OUR RESPONSIBILITY

Nature is the origin, the present and the future of our business. We love her. It is therefore our responsibility to protect and preserve them. At BLACKYAK we take this responsibility very seriously. It is just as important to us that the employees of our producers receive a fair wage and that we help people in need with our own projects.

We've all learned a lot about sustainability in recent years - and we're learning more every day. We have already been able to successfully implement some projects. But this is just the beginning.

SOCIAL COMMITMENT

In our view, mountaineering is not just about climbing a peak. We want to experience nature, experience friendship in a rope team and treat each other with respect, appreciation and trust. This action and these values are also part of our company philosophy. We live it every day in dealing with our colleagues, business partners and customers. It is therefore important to us that our products are produced fairly. Through our membership in EOCA, we are leading by example. EOCA's Vision: The outdoor sector and the millions of people who enjoy the great outdoors are active champions for the conservation of nature and wild places*

CLEAN UP THE MOUNTAIN

Actually, it should be clear that the mountain is not a place where garbage is dumped. Unfortunately, not all mountaineers and hikers take their broken equipment or their empty packaging back down to the valley. That's why our parent company in South Korea developed the "CLEAN UP THE MOUNTAIN" campaign back in 2009. Since then, hundreds of employees and volunteers have been collecting carelessly discarded waste from nature every year. Several tons have now been recycled in this way. And the awareness of a clean environment was sustainably sharpened.

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

Our history is very closely linked to the Himalayan Mountains. At Cho Oyu in Nepal, Tae Sun Kang decided to found BLACKYAK. Since then we have been committed to the region and the people in the Himalayas. When a devastating earthquake in Nepal in 2015 cost the lives of more than 8,000 people and robbed even more residents of any livelihood and prospects, it was immediately clear: we will help! Quick and easy! We donated over $1 million worth of equipment and money to affected areas.

BLACKYAK SCHOOL

The effects of the 2015 earthquake are still being felt in Nepal. In order to help the residents in the long term, the BLACKYAK Foundation built a school that we were able to open in 2018. In the BLACKYAK SCHOOL, access to education was created for over 400 children of mountain dwellers, which opens up completely new life perspectives and a wide variety of training opportunities for them.

HIGH MOUNTAIN COFFEE

Fancy a unique coffee from Nepal? It's coming soon! The BLACKYAK Foundation supports the training of mountain farmers and has invited 300 aspiring farmers to South Korea to complete an apprenticeship in high mountain agriculture. Some Nepalese farmers are now growing High Altitude coffee and BLACKYAK buys it from them at a fair price to then market it. This will help the Nepalese population in the long term.

Since it takes around four years before the first coffee beans can be harvested, the first BLACKYAK coffee will not be brewed until 2024. However, the approach clearly shows that we plan our partnerships for the long term, create jobs, think ecologically and see the mountains as the origin, the present and the future of the company.