Sustainability
Sustainable Choices for the Future
Sustainability is an essential part of our operations and guides our decisions. We strive to offer our customers products that are suitable for Nordic conditions, provide exceptional value for money, and are manufactured with minimal environmental impact. We continuously develop our operations and set clear goals to ensure that our products and practices support sustainable development.
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We value and nurture long-term customer and supplier relationships. Some of the factories producing Retki products have been with us throughout our 30-year history, and we continue to develop and innovate together for the decades to come. We also require our partners to undergo independent audits, such as Amfori BSCI and SMETA.
Responsibility throughout the entire production chain is the cornerstone of our operations. We are fully aware of the steps in our supply chain, and our partner factories are audited by third parties. We require at least BSCI certification or another independent sustainability assessment. We are committed to ensuring that international labor and human rights guidelines are followed in our production. We work closely with our partners to promote safe and fair working conditions.
We know our products and ensure that each one meets Finnish and EU product safety regulations, whether it is a gas appliance or a woolen hat.
One of the pillars of our responsible business practices is optimizing production quantities. This means we manufacture the right amount of products based on pre-sales forecasts, avoiding excess inventory and discount sales pressure. We operate on a wholesale business model, with a reseller network covering over 500 physical stores across Finland.
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Reducing our carbon footprint is one of our key sustainability goals. We have calculated the emissions of our operations at Scope 1 and Scope 2 levels and are actively working to reduce them by transitioning to renewable energy and implementing more energy-efficient solutions. Next, we are expanding our sustainability efforts to include Scope 3 emissions management, covering the entire lifecycle environmental impact of our supply chain and products. Our goal is to develop solutions that support both our customers’ well-being and the environment.
Optimizing transportation is one of the most important ways we reduce environmental impact. We prioritize CO₂-neutral sea freight for international shipments. Additionally, we utilize smart routing systems and packaging solutions that minimize space requirements and material waste.
For years, we have been working to reduce plastic packaging. Over the past five years, we have replaced a significant portion of our plastic packaging with recyclable cardboard alternatives. We continue to avoid plastic packaging whenever possible. In recent years, we have also introduced recycled materials into our daypack models, and our future goal is to manufacture our entire backpack range from recycled fabrics. This way, we can further reduce the carbon footprint of this product category.
We are actively exploring new ways to align with the EU’s new EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) directives. Both support the EU’s circular economy and environmental goals. Under ESPR, manufacturers will have increased responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, making this one of our key sustainability focus areas in the coming years.
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We don’t chase trends—our oldest still-produced products date back to the 1990s. When something is designed well, there’s no need to change it just for the sake of variety.
We want our products to stand the test of time—both in terms of quality and usability. That’s why we continuously improve our warranty and spare parts services, ensuring long-term product use and providing replacement parts when needed. This helps reduce the demand for disposable products and promotes more sustainable consumption habits.
We value every piece of feedback we receive, and with the help of our customers, we have improved certain product features to better meet users’ needs.
Our journey toward sustainability continues. If you have any questions about our sustainability efforts or would like more information about our operations, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We welcome your thoughts and ideas so that we can work together toward a more sustainable future.
