Sustainability Statement
Our ambitious game plan for a responsible business practice is defined and allows us to create a positive impact on our journey.
We are taking a holistic approach and embedding sustainability in every part of our business, from product development, through supply chain, marketing and sales, to the end of each product’s life. Our strategy is created around four pillars: climate and environment; human rights and decent working conditions; traceability and transparency; and customer engagement and connectivity.
Holzweiler 2030 Commitments
Materials Matter
The choice of materials that go into garments is hugely important. The production of raw materials can have major environmental and social impacts. To reduce this impact, we are continually increasing our use of preferred materials.
Performance, durability, look and feel are important parameters when we choose our materials. Our sourcing strategy is such that, for every item we produce, we seek out the most sustainable fabrics and yarns that are available, feasible for us to use and that meet our quality standards. Certified materials are at the top of our list.
Want to see our progress? Take a look at our 2022 Sustainability Report.
Animal welfare
We know our customers care for animals, and so do we!
It’s a complex landscape to navigate, as the origin of the fibre is often hard, sometimes even impossible, to trace.
Holzweiler uses some selected animal fibres for our products and it’s our responsibility to ensure the animals in our supply chain are treated humanely. For each collection we increase the amount of recycled wool we use, as well as wool awarded the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and Responsible Wool Mohair Standard (RMS), which respects the Five Freedoms of Animals.
Circularity at Heart
At Holzweiler, we recognize we must prolong each product’s individual lifetime. When you double the lifetime, you reduce the footprint by approximately 49%.
We acknowledge our industry’s challenge with overproduction, overconsumption and the large amount of textile waste that it entails. Giving materials and products a new life is vital to create much-needed industry change.
We are also increasing the use of recycled materials to lower our environmental impact. Creating products that are long-lasting in style, function and quality also helps us to avoid textile waste.
Holzweiler’s eco-design criteria have been created in collaboration with Circular Fashion, based on its Circular Design Criteria. It provide checkpoints to encourage us to always design with four aspects in mind:
- Design using safe, recycled and/or renewable inputs
- Design for recycling
- Design for longevity
- Enable Circulation
Want to get a closer look? Dive into our 2022 Sustainability Report.
Let’s be honest, most brands have excess stock, and it is normally sold with a discount. So do we.
We are approaching this issue by creating more of our forever essentials, which will live in stores for at least two years at full price. Leftover seasonal products can find their way to a new owner in our newly opened Holzweiler Collage Store in Oslo.
Circularity is also about reusing what has already been made. Here are some examples:
Holzweiler Collage
Our new Archive store in Oslo. 90% of the store’s interiors are also made up of materials from previous Holzweiler projects.
Holzweiler x Fogia
Holzweiler teams up with Fogia to make a new and upcycled version of their iconic chair, Bollo.
Holzweiler x Hanne Friis
Hanne has created a series entitled “Map,” which consist of sculptures that are made out of our silk scarves from past collections
What you can do:
By joining forces we can ensure a prolonged life for your Holzweiler item.
Care for your item to make it last
How you care for your clothing has a huge impact. Caring for it properly means it can be worn for longer. Our Care Guide offers tips and guidance on how to look after your items.
Repair when needed
Find a local repair service. If you’re located in Norway, feel free to reach out to our repair partner, Repairable.
OR challenge yourself by fixing it on your own. Here are a few easy fixes that can be done without expert equipment.
Find your preloved item a new home
There are multiple ways to resell your item around the world. If you are in Norway, try our own Re:vive.
Transparent Supply Chain
When working with textile manufacturers, we are dealing with complex supply chains and multiple facilities. To ensure accurate data collection, we trace our supply chain and collect data on our production partners using an innovative technology partner and traceability platform. A product made in Portugal is rarely 100% from Portugal. Using our tracing tool helps to see where the different processes happen and how we can create a better journey for our products – all the way from its raw materials to the product being delivered to our customers.
In most cases, the first tiers in our supply chain – the manufacturers, material suppliers and dyeing and printing facilities – are easy to connect with. Getting all the way to raw materials is still a challenge though. We aim to have 100% transparency by 2030.
Our Suppliers – Our Extended Family
Caring for our extended family, our suppliers, is hugely important to us. There are multiple risks in the textile industry that need to be addressed, and these vary from country to country. Our risk assessment routines include country risks and suppliers’ risks, collecting data on working conditions at each factory we cooperate with, and having an ongoing dialogue. Using our risk evaluation and gathered data, we initiate activities to educate the workers on their rights, focusing on workers representation and wages.
At the same time, we collaborate with other brands and Ethical Trade Norway to find the best methodologies to ensure a living wage across our supply chain.
We also team up with other brands that use the same factories to have a greater impact.
Alliances are the best way to implement change. Alliances with our suppliers, our customers, other brands, NGOs and stakeholders, as well as leading system and innovation partners.
Our purchasing practice will be improved as part of our participation in a multi-stakeholder group that works to develop a common framework for responsible purchasing practice. It includes representatives from Ethical Trade Initiative UK, Ethical Trade Norway and Fair Wear among others. Many of the issues that are addressed in this group are the same for most companies, so resolving these issues together can create industry change at scale.
Certifications that address social and environmental issues and animal welfare will be a part of our strategy to improve on these areas.
You can read more on how we work with our suppliers here: The Transparency Act – Holzweiler.
Our 2022 Due Diligence for Responsible Business Report is also available here.