WIG WAM INC.
BELLEVIEW, FLORIDA

We care that thousands of manufacturers in this country sacrifice quality for less-expensive labor in other areas of the world, to increase the bottom line. We continue to lobby in Washington D.C. for programs that responsibly limit the quantity of imported products coming into this country while still pursuing a policy of fair trade with our many global neighbors. We care about the environmental, sociological, and financial implications of this policy. We support wool producers in this country by sourcing our wool almost exclusively from American yarn spinners who buy from American wool growers. And we support domestic yarn spinners whenever possible and work with them to get the best quality natural and manmade fibers and yarn for all of our products. Most people know what we do at Wigwam. We make socks. But what’s more important is the how and the why we do it. We are not only focused on seeing our product on pegs at retail but carefully consider the whole process from start to finish. Where we source our yarn, how we take that yarn and knit it into socks and what happens to unused or discarded yarn drives our manufacturing process. The protection of our environment and adhering to sustainable and safe manufacturing practices has been a part of our DNA since the beginning. “I spent a lot of time out on the knitting floor in my first few weeks at Wigwam. I would grab several pair at a time of discarded product, and without knowing what the quality issue was, would try to identify it. I couldn’t find what was wrong with it!” said Tom. He quickly realized that we had an opportunity to recycle this product, reduce our impact on the environment and provide warm socks to people in need. In November of 2016, Wigwam structured a new recycling center within our finishing department. Each month about 2,000 lbs. of socks that would have otherwise been destroyed and discarded are sorted, inspected, paired and re-paired. With 6,000 pair and counting already processed, we are taking steps to reduce our impact on the environment and warm the feet of people in need. This new program will push us towards our goal of becoming a zero landfill company, help to improve our manufacturing process and how we make our products. Wigwam began working with Martex® Fiber Southern Corporation to recycle discarded yarn that doesn’t make it through the knitting process. This partnership will allow us to join Martex in their Beyond reducing waste and our impact on the environment, we are also able to provide much needed warmth to the feet of people in need. In our own local community, state and across the country, we will be able to better support charity and non-profit organizations in their efforts to help the less fortunate. It’s re-energized our approach to “why” we make socks and how we can continue to improve the lives of the people who use them.