Between sweatshop production, underpaid workers, polluting production methods and materials and the problem of waste, the industry is fraught with issues. Some have labelled it the second most polluting industry in the world, while others question this statistic – whatever the ranking, there is no question that the fashion industry is a big part of the global pollution problem.
When it comes to dirty production and disposability, few can compete with the reputation of the throw-away accessory, hosiery. The majority of stockings are produced from petroleum-based nylon, leading to harmful carbon emissions, compounded by the fact that they are worn for such a short time before being discarded – relegated to landfill where micro plastic particles continue to pollute.
This is the dark scenario that confronted Linn Frisenger and Nadja Forsberg which sparked a mission to “change and influence the entire hosiery industry” with the founding of Swedish Stockings Conscious Pantyhose, which are sold in Australia through Sustainable Hosiery Australia. Eager to avoid the “greenwashing” which characterises many modern labels, Swedish Stockings has truly revolutionised every aspect of the hosiery production process, creating a closed-loop life cycle for their products.
The first step was to deal with the existing problem of post-consumer and post-industrial nylon waste, using recycled yarns. Continuing to innovate, Swedish Stockings has now been able to source recycled elastane as well, giving them the ability to create 100% recycled hosiery.
The production process is both zero-waste and zero-emissions, using green powered energy and purifying water to be recycled. The dyes used throughout the process are non-toxic (Swedish Stockings are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified) and are derived from vegan materials.
Swedish Stockings also pays careful attention to their supply chain, ensuring that all their trade partners are engaging in fair treatment of workers, committed to paying a living wage and are invested in the wellbeing of their local communities. The stockings are knitted in Italy, which also provides a central distribution point to limit the impact of international shipping.
To close the loop, Swedish Stockings collects old stockings and collaborates across other industries to recycle them into other items such as water tanks and furniture, diverting millions of garments from landfill.
Following the innovations made by Swedish Stockings we are starting to see other brands of hosiery deliver more sustainable offerings, indicating that their mission to influence the entire industry has been a success! However, they continue to be at the forefront of sustainable advancement, providing not just stockings made from recycled materials, but a whole new way of operating in the fashion industry from start to finish.
Swedish Stockings Conscious Pantyhose are available in Australia and New Zealand from Sustainable Hosiery.