Rank a Brand

How sustainable is Fjällräven ?

Fjällräven & sustainability


Fjällräven-logo
First milestones, should be better Click here for score rapport: 10 out of 34

Sustainability summary

Fjällräven has achieved the D-Label. As such, it has started to take sustainability into account for its backpacks, bags, pullovers, jackets etc., but a lot more can be done, still. The brand could reduce its carbon footprint, for example. Likewise, more information can be provided on its management of chemicals. As a member of the Fair Labor Association, brand owner Fenix Outdoor is actively involved in improving working conditions in its supply chain, but reporting about this can be more concrete. A list of supplier has been published, however.

Brand owner: Fenix Outdoor AB
Head office: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Sector: Sport & outdoor clothing
Categories : Male, Female, Kids
Free Tags: Fenix Outdoor, Bags, Caps, Shirts, Pullover, Jackets, Dress

Compare other brands

What's your sustainability news about Fjällräven?

Fjällräven sustainability score report

Last edited: 3 April 2019 by RSM - Students
Last reviewed: 3 April 2019 by Maarten

Questions about Climate Change/ Carbon Emissions

2 out of 6
1. Has the brand (owner) disclosed the annual absolute climate footprint of its 'own operations', and has it accomplished an overall absolute climate footprint reduction compared to the result of the previous reporting year? Fenix Outdoor, brand owner of Fjällräven, published the climate footprint of its own operations (excluding contractors), from 2016 to 2017, however, Fenix reports an increase in its absolute climate footprint from 10368,5 tons of CO2e to 11493 tons of CO2e (see link, page 13). Source
2. Is at least 50% of the electricity used by the brand (company) generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy? Fenix Outdoor reports for 2017 that out of the 16893 (sic) MWh of total electricity consumption, 1313611 (sic) MWh of electricity is purchased or acquired from renewable sources, but it is not sufficiently clear about the sources, type and additionality of supply (see link, page 37). Source
3. Is all the electricity used by the brand (company) generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy? See remark for carbon emissions policy question 2. Source
4. Has the brand (owner) disclosed the annual absolute climate footprint of its supply chain that is 'beyond own operations'? Fenix Outdoor publishes the climate footprint of its supply chain for 2017 (i.e., excluding business travel and employee commuting), reporting an emissions figure of 9356 tons of CO2 (see link, page 27). Source
5. Has the brand (owner) accomplished a reduction of this annual absolute climate footprint 'beyond own operations' compared to the result of the previous reporting year? Fenix Outdoor publishes the climate footprint data submitted to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), but data for the reporting year 2016 are missing both on its website and at the CDP-website. Source
6. Has the brand (owner) set a target to make at least its own operations fully climate neutral by 2030, and is the brand on track to achieve this target? Fjällräven has set a target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25% in 2020 and aims to become completely carbon neutral by 2025. Source

Questions about Environmental Policy

4 out of 12
1. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 5% of its volume? Fjällräven uses environmentally 'preferred' fibres, such as organic cotton, organic hemp, and recycled wool, but neither Fjällräven nor its brand owner Fenix Outdoor communicate the exact proportion of environmentally preferred raw materials. A share higher than 10% can be considered certain, however (see present link, and next link, page 19). Source
2. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 10% of its volume? See remark for environmental policy question 1. Source
3. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 25% of its volume? See remark for environmental policy question 1. Source
4. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 50% of its volume? See remark for environmental policy question 1. Source
5. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 75% of its volume? See remark for environmental policy question 1. Source
6. Does the brand (company) use environmentally 'preferred' raw materials for more than 90% of its volume? See remark for environmental policy question 1. Source
7. Is there a policy for the brand (company) to eliminate all hazardous chemicals from the whole lifecycle and all production procedures to make the clothes and footwear? Fjällräven publishes its Restricted Substances List and implements measures to limit the use of hazardous chemicals. Part of its collection is bluesign certified, meaning that during production high environmental standards are maintained for chemical and water use (see link, including page 67). Source
8. Has the brand (company) eliminated at least one suspect chemical group, such as Phthalates or Per fluorinated chemicals from its entire garment production? Fjällräven does not use PFCs to impregnate its Eco-Shell core material, but it is still working on phasing out PFCs completely, and it is unclear whether any other target chemical groups are completely eliminated. Source
9. Has the brand (company) eliminated at least three suspect chemical groups, such as Phthalates or Per fluorinated chemicals from its entire garment production? See remark for environmental policy question 8. Source
10. Does the brand (owner) report what percentage of its consumer packaging materials are renewable or made from recycled materials, and does the brand implement best practices or concrete policies which have reduced the environmental impact of their packaging materials? Fenix Outdoor breaks down all of its packaging materials by whether they are renewable, but it reports an annual increase in packaging materials, nor any best practices regarding packaging materials (see link, page 20). Source
11. Does the brand (owner) publish its absolute waste materials footprint and implement concrete policies to minimize waste, by reducing, re-using and recycling, thereby decreasing its waste footprint compared to the previous reporting year? Fenix Outdoor reports the annual waste by type and weight, but the data are not complete and way of disposal has not been reported sufficiently clearly (see link, page 20). Source
12. Does the brand (company) encourage the return or re-use of garments? Fjällräven offers its customers a limited repair services and provides them instructions on how to increase the life span of its products. Source

