MARIMEKKO RAISES ITS SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS TO A NEW, AMBITIOUS LEVEL – THE COMPANY’S OWN OPERATIONS ARE ALREADY CARBON NEUTRAL IN 2020

Marimekko Corporation, Press release, 9 December 2020 at 9.00 a.m.

Sustainability is the biggest challenge shared by the whole global fashion and textile industry and one of the strongest megatrends transforming the sector. We have seen a shift in consumers’ values with an increasing preference for more sustainable choices. The coronavirus pandemic has further accelerated this trend.

Since the company’s beginnings, Marimekko’s operations and design philosophy have been based on sustainable thinking, and the advancement of sustainability has been part of our daily work for years already. We want to be at the forefront of developing more sustainable products and practices and therefore we have now raised our sustainability targets both for our own operations and for the entire value chain to a new, markedly more ambitious level. We believe that, in the future, timeless and sustainable products will be made in balance with the environment, in line with the principles of the circular economy, and with full transparency, starting with raw materials. Our long-term vision is that our operations leave no trace on the environment. Achieving this requires new technological, material and business-model innovations, which we are committed to continuously developing together with our partners.

”Marimekko’s purpose is to empower people to be happy as they are and bring joy to their everyday lives through bold prints and colors. In line with our mission and values, we see it as our duty to strongly promote sustainability and, through the power of our example, to move the entire industry forward towards a more sustainable future. Besides our own sustainable operations, we want to have a positive impact on the entire value chain – from raw materials to product use and recycling,” says Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, President and CEO of Marimekko.

"We are excited about this meaningful challenge. We still have a lot of work to do, and achieving our ambitious long-term sustainability goals also requires close cooperation with various partners and players as well as new industry innovations. Today, sustainability is essential for ensuring a company’s longevity, but we at Marimekko think that it also opens up new value-creating opportunities for our business as we are serving a growing global customer base”, Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko continues.

Marimekko’s new sustainability strategy is built around three guiding principles:

Timeless design brings joy ?for generations to come – piloting the resale of pre-loved Marimekko gems in 2021

Sustainability is part of our DNA at Marimekko. Our design philosophy and our operations have for nearly 70 years been based on longevity: we want to offer our customers timeless, functional and durable products that bring them long-lasting joy and that they will not want to throw away. We aim to continue creating new classics – high-quality products that stand the test of time. Our objective is that, during their lifetime, Marimekko items bring joy to many different consumers, even generations, after which they are finally recycled into new products. To encourage our community to give their pre-loved Marimekko gems a new life, we will pilot resale services in 2021. We will also expand our service offering related to product care in order to prolong the life of our products.

The products of tomorrow leave no trace – Marimekko’s own operations are already carbon neutral

We have launched several projects to significantly reduce emissions in our entire value chain – it is our intention to align our emissions-related targets with those of the Paris Agreement. We commit ourselves to reduce the environmental footprint of our textile materials by 30 percent (measured in the Higg Material Sustainability Index) by 2025 through using more sustainable materials and to cut it further by 2030 by adopting new material solutions. We also aim at reducing emissions from logistics by 50 percent by 2025. As a result of continuous development work and emission offsetting, our own operations are already carbon neutral in 2020.

Positive change through fairness and equality – aiming at full transparency of operations and the supply chain

Fairness and equality have always been important principles for Marimekko. We want to promote their implementation in our value chain and see to it that our entire value chain is built on these principles. We will continuously provide more information about the origin of our products, ultimately aiming at full transparency of our operations and supply chain, starting with raw materials. We will also extend audits to second-tier suppliers in risk countries. By actively collaborating with other players in the industry, we can promote sustainable practices and drive positive change across the whole sector.

Media and investor conference

A media and investor conference on Marimekko’s new sustainability strategy and goals will be held in English on 10 December 2020 at 3.00 p.m. EET. A live webcast of the conference can be followed at https://marimekko.videosync.fi/new-sustainability-strategy-2020, and a recording of the webcast will be available at the same address later. Questions can be asked during the live webcast in writing. 

Read more: https://company.marimekko.com/en/sustainability/

Further information:
Asta Halme, Marimekko Communications
Tel. +358 9 7587 233
asta.halme@marimekko.com

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Marimekko is a Finnish lifestyle design company renowned for its original prints and colors. The company’s product portfolio includes high-quality clothing, bags and accessories as well as home décor items ranging from textiles to tableware. When Marimekko was founded in 1951, its unparalleled printed fabrics gave it a strong and unique identity. Marimekko products are sold in about 40 countries. In 2019, brand sales of the products worldwide amounted to EUR 251 million and the company's net sales were EUR 125 million. Roughly 150 Marimekko stores serve customers around the globe. The key markets are Northern Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. The Group employs about 450 people. The company’s share is quoted on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. www.marimekko.com