INTA Berlin 2017: Sustainability essential, claims Fjällräven officer
Sustainability is a must-have approach for businesses, according to Aiko Bode, group chief sustainability officer at Fenix Outdoor International.
Bode was the keynote speaker, talking in a personal capacity, on the second day of INTA’s Brand Authenticity conference in Berlin on Friday, December 1.
Fenix Outdoor International, a Swedish company specialising in outdoor equipment, owns the brand Fjällräven, which means ‘Arctic Fox’ in Swedish. Rucksacks produced by the brand featuring the logo of a red fox are commonly spotted across Europe.
Fjällräven is not the only brand used at the company, with others including outdoor footwear line Hanwag and outdoor clothing brand Tierra.
After asking what “glues” all the brands together, Bode said it’s the company’s common vision—Fenix Way—which maps out corporate culture, sustainability rules and the code of conduct.
Fenix aims to improve the working and living conditions where its products are made and remove the legacy the textile industry has when it comes to environmental and social conditions.
The company operates by using “four directions”: N for nature and environmental impact, E for economy, S for societal concerns, and W for wellbeing—not just for staff and customers, but also wildlife.
Bode went on to explain the company’s efforts in protecting wildlife in Sweden.
“In 1928, there were more than 10,000 polar foxes in Sweden,” he said. In 2015, there were 150 left, because of the value of their fur.
“This is not a good story,” warned Bode. “We have destroyed the whole population of foxes and they have never recovered.”
But thanks to Fenix’s efforts, combined with the Swedish government’s endeavours, the population is increasing (according to Bode, there are now 250 foxes).
“Taking the extra mile is sometimes a lot of effort, but you get a lot of transparency and insights,” noted Bode.
He added that Fenix is probably the first company to completely control its supply chain through its “ down promise”.
This promise says that “when you buy a down product from Fjällräven you can be 100% sure that the down we use is the result of a process that takes the greatest possible care of the birds’ wellbeing”.
The website adds: “Today we have one of the outdoor industry’s most transparent chains of production where all our down is 100% traceable—right from the newly-hatched goslings to the completed down product.”
The Brand Authenticity conference finished on Friday.
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