Workwear rebels

Sustainability requires thinking and doing things on a bigger scale. Medanta's owners Anu Kivelä and Taina Steiner are setting an example for the clothing industry to change. In the interview, they reflect on sustainability as a guiding principle that permeates the entire organisation.

What you claim must be proven

Anu: "We always base our statements on researched information, meaning we don't promise anything we can't prove. Our claims are audited by an independent party."

Taina: “This applies to everything from packaging materials to fabric raw materials, from logistics to personnel well-being, and from design to cleaning methods.”

Anu: “At Medanta, one of the values is decency, which to me means straightforwardness and honesty – that all information is transparent and shared. Our main goal is to serve our customers even better, also in terms of sustainability.”

Taina: “Large listed companies audit us very strictly, which is a good thing. Then you will have to calculate everything related to your carbon footprint, down to the smallest detail.”

Anu: “Audits are a valuable stress test for our operational activities. They ensure that all information is in place and that our processes are transparently documented from multiple perspectives. Our work is thoroughly examined from every angle.”

“Our customers keep society going by taking care of people. That's why we listen carefully to their views when designing our collections. Dress to Skill is also a promise to take care of the well-being of professionals,” says Taina Steiner.

Quality, quality, quality!

Taina: “The most important thing for us is to design workwear that serve their wearer in the best possible way. We make high-quality fabrics from recycled fibers, use environmentally friendly dyes and sew our clothes carefully. Our stitching is durable!”

Anu: “As our slogan says, quality is the best act of responsibility. High-quality workwear is durable, stays good after wash, fits the wearer well and is easy to maintain. We are very proud, for example, that our antibacterial fabrics are now an integral part of the resilience of our healthcare system.”

Even better materials

Anu: “In 2010, we became pioneers in the use of recycled fiber in Finland, somewhat by accident. Our first Medanta Flex material contained recycled polyester, and at the time we wondered if that was a good or bad thing – in terms of sustainability and ethics. At the time, people generally swore by cotton and looked down on other materials. But that decision turned out to be a damn good one in the end!”

Taina: "The prevailing mindset was very different 15 years ago. In countries like Italy, where the textile industry and fabric innovation are far ahead of many others, wool fabrics have long been recycled into new materials. However, this was rarely talked about. Recycling was seen as something to hide, not something to be proud of or market."

Anu: “Virgin fibres have their place, as they contribute to higher quality and longer-lasting garments — both essential to a responsible circular economy. In some cases, virgin fibers can make it possible to reuse recycled fiber, although in general, single-fiber materials are the easiest to recycle.”

Taina: “Exactly. We shouldn't forget that virgin fabric is very durable. Using good new raw materials is also responsible.”

Anu: “Even just emphasizing recycling is not always a good thing, as it can lead to distorted incentives. For example, it makes no sense to produce more plastic bottles just with the idea that they can then be used in clothes made from recycled polyester!”

Taina: “Well, or cotton, which we wouldn’t want to make anything out of in first place. Many people still perceive it as a responsible natural fiber and think that if it were produced ecologically it would somehow be even more responsible. However, this is not the case. During the growing phase, cotton destroys the soil and requires an incredible amount of water. It also binds 30 times its weight in water during the washing process, which in turn consumes an unreasonable amount of drying energy during the washing process. It doesn’t really make a sustainable material at all.”

Anu: "That's why it's important to invest more and more in sustainable materials innovation. And there are already some wonderful engineered fiber materials that not only feel silky on the skin, but also have excellent usability and maintenance properties."

Taina: “Exactly. Responsible fabrics and raw materials are constantly developing and renewing, thus responding to the challenges of their time.”

 “For us, social responsibility means that we demand gender equality, fair wages, occupational safety and respect for individual rights from ourselves and our factories in accordance with the goals of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on fundamental rights at work,” says Anu Kivelä.

Try, learn and grow!

Anu: “Sustainability is also a personnel policy. We believe that business growth comes when personnel are well and allowed to grow both personally and professionally.”

Taina: “With our management style, we try to encourage all personnel to grow professionally. To enable people to be the best versions of themselves.”

