To bring down our carbon footprint, we are reducing air freight as well as running our premises on renewable energy and encouraging our suppliers to follow suit. We aim to use less water in our production and run regular risk assessments to check for chemicals. We are also trying to minimize waste in our premises and supplier facilities – for instance, we use CLO technology to avoid sample overproduction. By 2030, our goals are to reduce greenhouse emissions by 42% and water use by 50% and to eliminate hazardous chemicals from our supply chain.

The five animal freedoms inform our approach and commitment to animal welfare, while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) help us ensure we do not use materials from exotic or endangered species. We are also brand members of Fur Free Retailer, which means we do not use fur in our pieces.

As part of our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, 95% of our fabrics and yarns are sourced from the same location as the factory that will use them. 

We mostly use preferred fibers, which are natural, organic, recycled, fast-renewing or biodegradable fibers whose production helps create better environmental or social conditions. For example, 6% of our fibers are recycled, 73% of our wool is Responsible Wool Standard-certified and 81% of our cotton is organic. In 2021/2022 we increased our use of preferred fibers from 15% to 46% and currently 73% of our fibers are preferred. By 2025 we aim to only use preferred mate

Animal welfare

Chemicals

Environment

Minerals

Sustainability commitment

Travel

The Chemicals Group

Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action (STICA) 

Textile Exchange 

Leather Working Group (LWG) 

Fur Free Retailer

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Global Recycled Standard (GRS)

Leather Working Group (LWG)

Organic Content Standard (OCS)

Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)

Responsible Animal Fiber Standard (RAF)

As Fair Wear members, we strive to ensure that workers across our supply chain work under fair and safe conditions. Fair Wear carries out regular factory audits on our behalf and also performs a Brand Performance Check to evaluate our practices. We are working with them and our suppliers toward paying a living wage to all workers across our supply chain by 2030. 

We work closely with a select group of suppliers in Europe and China, some of whom have collaborated with us for more than four years. Our fabric and manufacturing suppliers go through strict screening processes and must comply with our policies. To find out more about them, visit Open Supply Hub.

TOTEME stands against any form of discrimination and strives to be an inclusive brand and workplace. This mindset is applied to all aspects of our business: we are inspired by our community’s diverse identities, experiences and ways of thinking and encourage empathy, understanding, connection and collaboration.

We also promote a kind and respectful spirit within our community, creating spaces where everyone can thrive and learn from each other. Some of our ongoing actions are the expansion of our sizing range and featuring diverse models on our website and campaigns. 

Reflecting the wider fashion industry, our workforce is mostly made up of women. Women hold most of our leadership and management positions.

Over the past five years TOTEME has supported different charities and non-governmental organizations working to make the world a better place. Some of these include UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières and Rädda Barnen.

Being transparent about our practices and how we assume our social and environmental responsibility is important to us. We are actively working on publishing our internal policies, reports and data and aim to offer full product traceability across our supply chain by 2025.

We are committed to educating and engaging our entire community on the work we do to minimize our impact. All areas of our business receive training and support and also deliver on specific targets. For example, our Supply Chain team is working on reducing emissions from freight transportation, while our Technical & Pattern team is developing our pattern-making process to reduce fabric waste.

Animal welfare

Anti-corruption

Code of conduct – employee

Sustainability commitment

Human rights 

Living wage 

Office life

Responsible business conduct (RBC)

Responsible purchasing practices (RPP)

Transparency 

Whistleblowing

Worker health and safety

Fair Wear

Open Supply Hub

We believe fashion should be fair for everyone. That is why we are an official member of Fair Wear. We are being more open about how our clothes are made and improving working conditions for the people making them. So every time you buy our clothes, you can know that you are helping make fashion fair for everyone.

An international initiative run by the Fur Free Alliance bringing together 1500+ retailers who commit to not using fur in their designs. It encourages companies to go fur-free and provides consumers with accurate information about a retailer’s fur policy.

An international not-for-profit organization with 2000+ stakeholders that promotes responsible leather manufacturing in leather supply chains through audit certifications that assess manufacturers’ environmental performance. TOTEME is a member of Leather Working Group.

Open Supply Hub is an accessible and collaborative supply-chain mapping platform used and populated by stakeholders across sectors and supply chains. It is a neutral, nonprofit organization registered in the USA.

A network of 40+ Scandinavian clothing brands led by the Sustainable Fashion Academy and working toward science-based targets to reduce emissions and promote accountability. As members, we report our greenhouse emissions to them annually to show how we are progressing toward our targets.

We joined Textile Exchange – a global non-profit driving positive impact on climate change across the fashion and textile industry – to speed up our adoption of preferred fibers. Our membership gives us the tools we need to set preferred fiber goals and holistically reduce our impact, right from the start of our supply chain.

A Swedish network of researchers and members from different industries that shares information and tools on chemical and environmental issues. They help members like TOTEME avoid using dangerous chemicals in their products and supply chain.

Certification issued by the Forest Stewardship Council, a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management worldwide.

The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) verifies the percentage of recycled material and tracks it from the source to the final product.

The Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) verifies the percentage of recycled material and tracks it from the source to the final product.

The Organic Content Standard (OCS) verifies the percentage of organically grown material and tracks it from source to final product.