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 Fristads is a workwear manufacturing company founded in 1925 by John Magnuson in the village of Fristad, just outside Borås, Sweden. By 1929, Fristads became the first company in Sweden not only to produce jeans but also to offer a complete range of workwear, including trousers, bib-and-brace overalls, blouses, and coats.

Today, the company operates in over 20 countries and employs more than 600 people. Fristads is also recognized as a sustainability leader, designing each product segment with its environmental impact in mind. It was the first company globally to implement the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standard for clothing. Additionally, Fristads has set an ambitious goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. 

In this Q&A, Sara Jacobson, Director of Commercial Operations at Fristads, shares insights into the company’s digital strategy, ongoing projects, and future aspirations. 

Q: Can you tell us about your current digital projects? 

A: Sustainability is a key part of our DNA, and we aim to be an industry leader. That’s why we’ve expanded our sustainability services under the REACT initiative: 

  1. Repair – By offering repair services for minor damage such as tears or broken zippers, we can extend the life of our garments. We're already offering repair services, and we hope to encourage more customers to utilize these options
  2. Reuse – We ensure that all garments are used to their full potential before being recycled. Customers with our sustainability as a service offering, can return used Fristads garments, which we then clean, repair, and resell through Fristads ConceptShop
  3. Recycle – When garments reach the end of their lifecycle, we want the materials to be repurposed. With recycle as a service, the material from used workwear can be converted into products like padding or filling

These three services – Repair, Reuse, and Recycle – are aimed at extending product lifespans. The remaining three areas of REACT – Reduce, Rethink, and Reform – focus on developing more sustainable products: 

    • Reduce – This includes creating environmentally declared products that minimize environmental impact 
    • Rethink – We collect worn-out workwear, shred it, and turn it into new products. By reusing textile fibers, we reduce the need for virgin materials 
    • Reform – We’re replacing conventional materials in our products with more sustainable alternatives, such as recycled polyester and plant-based fabrics, without compromising on quality and durability 

We also have garments certified with EPDs, a transparent tool for measuring environmental impact. On our website, we’ve introduced a Green Calculator that helps customers calculate the environmental impact of their workwear choices. For example, they can see the savings in water and carbon dioxide emissions when choosing a sustainable jacket over a traditional one. 

Q: In addition to the sustainability projects, are there other digital initiatives you're working on to enhance customer experience? 

A: Another major project I’m responsible for is the rollout of a new CRM system for the entire Fristads organization, covering both sales and customer service. Columbus has been supporting us in this effort, and it’s been successful. The primary goal was to improve the customer journey and provide better service. Now, with a 360-degree view of our customers, our sales and customer service teams can collaborate more effectively, ensuring we don’t miss any important details and can deliver a seamless experience for our customers. 

On top of that, we’ve also implemented a new ERP system across eight sales units over the past two and a half years, which has significantly streamlined our internal processes. These systems together are transforming how we engage with customers and manage our operations. As we move forward, we’re constantly refining the customer journey—looking at everything from how we onboard new clients to enhancing the ordering process on our website—making it easier for customers to do business with us. 

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Q: Moving to new circular business models likely involved implementing new processes. How did you navigate this change? 

A: We approached it as we would with any strategic project, first appoint an owner (in this project me) then appoint a project leader and a steering group working alongside the project leader. Selling sustainable services instead of products was new for us, so we involved people from various departments, including product, IT, sales, master data, finance, marketing, supply, and sourcing. Ensuring representation from all business areas and securing management involvement helped achieve alignment and maintain focus.  

It’s always crucial to make sure everyone understands the reasons behind the project and its goals. Change management is always challenging, especially when transitioning these projects to the teams who will handle them in their day-to-day roles. We often need to reinforce our messaging and provide repeated training.  

To succeed with our main projects, which are part of our strategy, we review the strategy with all employees every year around New Year. Management shares it with their teams, and line managers discuss it with their groups to ensure alignment across the organization. We also hold at least four all-employee meetings each year to review our strategy, key projects, and KPIs. This transparency helps keep everyone moving in the same direction. 

Q: What would be your advice for others trying to implement similar sustainability initiatives? 

A: My advice is essentially a reflection of everything I’ve already shared. It’s crucial to ensure that everyone in the organization understands the goal, strategy, and purpose behind the initiative. Without the proper steering, cross-departmental involvement, and allocation of resources, nothing will happen. 

Another important area from our experience is that offering circular business models will require a lot of new partnerships. Be sure to set aside enough time for building and managing these relationships. Our sourcing department played a crucial role in identifying suitable partners, and we’re now exploring additional partnerships to further expand these services.  

Q: There are several regulations in the fashion industry, like the Digital Product Passport (DPP). How do these regulations fit into your strategy? 

A: Our product development and raw materials teams are closely involved in EU regulatory discussions to understand how new regulations will impact us. With the details for the DPP being released, we’re still figuring out how to address the traceability requirements for workwear. While we know exactly which suppliers produce our garments and where the fabrics come from, it becomes more challenging further down the supply chain at tiers three and four. 

We’ve had many discussions with our supply chain management partners to find a solution that consolidates all our data into a format that can be shared through the DPP. Our PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system is a key part of this. It houses much of our product data, certificates, and materials information, but we’re still working on how to fully integrate this with the broader supply chain to meet traceability requirements.  

We’re exploring ways to gather and consolidate data from multiple systems to create a seamless process for sharing it. It's a complex task, but we’re committed to transparency and will ensure that our customers and suppliers have access to as much information as possible. Staying ahead of these regulations, while ensuring our sustainability goals are met, remains a top priority for us. 

Q: Can you tell us about any future projects you’re working on? 

A: We’re currently reviewing the entire customer journey and planning improvements for 2025 to make it easier for customers to buy from Fristads.  

Additionally, Fristads will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. We have big celebrations planned with our partners and employees. We’re also committed to continuing our leadership in sustainability and developing more services that contribute to a better environment.

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If you'd like to learn more about experts' experiences and advice on addressing regulations like the Digital Product Passport, enabling circular business models, and leveraging data and technology for innovation, please follow the link below.

 

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