August 2024

Haglöfs' Head of Design reflects on the challenges and complexities of designing more responsible outdoor gear.

Most of the decisions that determine the environmental impact of a product are made long before it is made. The typical product design process spans the first product sketches to pattern making, color and material selection, and prototyping. As Eva Weiss, Head of Design at Haglöfs explains, the choices made during this process can have big consequences.

“The early stages of design are critical for considering sustainability principles and making choices that directly affect energy , water and chemical usage, as well as the longevity, repairability, and recyclability of a product at the end of its life.”

Here, we continue the conversation with Eva about how we at Haglöfs navigate the tricky and ongoing learning process of designing more responsible outdoor gear.

Our approach to responsible design

At the heart of the Haglöfs design philosophy is “Lasts Lifetimes,” a guiding principle that urges us to take the durability, repairability, and end-of-life of a product into consideration with every decision we make. This comes from the knowledge that one of the most effective ways to reduce the overall environmental footprint of a product is to keep it in use for as long as possible. 

“When designing a product, it is crucial that it has a reason to be—not just the product itself but every single detail,” says Eva. “At the same time, responsible design is about making a timeless product that remains useful to our end user for a long time.”  

We also have several ambitious goals in our sightline related to lowering the environmental impact of our products. These include making 100% of our styles out of recyclable or renewable materials, using lower impact dyeing techniques in at least 10% of our styles to reduce water usage and chemical use, and transitioning to using lower impact materials on our Preferred Materials List for 100% of our collection—all by 2025.

However, it’s not always clear how to get there.

“Knowing what to prioritize and making the right decisions can be very challenging, but we are looking into every detail and are not afraid to experiment,” says Eva.

Asking questions and navigating trade-offs

Even with a strong commitment to responsible design, we often find ourselves faced with big questions as we seek to make progress toward our goals. For instance, when we manage to make a fully recyclable and repairable product that lasts lifetimes, how do we prevent it from ending up in the landfill anyway?

“We are creating products that last so long, we need to think further ahead to understand what the repair and recycling options will be,” says Eva. “The setup doesn’t really exist yet to do these things on a larger scale.”

We also often face the dilemma of making lower-impact choices without sacrificing performance—which is integral to outdoor gear. For instance, a recycled zipper might be the more resource-efficient choice for a jacket, but will it be durable enough to withstand a lifetime of climbing and mountaineering adventures?

“It’s about weighing the trade-offs and making balanced decisions,” says Eva. “We are learning all the time and it’s important to stay flexible and be ready to change course if necessary.”

Finding the way forward is easier together

Luckily, we are not alone with our questions. As we navigate our way to better choices and stay up-to-date with the latest developments and practices, we collaborate with third-party experts and other like-minded outdoor brands. Working with our industry peers also enables us to combine the power of our voices to push for the changes we want to see, for example, in shared factories and the regulatory landscape.

Third-party experts

To avoid and minimize our use of harmful substances in our products, we adhere to the bluesign® Restricted Substances List for textiles and the AFIRM Group Restricted Substances List for footwear. For our down products, we abide by the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) to help ensure that no live-plucking or force-feeding of fowl has occurred in our supply chain. And too understand the impact of our materials, we use the Material Sustainability Index (MSI). We are also a member of the Microfibre Consortium which helps facilitate practical solutions for minimizing microfiber release to the environment from textile manufacturing and the product life cycle.

Peer-to-peer collaborations

In addition to getting guidance from third-party experts, we also participate in peer-to-peer collaborations. For example, we are a member of Cascale, an industry-wide group working to increase transparency and reduce the total environmental and social impacts of products around the world. Cascale’s Higg Index helps us assess the sustainability of a product throughout its entire life cycle—from raw materials and design solutions to production and end of use. We additionally participate in the European Outdoor Group (EOG) Carbon Reduction Project (SDCP) together with other outdoor brands to decarbonize our supply chain through a combination of more energy-efficient processes and machinery, and the introduction of more renewable energy sources. 

Although we have received a lot of support in our efforts to design products with less environmental impact, there is currently an important missing piece that would help not only willing brands, but the entire apparel industry, shift toward more environmentally responsible design practices. We are anticipating the EU Green Deal and its various legislations, some of which will become applicable from next year and the year after.

“Having more transparent standards and a level playing field makes it easier for everyone to make better choices," says Eva. "Until that happens, we will continue to ask questions, share knowledge, and test new approaches as we move forward.

Key takeaways

• The design phase is critical for making environmentally responsible choices that impact energy, water and chemical usage, as well as the longevity, repairability, and recyclability of a product.
• One of the most effective ways to reduce the overall environmental footprint of a product is to keep it in use for as long as possible.
• We have set goals to lower the environmental impact of our products, including using recyclable or renewable materials, implementing lower-impact dyeing techniques, and transitioning to lower-impact materials for our entire collection.
• Learning how to make more environmentally responsible design choices requires asking questions, experimenting with new solutions, and contemplating tricky tradeoffs such as durability versus resource efficiency.
• Collaborating with third-party experts and like-minded outdoor brands helps us navigate toward better choices and stay updated with the latest developments and practices in sustainability.
• Regulations that establish standards for reducing environmental impact in product manufacturing are crucial for driving industry-wide change.