The Swedish outdoor giant Fjällräven reports big emissions cuts in its 2024 Sustainability and CSR Summary. But can it hit 2030 targets? Suston talks with Senior Sustainability Environmental Manager Maria Venus about what’s ahead.

Your latest sustainability report summary begins with the metaphor of a “special kind of trek” that has no finish line. How does this long-term mindset guide your internal climate strategy and the way your team operates?

This has been a team effort – you could also compare it with a long-distance hike, where you need a clear roadmap and you share some of the heavier gear in your team. The foundation is our climate strategy, which outlines why climate change matters for Fjällräven, where we want to go, and how we’ll get there.

Along the way, leadership has been key, both in terms of support and resourcing. We meet quarterly to follow up on the strategy, address questions, and brainstorm new ideas. Someone from leadership is always present, ensuring conclusions are carried forward. For each main driver – materials, transportation, and renewable electricity in our own operations but more importantly in our supply chain – we have dedicated leads, and our preferred fiber strategy is anchored in product development. We’ve been fortunate to have a team that’s unafraid to test new ideas and commit resources where it matters most.

You’ve reported a 24% reduction in total net carbon emissions since your 2019 baseline. What were the main drivers behind this progress?

In 2024, our net emissions amounted to 42,715 t CO2e in 2024 – an overall decrease in net emissions of 24% from the baseline in 2019. If we break this down to Scopes 1 and 2 – emissions from sources owned or controlled by Fjällräven and emissions from our purchased energy respectively – we’ve achieved a 59% reduction in our Scope 1-2. This beats our 2025 target of 40% one year early.

Looking closer into our Scope 3 target – covering purchased goods and services, fuel- and energy-related activities, and upstream transportation – we saw a decrease of 22% in our carbon intensity per product produced.

Material sourcing according to our preferred fiber strategy and transportation are definitely the two areas, where we have seen the biggest progress during the last 6 years. One reason for this is staffing up resources internally, which helped a lot in cross-functional reduction projects.

But despite this progress, your report shows carbon intensity per product is not on track to meet the 2025 target. What’s the reason for this?

Our absolute emissions have gone down, which is crucial. But we’re not on track to meet our Scope 3 intensity target of a 50% reduction per product produced by 2025. Frankly speaking, we might not reach it 100%. Decoupling carbon emissions from production is a tough nut to crack.

The hardest part is decoupling emissions from material usage and business growth. We’ve seen that absolute emissions correlate strongly with production volume. On one hand, that speaks to our stable product assortment – 80% of our styles are carry overs. On the other, it underscores how material choices and product portfolio design determine whether CO2 per product is a meaningful KPI.

We still need to boost material efficiency further – through an even lower waste pattern design and investment in better materials and processes across the value chain. Circular business models will help extend product lifecycles, although might not be reflected in our GHG inventory and progress on climate targets at the time being. For example, we launched “Pre-Loved” in the US last year – a peer-to-peer resale platform – and adoption has been great.

That said, we must be honest: there are still unknowns about how to achieve the 90% reduction target needed by 2050.

You’re also aiming for 100% product traceability by 2027, and have significantly ramped up supplier audits in 2024. How does this relate to Fjällräven’s larger sustainability strategy?

Data availability and our own data management is under constant improvement, which currently makes some Scope 3 categories opaque. To support future compliance and understand our supply chain even more, transparency plays a key role in our strategy. It will advance how we assess and refine our carbon footprint and reveal new areas for improvement.

We’re working towards product traceability of claimed sustainable materials, and last year, we broadened human rights and environmental assessments to Tier 2 suppliers, with a 70% increase in HREDD audits. These are crucial steps to better understand environmental risks and support fair and safe working conditions throughout our value chain.

As you set your sights on 2030, what are the key areas where you’re investing in now?

We’re committed to products that last. That includes not just durability but repairability, functionality, and traceability. As part of our new three-year agreement with a system partner, we’ve started mapping the journey of selected products – from fiber to retail. Our 2030 CSR strategy aims to go beyond compliance and reflect what we believe is right for people and the planet.

We’re also expanding environmental, social, and governance assessments of high-risk suppliers and continuing programs like “WE” to strengthen worker dialogues. As expectations around due diligence rise (or perhaps fall), our focus will remain to embed sustainability deeper into every function – from design to logistics to purchasing. Sustainability for us is not just a trend, it belongs to our DNA of being a responsible company producing goods to use in nature.

But we’re going to need all hands on deck, and sometimes, bold environmental and social choices must take precedence over short-term economic KPIs.

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