Sara Winroth, CSR Coordinator & Environmental Manager, Lindex
The Finnish company, Stockmann took over Lindex in the year 2007. It has established itself as a global retailer ever since then. Its sustainability initiatives have remained noteworthy in the global textile and apparel industry.
Lindex has more than 470 stores in various countries. How do you ensure that sustainability initiatives taken by the company are followed in all the stores irrespective of the place where they are located?
Sustainability is one of our company values, and since we are a value driven company, it reflects in our day-to-day work. Sustainability work is an unending journey, and we challenge ourselves every day to go one step further. Our goal is to go on expanding our business, and one condition for success is that we must continue to act in a sustainable way in our day-to-day work.
What certifications have you obtained in terms of sustainability? How do these certifications help a company’s business?
Lindex's long-term sustainability work is based on the 10 principles of UN Global Compact, which have been endorsed by the parent company Stockmann. We intend to report openly on our sustainability work, which we have done since 2006 in the form of an annual CSR or sustainability report.
Together with the Management Group, Lindex's CEO is ultimately responsible for the strategic management of our sustainability work. Our CSR coordinator & Environmental Manager are assisting the Management Group in these questions. The operative sustainability work is done by the department managers, country managers and all the employees in the organization. Every store, office and department is responsible for carrying out the sustainability work within their daily business. This work includes setting goals, developing and applying working methods, following up, measuring and reporting results. Making sustainability work a part of the daily routine and so working on continuous improvements throughout our business produces the greatest effect.
Lindex has a Code of Conduct that supports the way in which work directed at our suppliers in the production segment is performed, implemented and followed up. The Lindex Social Compliance Manager has help from our employed inspectors who are located at our production offices in Turkey, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China. Their task is to train and support our suppliers and factory owners with improvements that includes both the Code of Conduct and environmental requirements as well as carrying out inspections, both announced and unannounced.
Our environmental management has been developed in line with ISO 14001. The foundation of our long-term environment work is our environmental policy and the environmental code of conduct that we implement at Lindex sub-suppliers in the supply chain.
Being sustainable for a brand means to increase the cost. It also increases the price of the final commodity. Do you feel that this is a fact? Explain in detail.
We do not have any production unit of our own, but buy our goods from around 200 independent suppliers, with most of the production in Asia. Local production offices in the production countries mean proximity to both suppliers and factories, which has many advantages. A daily presence in the production countries, and locally employed staff, facilitate cooperation and strengthen relations with both suppliers and factories, making it possible to take advantage of local knowledge in an efficient manner. In a way, this also becomes a financial advantage when it comes to fashion and affordable prices.
Being a fast fashion retailer, how do you manage to fulfill sustainability requirements?
In many ways, the fashion industry is the opposite of sustainability. That is why, as an individual fashion company, we have a duty to do what we can to act in a responsible and sustainable manner. For us, sustainability work is about doing what we do best - offering affordable fashion with good design, strict quality requirements and fit while working to minimize the impact on the climate, safeguard biodiversity, use the Earth's resources responsible and show consideration for our own employees and people affected within the supply chain. As said before, sustainability work is an unending journey and we challenge ourselves every day to go one step further.
