Fjällräven had already launched a sustainability initiative in 2013, calling it ‘The Fjällräven Way’: it abolished the use of PFCs in the manufacturing process, increased the use of biological and recycled materials and established a down traceability policy, its ‘Down Promise’, which was voted the outdoor industry’s best by international animal welfare charity Four Paws.Because Swedish sheep are mostly reared to produce meat, their wool is rough and degraded, and most of it is discarded, or used to manufacture rugs. Fjällräven wanted to reduce wool waste, and analysed the supply chain in depth, attempting to eliminate unscrupulous manufacturing practices and revive Swedish wool production.

“Traceability is hard to achieve, especially when sourcing [wool] from far-away count…