In 2017 Stockmann continued its sustainability work with good speed – and increases in 2018 the especially the selection of sustainable own brand products

In 2018, Stockmann focuses on inspiring the customers with even more responsible choices. The department store invests especially in the sustainability of its own brand product range and the reduction of its environmental impact. The just released CSR review 2017 tells about our efforts towards more responsible business.

Stockmann will significantly increase the use of sustainable materials such as organic cotton, lyocell and recycled fibers this year, in its own brand of clothing for women, men and children.

Even more organic cotton

The use of sustainable materials has increased rapidly as already 30% of Stockmann’s own brands 2018 spring collection is produced with sustainable materials, compared with 10% in 2017. Also Stockmann’s Casa collection with own brand home products will include linens made of organic cotton in the summer. Responsible products in the home merchandise area are featured in a pop up shop in the Helsinki department store until the beginning of April.

In 2017, already 55% of Lindex garments were made of sustainable materials, and 95% of the cotton used was sustainably produced. In 2017, Lindex launched an upcycled collection that was redesigned from Better Denim garments from previous seasons and an even more sustainable Even Better Denim collection that uses less water, energy and chemicals.

Stockmann’s own brand products and Lindex’s fashion products with less environmental impact are identified with a hangtag or given in the product information in the online store. In addition, the Design from Finland label in Stockmann’s own brand products tells that the product has been designed inFinland by Stockmann’s own Design Studio.

Carrier bag consumption declined

In 2017, Stockmann and Lindex also put emphasis in sustainable materials in carrier bags and reducing their amount. According to the Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development, Stockmann started charging customers for carrier bags in department stores in Finland and Riga in September 2017 and in Tallinn as of 1 January 2018. The demand of carrier bags was reduced by hundreds of thousands of bags on monthly level and during the Crazy Days Campaign it was halved.

Lindex campaigned to reduce the number of carrier bags consumed with the One Bag Habit initiative, which aims to reduce the consumption of bags and increase information about the negative impacts of carrier bags. The initiative started in the stores in Sweden in June 2017 and also in the stores in Finland starting from February 2018.

Human rights principles to strengthen supply chain sustainability

Respect for human rights is fundamental in the Stockmann Group’s values and operations. In February 2018, Stockmann’s Board of Directors approved the Group’s Human Rights Principles.

Stockmann commits to carry out further human rights due diligence as required in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in order to identify, prevent and mitigate adverse human rights impacts resulting from or caused by our business activities. The policy complements the Stockmann Code of Conduct and is a continuum to Stockmann’s long term work on responsible, transparent and traceable supply chains.

Stockmann’s targets and progress towards more responsible business are presented in the CSR review 2017, which is part of Stockmann’s annual reporting.

More information:
Johanna Stenbäck, CSR Manager, +358 9 121 3757