14.12.2021
Starting from the December 2021 auction, all mink, fox and Finnraccoon pelts offered at Saga Furs’ auctions are included in the Furmark certification system.
“Furmark is a global certification system that includes several certification programs. In the Furmark system, the most relevant certification programs for Saga Furs are WelFur and the North American certifications,” explains Saga Furs’ CEO Magnus Ljung.
For Ljung, the greatest advancement of Furmark is that also the whole fur value chain onwards from the auction house can now be certified.
“Previously, there was no joint program for the dressing and dyeing companies to have their processes certified. Now with Furmark, each stage of the supply chain is subject to certification and third-party assessment.”
Saga Furs guarantees certified pelts
Saga Furs’ role in Furmark is to ensure that the pelts we offer in our auctions are certified. Diving into more details of animal welfare certifications and Saga Furs’ global offering, Ljung says that Saga Furs can now demonstrate that all mink, fox, Finnraccoon and sable furs are 100% certified with third party audits.
“Starting from the season 2014/2015, all fox and Finnraccoon pelts have been certified through Saga Certification by Finnish standards. In 2019 we incorporated WelFur into Saga Certification which allowed us to offer also mink lots that were 100% certified. Now, with Furmark and its global position, also our North American mink offering is fully certified. This is a big step for animal welfare advancement,” highlights Ljung.
Traceability for consumers
Furmark has a traceability component in it to provide transparency to consumers.
“To guarantee the robustness and transparency of the whole Furmark process, Furmark links the various processes through each stage in the supply chain. The traceability component is included in the whole value chain, and the pelts can be traced back to our auction.”
To visibly show consumers which products are under the scrutiny of Furmark, each Furmark garment carries a unique label code for providing traceability details. Saga Furs will continue to offer labels and hangtags as usual. Only the design will change slightly: the WelFur logo is replaced by the Furmark logo.
“Transparency is central to Furmark: products are traceable, certified, and guaranteed to have met recognised standards. Furmark provides a simple, recognizable mark that ensures consumers can buy certified fur with confidence. That is why Saga Furs chose to be a part of it,” says Magnus Ljung.
Furmark certification system covers the whole fur value chain. All points of the value chain are being verified by a third-party auditor. In addition, the value chain can be opened up from auction to consumer through ChainPoint’s blockchain system. With the newly launched SagaTrac RFID system you can trace the pelts all the way to the individual farms and country of origin.
For further details on certification and traceability, please contact Marika Peuhkuri-Grön, marika.peuhkuri-gron@sagafurs.com
For further details on Furmark please visit www.furmark.com