Raising the standard for safer workwear

Chemicals are common in the textile industry – used to process raw materials, add functionality, or meet certification standards. But without strict control, they can harm both people and the planet. That is why Fristads has built deep expertise in chemical management and set ambitious goals to reduce potentially harmful substances in our products. By staying on top of new research and regulations, and working closely with our suppliers, we make sure our garments are not only durable, but also safe to wear and responsibly produced. Naturally, the chemical levels in our garments always comply with EU regulations and our requirements are often more stringent than legal requirements.

Eu reach legislation

At Fristads, we comply fully with REACH legislation and work proactively to ensure that the substances in our products are safe for both people and the planet. REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals and is an EU legislation regulating toxic substances. The purpose of the legislation is to protect human health and the environment by requiring companies to identify and manage risks linked to chemicals in their production, while encouraging safer alternatives. REACH applies to most everyday products, including textiles, which means it has a direct impact on the workwear industry.

Restricted substance list (rsl)

To ensure that we follow current EU chemicals legislation, all suppliers and factories involved in making our products must sign our owner Hultafors Group’s Restricted Substance List, (RSL) The RSL is developed in line with the Swedish Chemicals Group at RISE, Sweden’s governmental research institute, and is updated twice per year.

The RSL reflects the latest EU harmonised legislation which includes REACH, POPs regulation and Biocide Regulation. The RSL applies to every product produced in our name and all Fristads suppliers are obligated to sign the RSL twice yearly through the Worldfavor platform. Additionally, we ensure compliance with the SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) Candidate List and urge our suppliers to be proactive and not use any chemicals on the list. Identifying chemical substances as SVHCs is usually the first step toward restricting or banning them under REACH.

chemical compliance programme​​​​​​​

Together with our partner SGS, we run a Chemical Compliance programme that educates our suppliers about chemical management practices. We also continuously test the materials and products at our partner factories. The programme, launched in 2016, is our way of taking responsibility for creating awareness among our suppliers and helping to educate them on chemical management practices while increasing transparency in their own supply chain. The testing of core range raw materials and finished goods is conducted continuously. By actively managing chemicals through both our social and environmental compliance programme and our RSL, we can offer durable workwear that protects workers and meet our customers’ increasing demand for responsibly produced workwear.

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