Fristads’ 2024 Sustainability Report highlights groundbreaking circular services rollout

Fristads Sustainability Report 2024

Workwear manufacturer Fristads has released their new Sustainability Report, marking a year of innovation and progress on circularity, transparency, product development and climate action. Most notably, 2024 was the year Fristads became the first workwear company to launch a comprehensive sustainable service offer on all markets.

“I’m extremely proud of our sustainable service solution, which helps our customers make the most of their workwear, while reducing their environmental footprint,” said Petra Öberg Gustafsson, Managing Director of Fristads.

Fristads’ Sustainability as a Service includes Repair, Reuse and Recycling and was developed in collaboration with major customers and dealers. After testing and fine-tuning the solutions through extensive pilot projects, the full-service offer was rolled out on all markets in 2024. In addition to helping customers manage worn-out workwear responsibly, the service also provides tangible environmental data for use in sustainability reporting.

More sustainable materials and EPDs on the rise

Fristads also made significant strides in their transition to more sustainable materials, without compromising durability or performance. By the end of 2024, 31% of the company’s catalogue styles were made with recycled, biobased or organic materials, including garments with Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), up from 1% in 2020. Meanwhile, 18% of the products in Fristads’ range have an EPD – a third-party verified document that discloses the environmental impact of a garment, including CO2 emissions and water scarcity footprint. This makes it easier for customers to make informed decisions about their workwear purchases.

“Collecting, calculating and analysing environmental data from workwear production is an extremely complex process, but it has been well worth the effort. The EPDs have given us crucial insight into where most of our emissions originate and how we can reduce them going forward,” said Lisa Rosengren, Sustainability and Raw Material Manager at Fristads.

Chemically recycled fabrics and PFAS phase-out

Another key 2024 milestone was the development of Fristads’ first collection made from chemically recycled polyester using pre- and post-consumer textile waste. Through chemical processes, the polyester fibres are broken down to their original building blocks, allowing them to be repolymerised into new high-quality fibres – equal in performance to virgin polyester.

Fristads also took decisive action to eliminate PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), often referred to as “forever chemicals.” By the end of 2024, PFAS had already been phased out from all but a few flame-retardant garments and development of PFAS-free alternatives is ongoing.

Emissions down, efficiency up

Fristads reported a total of 38,854 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2024, a 29% reduction compared with the base year 2022. Most emissions (98.2%) occurred in Scope 3, with the largest share stemming from purchased goods and services. Despite year-over-year increases in emissions from transports and purchased products, Fristads’ CO2 emissions per product sold were down 17% and emissions per employee were down 19% compared with 2022. During the same time span, emissions per net revenue (CO2e/MSEK) have decreased 30%, showing a greater efficiency in emissions relative to business growth.