Sponsored by
Fristads
Rob Freeman, Fristads UK country manager, explains how the Swedish workwear manufacturer is leading the way in sustainability.
The last 10 years or so have seen many great initiatives within the textile industry to begin the transformation to more sustainable production – but it is not happening fast enough!
We need to speed up the change by finding more resource-efficient solutions, as well as adjusting our behaviours and how we consume products.
The need for change applies to workwear businesses as well. At Fristads, we want to lead the change by supporting and challenging our customers to act more sustainably – contributing to the development of a truly sustainable industry.
Below are some of the initiatives Fristads has developed, which confirm our commitment to be leaders in the field of sustainability for the workwear manufacturing sector.
Closing the loop project
By Q2 2023, Fristads UK will have its ‘closing the loop’ project set up and running. The project allows customers to return used Fristads garments to our UK premises (Great Yarmouth and Teeside) where the items will be collected and disposed of effectively and recycled into new products.
Audited reports will be issued to confirm the amount of items recycled and the percentage of items re-used, recycled or used for green energy.
For years, Fristads has supplied the Dutch postal service and logistics company PostNL with its polo shirts. Thanks to a new pilot programme, those shirts will now be collected and recycled into new garments, effectively bringing us one step closer to our goal of closing the loop on our clothing production.
Waste to energy project in India
Fristads has funded a project that turns waste into energy in India by converting chicken litter and other organic residues to renewable electricity.
Up to 120,000 tons of chicken litter and other organic residues are converted into renewable electricity through the Namakkal Waste to Energy Project each year.
Algae could be the solution to textile dyeing in the future
In Sweden, Fristads is one of the sponsors behind a project that aims to replace conventional fabric dyes with more sustainable alternatives, including ink made from algae.
The algae ink is both biodegradable, free from chemicals and radically more resource-efficient than conventional textile dyes. The project is run by the start-up company Mounid via Wargön Innovation.
More climate-efficient transport with HCT
Via the Autofreight project, Fristads is working to develop more climate-efficient road transport between its warehouse in Viared, outside Borås, and the harbour of Gothenburg.
During 2021, 10% of Fristads’ transports of 40-foot containers were made with the High Capacity Transport (HCT), which is 32 metres long and can carry two 40-foot containers. Using this new type of transport is estimated to reduce emissions by 30%.
For further information, contact Rob Freeman on rob.freeman@fristads.com
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