Sustainable textile initiatives and suggestions for a Nordic Roadmap

This report aims to chart a plan for a coordinated Nordic effort towards sustainable development in textiles and identify ongoing initiatives in the area. The aim was an ambitious plan with a potential for significant reductions in environmental pressures, but also green growth. To reach these goals, we staked out four regions a Nordic plan should include. 1) Replace fast fashion. The key to achieving an environmentally significant effect is to reduce the amount of textiles in circulation. This will reduce the production of waste and the use of chemicals. 2) Reduce resource input. The perspective is all about reducing inputs in textiles value chain. This includes various forms of circulatory thinking, material efficiency, as well as commercial forms of recycling and waste management. 3) Redirect global vs local. Locally produced textiles, with emphasis on ingredients, traditions, uniqueness and innovation, is a new and positive measure that can easily get attention outside environmentally conscious circles. A greater appreciation for good ingredients, and why quality costs, are required to compete with "fast fashion" and shift towards lasting value. Local production has the potential to create green growth and jobs in the region. 4) Rethink for whom Nordic countries are at their best an example of inclusive and democratic societies. The fashion industry however, has marketed itself towards the young and thin. An ethical approach to fashion encompasses not only how clothing is produced, but also who they are produced for and how clothing affects the ability for self-expression and participation in an open society. Ongoing initiatives. The mapping showed that there were many ongoing initiatives in the Nordic. The work has mainly focused on the perspective of so-called "reducing resource use." The more established an initiative is, the more likely it is to be low on innovation. An important dilemma surfaces when attention is on better utilization of waste, as this may indirectly contribute to increased growth in volume

Market for wool sleepwear and beddring

The aim of this report is to give an overview of woolen sleepwear and bedding products that are available on the market. The analysis is made in three countries: Norway, Sweden and the UK. The work has been conducted by National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO) and Nordic Initiative Clean & Ethical (NICE) for Australian Wool Innovation LtD (AWI). The survey is based on market analysis of Internet searches. We used Google and searched for wool in various combinations with names for night-wear/clothing and bed linens. The searches were specified with language and location of the web store. The most relevant findings were recorded. We observed great differences between the three countries in types of products that were available, their customer groups, as well as market channels. The scope of the search was limited to next-to-skin products including nightwear and bedding, thus excluding products where the wool is used as filling material in mattresses, duvets or pillows. In Norway, the wool nightwear market for babies and toddlers is large and varied. Some nightwear, mainly nightgowns, is also available for women, but not for men. The Swedish market for wool sleepwear emerges as more "alternative" than the Norwegian. There was more emphasis on ideology, while the Norwegian market appears more mixed and more common. Similar to Norway, babies, children and women are the target markets for wool sleepwear. Sleepwear in the UK differs radically as nightwear seems to be a more important type of dress, and includes several types of garments such as bathrobes and leisurewear. We found wool mainly within the luxury segment for men. The garments were classic pajamas made of wool mixed with cotton or silk. This type of dress is very unusual in Norway and Sweden, where the sleepwear chosen by men is far less formal. The markets for next-to-skin bedding product in wool are more marginal and mainly found only in Norway and Sweden. While the market for sleepwear in wool is very similar to the market for cotton sleepwear (only more limited), what characterizes the market for bed linen in wool is a strict differentiation from the normal cotton-dominated market in Norway and Sweden. This applies to type of products, esthetics and sales channels, as well as product care. The products appear “natural” in white or brown, thick, and wooly. They are mainly sold as a type of health products within the alternative health market. In the UK, there were many different dealers selling “wool bed” but wool is used as filling material, not as next-to-skin products, so these were outside the scope of our study

Woolbed

Vi har undersøkt mulighetene for å gjeninnføre ull som sengetekstil. Barrierer for bruk av ull i nattøy og sengetøy blant norske og svenske forbrukere er analysert. Vi har undersøkt mulighetene for å gjeninnføre ull som sengetekstil. Barrierer for bruk av ull i nattøy og sengetøy blant norske og svenske forbrukere er analysert basert på web survey, intervjuer der informantene også kjente på en rekke ulike stoffer, og en brukertest av sengetøy og nattøy i ull. Muligheten for et sengetøy i ull ble møtt med positiv nysgjerrighet av de aller fleste informanter. Et viktig funn er koblet til hvordan endring finner sted. I Norge er bruken av ull, og da spesielt på mindre barn og i forbindelse med utendørsaktiviteter om vinteren en norm, en standard forbrukeren bevisst må velge bort. I Sverige derimot er valget av ull, nettopp et valg noen gjør og da ofte med en sterkere ideologisk begrunnelse. Markedet for kroppsnær ull vokser i Sverige og forskjellene mellom de to land kan dermed forventes å minke. Barrierer knyttet til hygiene, varmeregulering, struktur og mykhet er viktige i forbrukernes tanker omkring ull som sengetekstil. De har lite erfaringer med tynnere vevde stoffer og vanskeligere for både å gjenkjenne slike stoffer som ull og se for seg hvordan de vil virke i bruk. Tilknyttede prosjekter Woolbed - sweet dreams in merin

