always ensure that we:

• Protect the health and safety of our employees

• Avoid harming the lives of local people in our communities

• Don’t risk the health or safety of our partners or customers Support diversity and inclusion

We support different organizations and charities through various means depending upon their circumstances.
These include discounts on sales, payment of royalties on sales, donations of clothing, and gifting of merchandise and memorabilia for fundraising. Such organisations have included:

We are innovators. We actively invest in Research and Development and seek partnerships with organisations that can help us learn and grow.

We listen carefully to suggestions and new ideas. Our company tries to continuously improve
the way we operate.