Questions about Labour Conditions/ Fair Trade

4 out of 16
1. Does the brand (owner) have a supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) which includes all standards to ensure workers' rights such as no child labour, no bonded labour, a safe workplace and no excessive overwork? And is there at least a progress report once every two years on implementation of this Code of Conduct? Fjällräven includes all these standards in its supplier workplace Code of Conduct (see present link, pages 2-6). In collaboration with the Fair Labour Association (FLA), Fjällräven's brand owner Fenix Outdoor has published a 2017 report about social compliance in the supply chain including labour conditions at suppliers (see link next question). Source
2. Does the brand (owner) have a policy to make sure there is a proper grievance mechanism in place for factory workers and are at least 25% of workers informed about their rights regarding this mechanism (e.g. through training)? Fenix Outdoor is a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) which requires a complaints mechanism to be active within factories. However, it is not clear whether the system provides for complaints handlers outside the factory and whether an eligible third party audits workers' awareness of complaint procedures (see link, pages 10-11). Source
3. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers, that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume? Fenix Outdoor has published a list of its direct suppliers. Source
4. Is this supplier list specific? Are e.g. the addresses of direct suppliers included, and/or are the specific products mentioned per factory? Fenix Outdoor has published a list of direct suppliers but does not give the full addresses and does not report which products are made per factory. Source
5.  Is the list of direct suppliers extended with suppliers further down the supply chain, with a minimum of 40% in number compared to the direct suppliers? Fenix Outdoor does not publish a list of indirect suppliers. Source
6. Is the brand (owner) a member of a collective initiative that aims to improve labor conditions, in which civil society organizations like NGOs and labor unions have a decisive voice, or does the brand purchase at least 50% from certified manufacturers with improved labor conditions? Fenix Outdoor is a member of the Fair Labour Association. Source
7. Does this initiative require clear minimum performance levels for member brands? FLA may terminate the participation of companies that, after being placed under special review, still fail to achieve or maintain compliance with FLA Standards (see link, page 29). However, it is not clear on what criteria the obligations are evaluated and thus how strict membership requirements really are. Source
8. Is at least 25% of the total production volume at direct suppliers verified under monitoring concerning good labour conditions? Fenix Outdoor audited all of its own production sites in 2017 and FLA audited its headquarters, but it is unclear what percentage of the total production volume is audited by eligible third parties, such as FWF or SA8000 (see link, pages 4, 6, 29 and 32, and previous link). Source
9. Is at least 50% of the total production volume at direct suppliers verified under monitoring concerning good labour conditions? See remark for labor conditions policy question 8. Source
10. Is at least 75% of the total production volume at direct suppliers verified under monitoring concerning good labour conditions? See remark for labor conditions policy question 8. Source
11. Is at least 95% of the total production volume at direct suppliers verified under monitoring concerning good labour conditions? See remark for labor conditions policy question 8. Source
12. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labor conditions policy for the leather, yarn and fabric production phases, including a reasonable overview of the number and region of workplaces covered by the policy in relation to the total production volume? Fjällräven does not publicly report clear results of its implemented measures to improve labor conditions at its fabric manufacturers. Source
13. Does the brand (owner) publicly commit to a living wage benchmark with defined wages per production region or factory? Fenix Outdoor states that it supports the concept of a living wage, but has not committed to a specific living wage benchmark for all its production countries (see link, page 6). Source
14. Does the brand (owner) set a target to establish the payment of living wages at its apparel manufacturers, and is the brand on track to achieve this target? Fenix Outdoor states that in general it pays approximately twice the minimum wage as an entry level wage in Asia, but whether first living wage payments are realized is not yet specified (see link, page 35). Source
15. Has the brand (owner) realised payment of living wages for at least 10% of its production volume? See remark for labor conditions policy question 14. Source
16. Does the brand (owner) adhere to buying practices that enable living wages and good labour conditions, such as long-term relations with factories, and concentrating production at limited number of factories? In 2016, 73% of Fenix Outdoor's business relationships existed for at least 5 years (see link, page 28). In 2017, the company stated having in most cases long-term direct relationships with all partners in their supply chain (see previous link, page 27). Hence, a 5-year relationship with at least 40% of factories is guaranteed. Source