Why Cotton as Linen? The Use of Wool in Beds in Norway

Cotton is the “natural” Choice and the dominating material in bed linen and sleepwear in Norway as in many other European countries. Regulation of temperature and humidity are important for good sleep, but they are not cotton’s strong points. There must have been other than the functional reasons which made cotton the winner in the bedding market. This article builds on literature about bedding in Norway from the 1800s and survey questions from 1951. We ask the question: what materials have been used and why? Wool was used in all bed textiles, both closest to the body and the layers over and under, from the cheapest chopped rags to the most costly textiles. The decline was seen throughout the 1800 and 1900s, but only in the 1960s does wool become totally absent as a next to skin bed textile. The cheap imports of cotton made cottage industry and home production unprofitable and the new emphasis on cleanliness gave cotton a Clear leverage

Rethinking the (Wool) Economy

This chapter examines the limits to changing the current economic system through policy measures like green growth and the circular economy. We examine the biophysical aspects of the economy and the huge amounts of materials and energy the global economy consumes to achieve growth. Thus far, governmental responses have been incapable of addressing the underlying structural issues of the global textile industry and the accompanying exploitation of natures and peoples. While the necessary deep structural transformations are difficult to achieve through governmental policy change, we suggest that re-localization of wool production-consumption networks are an expression of how engaged citizens can build more sustainable textile and fibre alternatives in place. Drawing on local food research, this chapter highlights the dangers of conflating local solutions with sustainability. Instead, we argue that assessing these emergent wool ventures based on how they are organized in the living landscape in specific places will enhance the understanding of what kind of socioecological impacts they can achieve. This includes how organizing/connecting the activities and visions of wool entrepreneurs in place is essential if these ventures can overcome the barriers set by the dominant growth-based system of global trade.Peer reviewe

Opprinnelsesmerking av norsk ull

Hensikten med denne rapporten er å undersøke mulighetene for en opprinnelsesmerking av norsk ull. Et slikt merke kan bidra til økt bevissthet og oppmerksomhet om norsk ull både blant produsenter og forbrukere, og dermed styrke produksjon og salg av lokal ull. Rapporten diskuterer en rekke argumenter for en merkeordning. Blant annet at et offisielt merke kan være et hjelpemiddel mot en til dels uryddig markedsføring av ull som vi ser i dag. Dessuten kan det fremme ulike kvaliteter ved norsk ull. Rapporten bygger på ulike data inkludert intervjuer med aktører i verdikjeden og forbrukerundersøkelser. Erfaringer med merkeordninger fra andre land samt ulike mat- og miljømerkeordninger er også diskutert. Rapporten kan fungere som et kunnskapsgrunnlag for en eventuell etablering av en merkeordning, og den utreder ulike alternative ordninger, men uten å ta stilling til hvordan en merkeordning faktisk bør organiseres

Valuing Norwegian Wool

Wool has been called the white gold and has warmed and brought joy to the Norwegian population throughout history. It is also a textile fibre with many unused features. The starting point of the project Valuing Norwegian Wool is a desire to help Norwegian agriculture, wool based industry, and design to exploit the potential inherent in Norwegian wool as raw material, and in the Norwegian textile tradition.  Norway has a thriving textile industry and several strong companies that produce products made of wool. The marketing of the origin of the raw material these products are produced from is however rather inadequate and sometimes misleading. While fewer and fewer of the products are made of Norwegian wool, consumers - not without reason - take it for granted that Norwegian producers use Norwegian wool. The project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council and led by SIFO. The project partners include representatives from the entire value chain - from agricultural organizations, industry and commerce, and design and consumption. This report is one of many publications in the project and makes visible the challenges that exist in the value chain, but also the great potential that is there

