People

People

At Peterson Stoop, our commitment to making a positive impact starts with the well-being and empowerment of our employees, interns and other people throughout our supply chain. We recognize that our workforce, suppliers, and customers play integral roles in achieving our goals.

Fair Labor Practices

We prioritize fair labor practices across our supply chain, this includes adherence to fair wage standards, reasonable working hours, and safe working conditions. Every worker involved in the production process should be treated with kindness and respect. At the moment, we work with suppliers and factories from Europe. 

Flip side:

We schedule bi-annual factory visits to production partners to see the working conditions firsthand. When possible, we will choose factories and suppliers who work with 3rd party auditors to confirm fair labor practices. However, we work with small companies, often these auditors are out of budget for small companies. Which means…. That we cant always verify our own production??

When: no planned deadline.

Inclusivity and diversity

It is our goal that people from marginalized groups feel welcome to work or intern with us. We welcome all applications from people with different personal characteristics or grounds, such as sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and education. By fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture, we aim to create a happy, motivated and engaged team.

Peterson Stoop has teamed up with Stichting BuitenGewoon and React where people with disabilities deconstruct used footwear, which Peterson Stoop re-uses in their patchwork products. It is a basic need to have a feeling of fulfillment at the end of the day. For people who are handicapped or have a mental or physical difficulty it can be challenging to achieve this. Whilst deconstructing the shoes there is no pressure to keep to a deadline and if mistakes are made it enriches the story of the deconstructed material. The shoes are deconstructed with a surgical blade, meaning they have to be very concentrated to complete this task. Clients of BuitenGewoon have given us feedback that they really enjoy the activity. 

Peterson Stoop wants to make all people feel included, that is why we offer our shoes in all sizes. If we don’t have your size in stock, we will make them for you. If you need a wide or slim fit, we are always open to try to accommodate. 

Flip side:

We want people to feel welcome on our website and Instagram page. However, we realize that our website is not yet accessible enough for all blind or visually impaired people. Our first improvement has been to make sure that this sustainability strategy is available in text on Instagram. All new image uploads to our website and Instagram will be accompanied with an alt text. We will also be adding alt texts to all our previous image posts.

What: Add alt text to all images on website and Instagram

When: to be completed (and continued) in 2025

Educating the next generation

Our commitment to people extends to the communities where we operate. We regularly have interns from The HMC in Amsterdam, following a 3-month internship with us. We aim to make a positive impact by supporting the new generation of footwear makers and designers. By letting them take part in all steps of the production process, they gain knowledge and appreciation for re-design and up-cycling of materials. Inspiring them that there is not only one way to make footwear, and that end of life should be considered at the start of the cycle. Our goal is to equip them with knowledge to use in their own practices in the future. We offer reasonable working hours, regular breaks and frequent check-ins to ensure if they are meeting their personal learning goals.