WITH PURPOSE AND CONSCIENCE: OUR CORE VALUES

We take pride in our global presence across 80 markets, with more than 150 retail stores and over 1,000 employees (status 2024). For us, social and environmental responsibility go hand in hand, reflecting our commitment to fostering a culture of transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability.

As a regional and international employer, THOMAS SABO offers career prospects to people of all ages, genders, qualifications, cultural backgrounds, lifestyles, and vocational experiences. We employ, train, accompany, and support our team, aiming to become an employer of choice with a diverse and engaged team behind us.

Fair and safe working conditions throughout our supply chain are paramount. This is why we work exclusively with certified contractors and suppliers. As a basis for cooperation we have therefore drawn up guidelines of our value-oriented Corporate Management (here), a Code of Conduct for Suppliers (here) and a Supply Chain Policy (here) with which our partners contractually commit to complying with national laws and regulations as well as international conventions such as:

• Principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations
• United Nations Global Compact (Code of Conduct for a Globalised Economy)
• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
• Core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

We review compliance with our guidelines annually and summarise the result in our Due Diligence Report (here). Concerns can be directed to duediligence@thomassabo.com at any time.

Within our company, we strive to create a safe, inclusive environment where employees can grow professionally, economically, and socially. We offer competitive salaries and prioritise employee health. At our Lauf an der Pegnitz headquarters, we provide a free gym, daily healthy meals, and health checks.

As an employer, we offer:

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible hours, onsite childcare, 4 mobile workdays/month, and 27-30 days holiday.
• Employee Events: Company-wide celebrations, sales events, Bring-Your-Child-to-Work Day, outings, and team-building events.
• Employee Development: Training programs, e-learning, career opportunities.
• Financial Benefits: Pension contributions, bonuses, savings plans, birthday vouchers, and referrals.
• Discounts: Product discounts, special offers.
• Work Environment: Health management, onsite gym, subsidised meals, drinks, climate control, facilities, and glasses subsidies.

This list illustrates our efforts to provide a supportive and enriching work environment, which can vary depending on each location or region.

As one of the largest 925 Sterling silver brands on the market, the integration of recycled silver is deeply embedded in our DNA. The use of recycled silver has been a cornerstone of our operations since a long time, well before many other brands adopted similar practices. Our suppliers only buy and use recycled silver, and the remelting process during the production process means that the silver is also recycled again.

In addition, we meticulously collect all precious metals, not only those recovered during the production process but also irreparable jewellery from our stores and the THOMAS SABO workshop at our headquarters in Lauf an der Pegnitz, Germany. These latter resources are recycled by certified refineries in Germany, allowing us to reclaim pure fine silver. This material is then used to create new designs in 925 sterling silver. These recycling processes not only conserve resources but also significantly reduce our CO₂ emissions, water consumption, and other environmental impacts associated with manufacturing.

We embrace the use of lab-grown gems such as lab-grown spinel, lab-grown sapphire and lab-grown ruby as well as cubic zirconia. 

While the lab-grown alternatives are also not without environmental impact, they offer notable advantages (over mining natural gems and stones). The responsibility for our products encompasses people and the planet. There is no definitive answer yet as to which option is more environmentally friendly or socially responsible (lab-grown vs. mining), but we are committed to ongoing efforts to improve our practices with the help of the latest research and developments.

We source our genuine stones, such as obsidian, tiger eye, rose quarz and others, exclusively from specialised genuine stone suppliers who adhere to globally recognised rules and standards. These partners undergo regular audits to ensure compliance with these standards.

It's plain and simple: we offer 100% traceability for our precious metals thanks to strict internal controls at our suppliers. For our lab grown coloured gems, we aim to achieve traceability as soon as possible. Traceability is crucial because it ensures transparency and accountability throughout our supply chain.

We have also committed to making our current self-declarations in the area of our product-related responsibility publicly available (see here and here).

Once you have chosen your piece of jewellery, you will always receive it in an FSC-certified bag or box from THOMAS SABO, which helps support sustainable forest management. To achieve this, we use a mixture of raw materials from FSC-certified forests plus recycled paper and material from controlled sources. Our goal is to avoid and reduce emissions wherever we can. By continuously reducing the use of poly bags and switching to fully recycled packaging and shipping materials in the future, we are striving to make our jewellery shipping methods more efficient and kinder to the environment.

Built in 2016, we are proud to say that our corporate headquarters is committed to providing the most environmentally-friendly working environment possible.

Our heating and cooling processes are powered by geothermal energy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. We also collect and recycle rainwater through our rainwater recovery facility and maintain a water circulation system that ensures our drinking water remains free from any residues from the workshop. In 2024, we enhanced our sustainability efforts by installing a photovoltaic plant on top of our logistics warehouse.

In detail: 

• Gas Consumption: Reduced by 62% in the past 5 years through optimised heating energy management (as of 2024).
• PV System: Achieves a high self-consumption rate of approximately 83.4% (as of 2024).
• Rainwater Usage: Used for all toilet flushes, reducing reliance on drinking water significantly.
• Energy Efficiency: Utilises geothermal energy and intelligent building management for heating and cooling, minimizing emissions.
• Building Design: Features high-quality envelopes to regulate temperatures and maximize energy efficiency.
• Natural Lighting: High light transmission glass reduces the need for electrical lighting.
• Ventilation System: Recovers room air heat using heat exchangers, enhancing energy efficiency. 

We are committed to reducing emissions and making sustainable practices appealing to our employees through our comprehensive mobility concept. This includes an internal carpooling service as well as E-Bike and car charging points at our headquarters, discounted public transport tickets, and a bicycle leasing scheme at both our headquarters and stores. In 2014, we expanded to 12 wallboxes at our headquarters, integrating with our PV system to power both business and private vehicles.

These initiatives not only help to minimise our environmental impact but also encourage our team to adopt greener modes of transportation. By offering these options, we demonstrate our dedication to sustainability and our support for employees in making eco-friendly choices during their daily commute.

And we express this with our very strong social commitment. The THOMAS SABO Foundation, established in 2007 and chaired by Thomas Sabo and his son Santiago, supports disadvantaged children and their families with the objective of helping the next generation and jointly creating a better future for them. In Germany, the current initiatives supported by THOMAS SABO include the RTL Children’s House in Nuremberg and the Muschelkinder Nürnberg house for children with Asperger's syndrome (both websites in German).

We are aware that the quality of life of future generations can no longer be separated from the challenges of climate change. Therefore the THOMAS SABO company is also committed to nature conservation and environmental protection. We have already supported The European Nature Trust (TENT) and the Australian animal welfare organisation WIRES with donations and look forward to even more future initiatives in support of this cause.

Through our initiatives, we have been able to provide a total of more than €5 million in donations since the beginning of our charitable commitment (as of 2024). This underlines our commitment to making a positive impact on children's lives and supporting community-orientated projects.

An important project: Since 2007, THOMAS SABO has been one of the longest and biggest supporters of Germany's largest annual charity marathon, the RTL Spendenmarathon, by designing an exclusive bracelet for the occasion. All proceeds from the sale of the bracelets, as well as a generous additional donation from company founder Thomas Sabo, go directly to selected projects of the RTL – Wir helfen Kindern e.V. foundation. 

The THOMAS SABO Foundation was recognised as a legal foundation with a certificate of recognition presented by the government of Middle Franconia on 16 December 2013. The Foundation supports charitable causes such as the child and youth welfare, education and vocational training, aid to pupils and students, development cooperation, public health and health care. The Foundation is authorised to issue donation receipts for donations in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the articles of association.

If you would like to support the THOMAS SABO Foundation,

please contact: charity@thomassabo.com.