Truly sustainable

At Gotlands Strumpfabrik, we know that most people want to do the right thing and protect the environment when they buy clothes and accessories. To do that, you need to be able to see through the textile industry's environmental communication and ideally have insight into the manufacturing chain, which often takes place far away in distant countries. This can be frustrating, if not impossible. That's why we decided to prove that it is possible to manufacture in Sweden and pay contractual Swedish wages. We choose yarn suppliers who believe in sustainable production and healthy animal husbandry. You can turn to us for clothes and socks with confidence. If you are passing by Boge, we would be happy to show you our production. Our production is based on mechanics and nimble fingers, not chemicals and child labor!

We make it easy to do the right thing. Treat yourself to happy feet and shop sustainably for real!

We make everything from scratch

The socks are made on fully mechanical knitting machines dating from 1940 - 1980. After knitting, a number of manual steps remain. Each sock is handled many times after knitting. It has to be separated, turned, sewn together at the toe, washed, dried, turned back, shaped, sewn, paired, packaged and labeled. Each step requires skilled hands and attention to detail.

Garment production starts with knitting pieces of fabric on the flatbed knitting machine. The fabric is then washed and/or folded and dried. The dry fabric is allowed to rest for a while before cutting, sewing and pressing. We cut part by part manually. Sewing is done on different sewing machines, each specialized in a certain type of seam. Some of our models need to be moved between 6 different sewing machines before they are ready for pressing.

Chemicals

There is a lot of talk about chemicals in the textile industry. The way we manufacture requires two types of chemicals; oil for the knitting & sewing machines and the detergent we use to wash the finished products. The oil we use is completely non-toxic and the detergent is organic. We don't need anything else.

Wool ≠ Wool

Our raw material is wool yarn. We buy our yarns from spinning mills in Europe. Unfortunately, the production of industrial yarns disappeared from Sweden during the 1970s textile crisis. Using established European spinning mills guarantees that we get yarns that comply with stricter legislation on the use of chemicals. Our suppliers do more than that. They are leading the way towards a more sustainable textile industry!

There are some ongoing studies and projects to promote the use of Swedish wool, which we do not actively pursue but follow with excitement. Swedish wool is of varying quality. There is both "knitted" and soft wool, and everything in between. We will not let go of the requirement that our products should be soft and comfortable to use, just because the wool is Swedish.

Mohair is a wool fiber from the angora goat. We use it mostly in the socks to get a really durable product. Our yarn supplier uses CMS labeled mohair. Read more here: Certified Mohair Standard.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a yarn supplier and yarn,

• Feel (fiber diameter and fiber length)
• Information on animal husbandry (Animal Welfare labeling)
• Chemical use in processing,
• Abrasion resistance
• Eco-labeling (e.g. Oekotex)
• Availability and order volumes
• Price and shipping terms

Textile & Fashion 2030 -Sustainability by Sweden

The Ministry of the Environment's decision to establish a national platform identifies SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) as a particularly important target group for the transition to a more sustainable textile and fashion industry. The action plan describes how the platform will work with companies to enable them to develop their sustainability work. Central to this work is the so-called Progress Model, which is a tool aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to develop their sustainability work.

Textile & Fashion is run by the University of Borås.

We are affiliated with the program and use the Progress Model to identify areas for improvement.
We are well advanced in our sustainability work, but we want to be even better!

You can read more about the program here.

We do not have an eco-label

Eco-labeling is a jungle of administrative complexities, adapted for the larger companies. We are convinced that with our local and fully transparent production, we exceed all the extra decals that existing ecolabels can provide in terms of sustainability. We are happy to show our production to individuals or groups. Give us a call for more information and booking. You can also ask when you come to the shop in Boge. If you're lucky, we can arrange a tour right away. It depends a bit on what the staffing looks like that particular day.

Small things that can also make a difference

As a small company, working sustainably means many things in big and small ways. What we are most proud of and what makes the most difference is of course our Swedish (Gotland) production. But, we don't stop there. We do many other things too:

• We actively work to reduce waste. Almost all knitted fabric is used in the products. Small pieces become wrist warmers, hats and flowers. Only crumbs are left. We now save them to recycle into new exciting products.
• Of course, we have collective agreements.
• We always choose local suppliers where possible, no matter what.
• Wool clothes don't need to be washed as often as similar products in other materials, so you can continue to save the environment,
  long after the products have reached your home
• We help people find work by offering internships and job training. Several of our employees over the years have started work training with us.
• When you buy a product from us in a physical store or at a trade fair, we always pack it in environmentally friendly paper bags.
• We don't throw away empty yarn cones (there are quite a few in a year!). Some are used in the island's spinning mills and others are donated to various craft projects, kindergarten activities or small craftsmen. Get in touch if you are interested!
• We are open all year round.

That's why we are truly Sustainable!