THE ENVIRONMENT
Fashion, environment & ethics – can they be united? Yes, for us at KappAhl it is possible. For many years, we have strived to shoulder our responsibilities, so our garments will not only be attractive but also approved from a sustainability perspective. This applies to everything, from design to production to distribution, store sales and recycling.
For instance, did you know that in 1999 KappAhl was the first fashion chain in the world to be certified according to the environmental management standard ISO 14001? Or that we reduced our carbon dioxide emissions by 32 per cent in 2010-2011?
TRANSPORT
We are working purposefully to transfer products to more environmentally friendly means of transport, such as boat and train. Planning routes and transport, as well as combined loads, is an effective way to save the environment and money. We are a member of Clean Shipping Index, in order to reduce the impact from shipping. All of our products are transported in return crates made from recycled plastic, from the distribution centre to stores.
During 2010-2011 we have succeeded in reducing our carbon dioxide emissions by 32 per cent compared with the previous financial year. This major reduction has taken place at the same time as increasing both our turnover and the number of stores.
KappAhl was the first Nordic company in the industry to climate compensate for buyers and managers' flights, that is, those who fly the most.
ECO-CLOTHES AND ECO-LABELLING
KappAhl has been working with eco and health labelled clothes since 1993. We use labelling systems such as Oeko-Tex standard 100, the EU Flower, Organic Cotton and Organic Linen. Already in 1993, we bought in our first certified organic cotton which can be traced all the way back to the farmer. Since 2008, we are Oeko-Tex certified and have quality assured statistics for our eco and health labelled clothes. Today, 20% of the garments that are designed for KappAhl are labelled Oeko-Tex Standard 100, with the EU Flower and Organic Cotton etc.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR ECO-LABELLED CLOTHES AND ECO-LABELLING HERE >>