Our Footprint
The sustainability theme is overall our biggest task. We love our nature and we want to create products that have as little impact on the environment as possible. We are not without faults but we are clear that it is one of our most important foundation stones.
We are proud that as a small brand we are able to deliver the majority of products in recycled fiber, in fact many consist of 100% recycled fiber. We continuously review the development of new fibers, materials and processes and hope to be able to deliver completely circular products in the long term.
When we develop products, we choose materials and production with care, here are some of our main focus areas:
- Our suppliers must comply with Eu rules for hazardous and banned substances (e.g. fluorocarbons) and also be certified with important environmental certificates.
- We choose recycled fiber, blue signed material, leftover materials, as well as other materials that have lower carbon dioxide impact compared to other materials.
- Materials must be comfortable and stylish and meet our functional requirements.
- We wish to produce our products close to the market. More than half of our products are produced in Europe. For the products manufactured in China, we choose shipping by boat or train.
- We want to create products that are suitable for life and not for a single activity. Our products should be versatile and durable.
We also hope that you as a customer take the responsibility that is needed.
Think about your need and your purchase. We want to minimize returns/unnecessary shipments, so ask us if you have questions about the products.
Our materials
Recycled Wool & Wool
Wool is a fantastic natural material, a powerful insulator with many other great functions. Also wool is a sustainable material. The fabric uses less water and energy compared to other materials. It is 100% biodegradable and does not contribute to micro plastic pollution.
The 100% merino wool we use in base layers is Woolmark certificated, high quality wool and mulesingfree.
Many of Varg wool products are made of recycled wool. The recycled wool is left over materials from production or old garments that have been re-spun into new material. The environmental benefits when using recycled wool are reduced use of water, energy and chemicals and we also reduce the amount of waste.
Our recycled wool pile has a mix of synthetic spun into the yarn to make the material a bit stronger. Our recycled wool pile is made in Italy and our producer are certificated with Oeko-Tex standard 100, Global recycled standard GRS, and has a declaration for mulesing-free wool.
A garment in our wool blend will make sure you are warm, but also offers fantastic comfort, since fibres are so breathable. If you get a bit damp, no worries the wool will still keep you
Organic Cotton & Cotton
Cotton is made from natural fibers and has fantastic characteristics. The material breathes and is soft and cool for the skin.
Most of our cotton products are made from organic cotton and produced in Europe. When we cannot use organic cotton, we try to use fabrics that are already in stock. Organic cotton requires 70% less water and 60% less energy compared to regular cotton.
Even organic cotton uses significantly fewer chemicals. We also believe it is important to control the dyeing process. Our producers have the standard Oeko-Tex certificate for both production and dyeing of fabrics.
Recycled Synthetic Fiber & Synthetic Fabric
We believe that there is a big advantage for the environment when we can produce products out of existing materials. Synthetic fibre is a strong material that lasts over time. It is easy to wash, dries quickly and transports moisture. Recycled polyester and recycled nylon utilizes existing resources and reduces the amount of waste we have on earth.
Recycled polyester comes from PET bottles or other polyester materials.
The process of making recycled polyester results in less carbon dioxide emissions and less water is used compared to virgin polyester. Recycled nylon comes from fishing nets, spills from the textile industry and/or other nylon products like carpets. We always make sure that our recycled polyester or nylon is certificated. GRS certificate stands for Global Recycled Standard.
- Many of our products consist of 100% recycled polyester, which makes them circular.
- When we cannot use recycled synthetic fibre, we use leftover fabrics and/or bluesign® fabrics. Bluesign® fabrics are fabrics that are produced with lowest possible impact on people and the environment and with a responsible use of resources. Read more on https://www.bluesign.com/en.
- All our products are free from fluorocarbons.
There are several things you can do to take care of your clothing in a sustainable way. Here are the main general things we think is important both for nature but also to keep your products last longer.
Tencel® (lyocell)
Tencel® (lyocell) in combination with merino wool is a fantastic match! This fabric is super soft with almost a silk feeling but still offers warmth and breathability. The fabric is natural odor resistant resulting in less laundries.
Tencel® is based on eucalyptus wood pulp produced in a process that are both circular, chemical free and overall sustainable.
Environmental certifications we work with
Responsible Down Standard (RDS)
Down is unbeatable in terms of weight and insulation and is also a by-product of the food industry. If we don’t take care of the down, it would have been wasted. However, it is important to controle the process in the down industry so it is ethical and correct. We have chosen to always use certified RDS down.
RDS stands for Responsible Down Standard which aims to closely monitor animal welfare on down-producing farms. It ensures that the down does not come from breeders where force-feeding takes place or where picking live animals occurs. RDS ensures that the animals do not experience unnecessary stress and that they have access to feed and water throughout their life cycle.
OEKO-TEX®
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is an independent global testing and certification system for textile material, intermediate and end products at all stages of production. This certification means that the textile in the finished product is free from unhealthy chemicals. The certification system was introduced in 1992 and the main objective is to develop test criteria, limit values and test methods on a scientific basis.
Processes for dyeing textiles are important to controle so that they follow Oekotex. Our suppliers have Oekotex certificates
REACH
The European Chemicals Regulation REACH regulates bans and limit values for substances in textile products. Particularly dangerous substances such as fluorocarbons are listed in the so-called candidate list. We only work with manufacturers and suppliers who comply with EU legislation.
Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
Global Recycled Standard is a international certificate for material consisting of 50% recycled fiber in a product. The standard takes into account the entire chain and covers the entire product or fabric from raw material to final product. It ensures that materials contain recycled parts and environmental factors, chemical restrictions and social aspects.
Many of Varg’s products consist of 100% recycled fiber.
Global Organic Textil Standard (GOTS)
Is an international organic cotton label for clothing and textiles that meets both social and environmental requirements. The requirements of the standard take into account the entire value chain from raw material to finished product, from cultivation, picking, preparation and manufacture of the garment itself. A textile product must consist of at least 70 % organic fibre raw material in order to get GOTS labelled.
Bluesign®
THE BLUE WAY by BLUESIGN represents the vision and mindset of responsible and sustainable manufacturing of textile consumer products. BLUESIGN is a system that provides safer and more sustainable environments for people to work in and everyone to live in. Powered by a holistic approach, BLUESIGN traces each textile’s path along the manufacturing process, making improvements at every stage from factory floor to finished product. BLUESIGN changes the environmental impact of textiles for good. As a solution provider and knowledge broker, BLUESIGN acts as an independent verifier to secure trust and transparency. Corresponding to this approach, BLUESIGN encourages the industry to increase their efforts in sustainable processes step by step.