Fjallraven - Eco & Ethics Spotlight - Sustainable Production

Following on from our previous blog post today we look at Scandinavian imprint Fjallraven's sustainable production methods.

Fjallraven believe the best things are done together, as a team. They work closely with their partners at all stages of their production chain. This means they send a lot of emails, spend hours on the phone, and discuss things in detail face-to-face. It takes time, but it’s worth it. They’ve built up relationships that have spanned decades and they’ve learned a lot along the way. Trust and respect don’t just benefit Fjallraven and their suppliers; they mean they can create the best products for you.

When Fjallraven have a clear vision of how they want to work and what they want to achieve, a common language is needed to ensure everyone that works with them is aligned and working towards the same goal. This is why they created their Code of Conduct.

This document is the basis for how Fjallraven do business and it’s non-negotiable. It’s based on the Fair Labour Association’s Workplace Code of Conduct and covers human rights, animal welfare, environmental protections, sustainable development and anti-corruption.

They provide training and support to ensure their suppliers fully implement their Code of Conduct. Fjallraven – and third parties – audit and regularly visit their suppliers and if issues arise they are there to support and instigate positive change. Fjallraven truly believe that what’s best for our suppliers, is best for us.

Fjallraven don’t work in isolation. They share a common goal with many others in the outdoor clothing industry. Together they want to improve working conditions, reduce environmental impacts and eradicate malpractice and corruption.

They're part of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) (http://www.apparelcoalition.org/), an industry-wide group of more than 80 leading clothing and footwear companies and NGOs. Together they share information and best practices, to work towards reducing the environmental and social impacts of the industry.

In 2013 Fjallraven joined the Fair Labour Association (FLA) (http://www.fairlabor.org/). Like the SAC, the FLA is a multi-stakeholder organisation, but its focus is on promoting workers’ rights and improving working conditions globally. It’s enabled then to improve their approach to ethical sourcing around the world.

The UN’s remit encapsulates everything from climate change to human rights. Its strength comes from collaboration. It’s built on the belief that we’re all in this together. The UN Global Compact, which we’ve signed on to, is a partnership between businesses and the United Nations. Members are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with 10 universally accepted principles relating to human rights, labour, anti-corruption and the environment.

Fjallraven's long-term goal is to reduce their impact on the planet. But they can’t completely eradicate their emissions. So they climate compensate some of our products, such as Eco-Shell garments, our Fjällräven Classic treks and business travel. When they compensate their emissions, they support renewable energy projects that have been verified by the UN and certified according to the Gold Standard, an independent quality assessment of carbon dioxide emission reduction projects. It’s supported by more than 60 non-profit organisations, including Greenpeace International and WWF International. Fjallraven's goal is to reduce their CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020 and become completely carbon neutral by 2025.

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