Viewpoints
Viewpoints is a blog in which different writers express their views and opinions on current topics. A new blog post is published about once every four weeks.
You can propose texts by e-mail to viestinta@kesko.fi. The maximum text length is 2,000 characters.
Harri Puputti: Living in a circular economy as our grandparents did
In our grandparents’ day, it was normal to repair broken or damaged clothes. Clothes were also made to last and you might wear the same shirt for years. Finally, when it could no longer be worn, your shirt would be made into dusters.
This is precisely what the circular economy is all about. Products are manufactured ethically and designed to withstand wear and tear.
According to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which studies circular economy, the textile industry is a significant source of environmental pollution at various stages of production, it requires a significant amount of water and production space, and in many countries it causes negative social impacts. The textile industry releases more carbon dioxide emissions into our climate than air traffic and shipping combined.
Coupled with the fact that more and more garments are being made all the time and their life span is constantly decreasing, we can easily see that this produces, among other problems, an increasing amount of textile waste. With today's technology, it is still challenging to recycle this waste in a cost-effective way other than as energy, although promising technologies are being developed all the time.
According to the Foundation’s report, the fastest way to promote circular economy is to extend the life cycle of textiles by using them for as long as possible. By using textiles for a longer period of time, we produce less waste. This is something our grandparents knew, but at some point we forgot.
Lindström extends the life span of textiles in its rental services by, for example, repairing them.
Lindström has been selected each year for Sitra's list of the most interesting companies in the circular economy because of the above solution: we extend the life cycle of textiles. We provide all our textiles as a rental service and make sure they are in use for as long as possible. We recycle the textiles during use for different purposes and, if possible, even between different customers.
We are proud to say that, using a corresponding model, we are also working with K Group, which has been ranked as the most sustainable trading sector company in the world. K Group has worked with us for many years to ensure the efficient use of textiles in its various operations.
Harri Puputti
Vice President, Quality
Lindström Oy