Anu: “In an open and inclusive company culture, all ideas can be brought forward. Often, we are our own biggest barrier to development. If we are afraid of not knowing enough, we hesitate to act. And when fear of mistakes takes over, the very actions that would move a company forward are left undone.”

Through ups and downs

Anu: “We are very careful about who we choose as our subcontractors and partners. We have production in Latvia, Portugal and Asia, and of course our partner companies must operate according to our responsibility requirements.”

Taina: “It was even a bit of a surprise how far sustainability issues have been taken in China and how green the electricity grid is in Latvia. They use a lot of solar energy there.”

Anu: "We work closely with our partners on sustainability issues. Any difficulties our subcontractors may have are equally our responsibility, we can't just pass the buck to them."

Taina: “Exactly. You can’t just demand, you also have to understand what different demands mean to the other party. When we think about solutions together, we both learn from each other. At the same time, we build long-term trust.”

Optimize and save

Anu: “We also think about sustainability in terms of clothing care. We have two of workwear laundries in Finland. Each textile we wash has an optimized washing program that uses as few chemicals, water and energy as possible.”

Taina: “When it comes to making responsible choices, when you save costs, you also save the environment. The same goes for laundries.”

Anu: “Because standards are constantly changing, even at the EU level, we have to persistently work on our own long-term sustainability based on the information we have at any given time.”

From cardboard boxes to internation freight - the whole picture matters

Taina: “We are constantly looking for more and more sustainable packaging materials. Currently, our products are packaged either in recycled cardboard boxes or paper bags.”

Anu: “We also carefully consider logistics and how we can transport shipments in the largest possible batches and in the most environmentally responsible way.”

Taina: “We would prefer to use rail freight from China, but due to the global political situation, that is not impossible, so our solution is sea freight. We only use air freight when the customer needs to receive the clothes quickly.”

Anu: "We also emphasize the sustainability of logistics choices for the customer, so that there is enough time for shipping orders. Sometimes you have to challenge yourself a little and ask whether the rush is really overtaking a more responsible method of transport. With good planning and foresight, everyone can influence the environmental impacts of logistics."

Taina: “Our fabric warehouse is located in Latvia. This allows us to prepare for quick replenishment orders, custom orders and smaller production runs without additional freight costs. But we can’t expand our fabric warehouse too much, because then there may be waste, which in turn increases our carbon footprint.”

Anu: “That's right! Responsibility requires a lot of thinking about the big picture as well as detailed planning.”

Thought leadership? Collaboration? Yes, please!

Anu: “We strive to be a thought leader in our field. We have an expert organization, and we want to share information with others to make it easier for our customers to make purchases in accordance with ESG principles.”

Taina: “We have been a pioneer for a long time in areas such as textile safety, the use of recycled fibers, and the modern design of workwear.”

Anu: “We want to collaborate more and more in the future, both within the industry and between other industries. We think all Finnish companies should collaborate more and share information and best practices in sustainability. If there was a common goal to do things more sustainably, everyone wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

Taina: “Yes. And it’s worth remembering that sustainability work is particularly long-term.”

Anu: “The economy is still largely driven by the pursuit of profit and financial returns. Some may think it sounds naïve when I say that we are not chasing quick wins, but instead want to challenge the entire industry to change and evolve with us. Is it really our role, as a relatively small player, to set an example for larger companies and help define the level of sustainability across the whole workwear industry? To be the bold frontrunner? If so, fine. That suits us.”

Facing the world’s challenges through small choices – and joy

Anu: “When big things are constantly happening globally, it makes you feel worldly pain and wonder if you can influence anything yourself. It is important to recognize the everyday choices that you can influence here and now. It calms your mind. At Medanta, we try to do things as properly as we can – with the information we have available now.”

Taina: “And even though we work hard and demand a lot, it’s also important to maintain joy. Sustainability must not become so burdensome and serious that everyone eventually gets eco-fatigue. Then even a good things can backfire.”

Anu: “Yes, we approach these matters with great professionalism and seriousness, but we also keep a sense of lightness and humour. It makes everything more enjoyable for everyone.”

“Is it our job to be a bold pioneers and set the standards for sustainability in the industry? Fine, that’s fine with us.”