Chemicals

Being responsible about chemicals

In the textile industry, chemicals are used to process raw materials and added to finished products to give garments specific functional properties and to give properties for certain certification requirements. We have extensive knowledge about chemicals and have an ambition to reduce potentially harmful substances in our garments. Naturally, the chemical levels in our garments always comply with EU regulations and are often lower than required. This is a result of our own ambition to reduce potentially harmful chemical substances in our garments, as well as an increased market demand for smart chemical management. We actively manage the use of chemicals through our social and environmental compliance programme, as well as through a specific chemical compliance programme, our Restricted Substance List, RSL.

The Fristads Restricted Substance List (RSL)

All suppliers and factories involved in making our products must sign our Restricted Substance List, RSL. Our RSL is updated twice a year based on the chemical guidance of our partner RISE, Sweden’s governmental research institute. Our RSL reflects the latest EU harmonised legislation which includes REACH, POPs regulation, Biocide Regulation and Product Safety Regulation. We also ensure compliance with the SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) Candidate List.

OEKO-TEX® certified for 25 years

We have worked with OEKO-TEX® certification since 1997 and as of the end of 2022, 95% of our catalogue products were OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified. That brings us on track to meet our goal of having 98% certified products by 2025. We certify our products on the garment level. This means that every component of the product, including every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and deemed harmless for human health. In 2022, we received our 25th renewal of certificate Ö 97-055 according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Appendix 4, Product Class II.

OEKO-TEX® certified for 25 years

We have worked with OEKO-TEX® certification since 1997 and as of the end of 2022, 95% of our catalogue products were OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified. That brings us on track to meet our goal of having 98% certified products by 2025. We certify our products on the garment level. This means that every component of the product, including every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and deemed harmless for human health. In 2022, we received our 25th renewal of certificate Ö 97-055 according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Appendix 4, Product Class II.

95% of our garments are OEKO-TEX certified

We have worked with OEKO-TEX® certification since 1997 and as of the end of 2022, 95% of our catalogue products were OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified. That brings us on track to meet our goal of having 98% certified products by 2025. We certify our products on the garment level. This means that every component of the product, including every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and deemed harmless for human health. In 2022, we received our 25th renewal of certificate Ö 97-055 according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Appendix 4, Product Class II.

Reducing the use of PFAS

Fristads is actively working with phasing out PFAS in the production, however PFAS is still used in few products where it is required to achieve correct certification and protection levels for the end users. During 2022, we phased out PFAS in all our fabrics except for certain PPE fabrics within the High Visibility and Flame/Flamestat categories. We also started working on a phase-out plan for PPE, an effort that will continue during 2023. To support the phasing out of PFAS in our industry, Fristads participates in a program initiated by RISE, called POPFREE Industry. We are also a part of the environmental organisation ChemSec’s initiative the PFAS Movement, which aims to phase these chemicals out of production.​​​​​​​

Reducing the use of PFAS

We aim to minimise the use of PFAS-based pollutants in our garments. In 2021 we signed on to environmental organisation ChemSec's initiative the PFAS Movement. The movement aims to emphasise and educate about the harmful effects of PFAS substances, and fights to phase them out of production. ChemSec is an international non-profit organisation that works to phase out harmful chemicals in favor of safe alternatives. In their work, ChemSec wants to create a strong link between researchers, decision makers and companies in the fight against harmful chemicals. Through ChemSec's PFAS movement, companies commit to working to get hazardous fluorides phased out from the manufacturing chain and support that the harmful chemicals are banned from use.​​​​​​​

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 in the area of chemical management practices, so as to increase transparency in their own supply chain. The testing of core range raw materials and finished goods is conducted continuously, and test results are reviewed.

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Materials

We carefully choose the materials and fabrics for our workwear based on the performance, durability and environmental impact of the finished garment.

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Company certificates

At Fristads we are proud of our certificates and invite you to see the proof that our range of workwear is certified as safe and meets the strict demands in the industry.​​​​​​​

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Environmental Declaration

The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a tool that guides customers, buyers and those responsible for public procurement to making more insightful decisions.

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