1DOWNPASS STARSOBB Oberbadische Bettfedernfabrik
Creativity with values and core identity

The medium-sized company OBB Oberbadische Bettfedernfabrik GmbH with its 50 employees has been
manufacturing duvets, pillows and mattress toppers in the border triangle of Germany, Switzerland andFrance for more than 70 years. Characterised by its closeness to nature in the Black Forest and its respect
for traditional values, the fully integrated company feels a special responsibility towards people, animals
and the environment - this includes environmentally friendly production with a deep well of their own,
water recycling plant and combined heat and power plant. The team is currently undergoing the certification process for "OEKO TEX STEP" and the "Green Button".

Downpass talked to Petra Schweigert and Bastian Roscheck, managing partners of OBB Oberbadische
Bettfedernfabrik GmbH.
The beginnings of OBB can be traced back to 1900. In 1948, the company was rebuilt under its current
name in Lörrach in the Black Forest. Last year, you launched your first organic collection. What influence
do values such as tradition and the love of home and nature have on your entrepreneurial work?
These values are, so to speak, the basis of our work. It is not without reason that our most important collections have the name of our homeland: "Schwarzwald" / "Black Forest". It is a challenge to bring tradition inPhotos: © OBB–1–

DOWNPASS STARS: OBB OBERBADISCHE BETTFEDERNFABRIK

harmony with innovative ideas, or in other words, how creative can we be in product development without
losing our core identity. Because another driving force of ours is to constantly develop products that optimize sleeping comfort.
OBB had two reasons to be happy this year: It received twoGerman Brand Awards 2021 for its "OBB Sensitive" collection - in the "Brand Innovation of the year" and "Interior &Living" categories. What is special about this collection andhow important is brand communication for you and yourretail partners?
The OBB Sensitive collection includes bedding with protective and caring properties for the skin, and with a lasting effect, i.e., even after years of use and washing the textiles.
The clear basic statement of all tests conducted is that dueto the antibacterial and/or antimicrobial and/or antiviralsmartcel™ sensitive fibers, colonization of the cover withbacteria, fungi, viruses and/or other microbes can be reduced or even avoided. OBB Sensitive bedding also remains
longer hygienic and needs to be cleaned less often.

Since our core competence and also our heart and soul clearly lie in bedding filled with down and feathers,
the greatest challenge for us was to develop a down-proof fabric with an effective proportion of thesmartcel™ sensitive fiber. We succeeded in doing so, and as a result we were the first and only company todevelop various down-proof fabrics with the smartcel™ sensitive fibers and apply for a patent.
With the brand "OBB Sensitive" we want to be understood as what we are: a company that works on sleep
problems with innovative solutions, because at the end of the day, or to us it is rather "at the end of thenight", we only want one thing: that everyone can sleep well and of course preferably in our beautiful bedding!
As one of the last fully integrated bed feather
factories in Germany and with a production areaof 17,000 m², you monitor all work steps from incoming goods to the last seam on the finishedbedding item. How indispensable is a wellfunctioning control system and what was crucial
for the decision to set up your own certified laboratory where you can check fabrics and fillingmaterials continuously?

Photos: © OBB–2–

DOWNPASS STARS: OBB OBERBADISCHE BETTFEDERNFABRIK

We consider our fully integrated production, including our own laboratory at
our location in Lörrach as a great fortune, because only this way it is possible
for us to constantly check our quality standard in all production steps. Therefore, we have also made major investments in the expansion of our production and storage areas in the last two years, in order to create the prerequisites for the constant growth and efficiency of the production processes, aswell as to make production more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Petra Schweigert
Managing partner

Our laboratory is managed by a very experienced employee. Just now wehave again successfully passed the EDFA round robin test in the first attempt.

How important are independent certifications for your success and why do you rely on the DOWN-PASS
seal as a sign of animal welfare & quality?
In general, certifications are of course becoming more and more important. They will certainly become increasingly important for success, but first and foremost the standards of the certifications give us
a good guideline as to whether we are "on the right track".
Those who know OBB understand that we have always been pioneerswhen it comes to animal welfare. We have always rejected any formof feather and down extraction from live animals. Of course, it is also
important to be able to communicate this to the outside world. TheDOWNPASS offers us the transparency we want to have internallyand of course also externally to make sure that we process down andfeathers neither from live animals nor from foie gras production.
Photos: © OBB

Bastian Roscheck
Managing partner–3–

DOWNPASS STARS: OBB OBERBADISCHE BETTFEDERNFABRIK

Another benefit for us is that, in addition to animal welfare aspects, the DOWNPASS is the only standard
that also tests product quality in terms of consumer protection.
Source: Downpass e.V.

Photos: © OBB–4–