EPD: MEASURING WHAT MATTERS
How do you reduce the environmental impact of workwear if you don’t know where that impact comes from? That question led Fristads to develop the world’s first Environmental Product Declaration for clothing together with RISE, Sweden’s research institute. With an EPD, every customer can see the environmental impact of their workwear and use the data in their own sustainability reporting. Measuring is knowing – and only by knowing can we make meaningful change.
An EPD is a third-party verified document that shows the environmental impact of a product across its life cycle. For our garments, that means assessing everything from raw materials and production to transport, packaging, use and end of life. The EPD follows the international ISO 14025 standard and provides reliable, third-party verified data that helps buyers, procurement managers, and end users understand the environmental impact of different garments.
Developing our first EPD gave us a much deeper understanding of where a garment’s environmental impact occurs – and where changes could make a difference. We used those insights to rethink the way we design and manufacture workwear, looking closely at choices such as materials, material quantities, dyeing processes and energy use. Those insights became the starting point for Fristads Green.
Fristads Green is our name for products with an EPD. What makes this concept different is its focus on giving customers access to measurable environmental data rather than just making general claims. The environmental impact of each garment is quantified and documented at product level, including CO2 emissions and water use.
Today, Fristads Green garments are available across all our major product categories: building and construction, service and industry, high-visibility and multinorm. With Fristads Green, we’re putting environmental data at the heart of product development and giving customers greater transparency about the impact of their workwear.
The first Fristads Green garments – a workwear collection for craftsmen – were created with sustainability in mind and launched in 2019. The minimalistic design combined with an advanced folding technique reduced sewing time and unnecessary waste, while the dyeing processes and materials used less water than conventionally produced garments. The fabric was made of organic cotton, recycled polyester from PET bottles, and the wood-based fibre lyocell. All waste material from the production was also recycled, and surplus material was used to make elbow and knee pads. The collection received several prestigious awards, including the Red Dot Award for best design concept.
On our website, all Fristads Green garments are marked with the EPD logo. You’ll find the EPD reports below each Green product under the tab named “Downloads.” All EPDs registered in the international EPD® system are also available and free to download at www.environdec.com.
The EPD makes it easier for Fristads’ customers to make informed decisions about workwear. But the EPDs aren’t just about us. We’ve been advocating for a common industry standard to measure the environmental impact of workwear for years. That’s why the EPD for clothing is free and open for anybody to use. For us, it’s about driving the entire industry forward and proving that more sustainable workwear is not only possible but doable, measurable, and scalable.
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