KRUS final report: Enhancing local value chains in Norway

Fra prosjektet startet i 2015 og frem til slutten i 2019 har KRUS hatt to mål: å forbedre markedet for og verdien av norsk ull og kartlegge mulighetene for lokal produksjon som et skritt mot bærekraft i klesindustrien. KRUS har sett på hvordan vi kan gjenopprette en forståelse av sammenhengen mellom råvaren og det ferdige produktet innen industrien og blant forbrukerne. Det er viktig å forstå denne sammenhengen, både for å sikre kvalitetsprodukter og for å nå markedspotensialet for norsk ull. Å gjenopprette forståelsen av "hvor klær kommer fra" er også kjernen i utfordringene innen tekstil. Forbruk og produksjon av klær vil møte store utfordringer og endringer de neste 10 årene. I dag er industrien preget av lite regulering, kontroll og kunnskap, men store volumer, miljøpåvirkning, og belastninger på dyr og mennesker. KRUS har bidratt i debatten om bærekraft og klær ved å fokusere på lokale verdikjeder og lokalt produserte klær, verdi, levetid, kvalitet og hjemmeproduksjon. Norsk ull og de spesifikke egenskapene til våre saueraser har spilt en vesentlig rolle for norsk tekstiltradisjon og kleskultur. Større bevissthet og stolthet over egne tradisjoner og mulighetene i våre råvarer har vært vesentlig for prosjektet. Norsk ull er ikke markedsført med opprinnelsesmerke. Private aktører har utviklet egne merker og markedsføringsstrategier for å få frem opprinnelsen. Da KRUS startet var det få produkter på markedet som inneholdt norsk ull utover strikkegarn og noen ferdige strikkegensere. Vi har opplevd et skifte, med mange nye produkter på markedet fra nye og små, og fra etablerte norske tekstilbedrifter. Ikke minst har utviklingen for de eldre sauerasene vært gledelig. Dette er den ulla der utfordringene har vært størst, og mest har godt til spille. Et marked med mer variasjon åpner muligheter for produkter som tar vare på ulike egenskaper ved råvarene slik som naturlig pigmentert ull. Det er fortsatt mye ugjort både for norsk ull generelt og for de eldste rasene, men kunnskapen og interessen rundt mulighetene er raskt voksende. Ved avslutningen av KRUS er vi glade for å ha kunnet bidra til en positiv utvikling for norsk ull

Sustainable textile initiatives and suggestions for a Nordic Roadmap

This report aims to chart a plan for a coordinated Nordic effort towards sustainable development in textiles and identify ongoing initiatives in the area. The aim was an ambitious plan with a potential for significant reductions in environmental pressures, but also green growth. To reach these goals, we staked out four regions a Nordic plan should include. 1) Replace fast fashion. The key to achieving an environmentally significant effect is to reduce the amount of textiles in circulation. This will reduce the production of waste and the use of chemicals. 2) Reduce resource input. The perspective is all about reducing inputs in textiles value chain. This includes various forms of circulatory thinking, material efficiency, as well as commercial forms of recycling and waste management. 3) Redirect global vs local. Locally produced textiles, with emphasis on ingredients, traditions, uniqueness and innovation, is a new and positive measure that can easily get attention outside environmentally conscious circles. A greater appreciation for good ingredients, and why quality costs, are required to compete with "fast fashion" and shift towards lasting value. Local production has the potential to create green growth and jobs in the region. 4) Rethink for whom Nordic countries are at their best an example of inclusive and democratic societies. The fashion industry however, has marketed itself towards the young and thin. An ethical approach to fashion encompasses not only how clothing is produced, but also who they are produced for and how clothing affects the ability for self-expression and participation in an open society. Ongoing initiatives. The mapping showed that there were many ongoing initiatives in the Nordic. The work has mainly focused on the perspective of so-called "reducing resource use." The more established an initiative is, the more likely it is to be low on innovation. An important dilemma surfaces when attention is on better utilization of waste, as this may indirectly contribute to increased growth in volume

Mapping sustainable textile initiatives : And a potential roadmap for a Nordic actionplan

This report responds to an invitation from the Nordic Council of Ministers to map out Nordic initiatives within textiles as a pre-study to the initiation of a Nordic Roadmap for Sustainable Textiles in 2015. The work has been conducted by: SIFO - National Institute for Consumer Research (Norway) SFA - Sustainable Fashion Academy (Sweden) NFA - Nordic Fashion Association/nicefashion.org (Nordic) IVL - Swedish Environmental Research Institute (Sweden) CRI - Copenhagen Resource Institute (Denmark) Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Environmental Affairs (EK-M) has been responsible for the funding of this project. The project’s steering committee consists of representatives from members from the working groups; Nordic Chemicals Group (NKG), the Nordic Waste Group (NAG) and the Group of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and officers from the Environmental Protection Agency in Denmark. This steering Group is jointly responsible for the direction and decisions regarding the project. NAG has been coordinating the work. Coordinator of project has been Yvonne Augustsson from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency