Sustainable fashion

Sustainable fashion - because we care

Lindex has used organic cotton since 2007 and all Lindex departments have a selection of garments made of organic cotton, recyclable materials and other alternative fibres that have less environmental impact than conventional fibres and materials. Our strategy is to annually increase the total number of garments in sustainable materials during the coming years. We have also set departmental-specific goals and placed great emphasis on training and raising the competence of our employees.

For us sustainable fashion is much more than just organic cotton and recycled materials, it means working with the whole chain from raw material to use and recycling of garments and material.  We are constantly working to making it easier for our Design and Purchasing department to create products with the least possible impact on the environment. Not least it is about designing fashion in a more sustainable manner. In the process of developing sustainable fashion, we have to respect our surroundings in all aspects and ultimately ensure a reduction in the overall environmental impact.

We are glad that our customers like what we are doing. This allows us to be able to continue to drive the demand on the world market when it comes to the farming of organic cotton, the use of recycled materials and in supporting the development of new sustainable materials. Lindex would like to and will continue to be a part of this development.

Read more in our brochure Fashion with responsibility.

Easily find our sustainable assortment

To make it easier for our customers who demand garments in our sustainable assortment, we have gathered all garments made of organic cotton and recycled material on our online shop under "Sustainable Choice". In stores we label the garment with a special tag, see illustration.

Organic cotton

Garments labeled "Sustainable choice: Organic Cotton" always contain certified organic cotton, which means cotton grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, that it does not come from genetically modified crops and that the farming takes place in harmony with nature. When dying and producing these garments, the supplier complies with the environmental and chemical requirements which we place on our entire assortment. Our "Sustainable Choice: Organic Cotton" garments are always made of 100% organically certified cotton. Where there is a mixture of organic cotton and other fibres, the percentile proportion is stated on the care instructions label.

You can find the "Sustainable Choice: Organic Cotton" assortment at online shop

All of our organic cotton is inspected and certified by the international certification body, Textile Exchange, previously Control Union. This allows us to trace the cotton all the way to the farm on which the cotton plants are grown and in that manner ensure that the cotton really is organic. Read more about Textile Exchange here.

Garments that are labeled "Sustainable Choice: Recycled" are made of recycled materials such as polyester, polyamide, cotton or nylon. By using recycled materials we can reduce the use of energy, raw materials and chemicals compared with what is required for new raw materials.

Recycled polyester usually comes from used PET bottles while recycled polyamide comes from textile waste from production but also from old fishing nets.

Alternative materials

We also have garments made from renewable plant materials. For example, we use Tencel which is a man-made fibre made of wood pulp. Tencel has the advantages that its manufacture requires less energy and fewer chemicals. The chemicals are reused in the final process. These garments are labeled with the label "Sustainable Choice: Tencel".

Mixed materials

In order to get a good quality and fit of the garment, sometimes our sustainable fibres need to be blended with a synthetic material or conventionally cultivated fibres. For example cotton tights need elastane fibre in order to stretch, or a coat made from recycled polyester is blended with virgin polyester to give it a higher quality. We always reproduce the mixture that we have used on the care instructions label.

Results 2010

During 2010, Lindex has in all of its departments offered a varied selection of products made from sustainable materials. We have also offered our customers separate collections, for example  "All kids", "Hello baby"  and a lingerie collection during Christmas.
The goal for 2010 was to produce at least 1.5 million garments made of fibres produced in a manner that places less of a burden on the environment, which we term as sustainable fibres. The results for 2010 were more than 4 million garments, which comprises about 6 % of the total quantity of garments.

Future goals and continued development

We will continue to have a wide assortment of garments made of sustainable materials in all of Lindex's departments. The greatest proportion will continue to comprise garments made of organic cotton but a proportion of garments will also be made of recycled materials and Tencel will increase. Our strategy is to annually increase the total number of garments made of sustainable materials during the coming years. At least 4 million garments made from sustainable materials will be produced during 2011, after which we will increase the proportion year for year. We have set departmental-specific goals and will also invest in training and raising the competence of employees with regard to sustainable materials.

For Lindex it is important to be constantly in the forefront in driving the demand for and use of sustainable materials. This is so we can take part and work towards a more sustainable future.