Visiting the company

Holidays came and went. I heard nothing from the company so I just started the project  by learning everything I could about the Higg index and the company.

After holidays we scheduled a meeting so I visited them this week (in the beginning of January) for just one day. We were discussing more details about the project, goals and the framework of this project. I also asked if it would be ok to use the company’s name here in the field study related discussions and so it was. 

The company is called Norrøna and is based in Hvalstad Norway, 20km from Oslo. They produce technical outdoor garments mainly for skiing and climbing and also for hunting and hiking as well as lifestyle clothing. Company being located in Norway was the reason we agreed that I would be working mainly in Borås. 

It was a long trip first to Göteborg, then to Oslo and finally to Hvalstad. Arriving to Havalstad reminded me that you can’t expect much from a 2000 resident town. As I was walking on the side of the dirt road to this industrial area I was expecting to see a modern office/HQ building similar to Gina Tricot here in Borås. But when I finally arrived there I wasn’t sure I was in a right place because there was only an old warehouse with no big signs or company logos. Only a small sign in the corner of the house indicating I was in a right place. My first impression was: “What a dumpster!” Of course inside was nice but still much smaller than I had expected. Made me realize that even the brand is quite big and well know, at least here in Scandinavia, as an outdoor clothing company, it still is small as a clothing brand in general.

During discussions it became obvious that the tool in Higg index related to clothing sustainability is a “fun toy” for the designers making material decisions but for the company wanting to map their various production processes it is not profound enough. Especially in a manufacturer that has complex technical clothing that has a lot of chemicals put in their production. So the company really wants me to go deep in this matter and map all the possible self-assessment tools and means. Many times I heard the words “dig deeper” mentioned.

It is now obvious that the project will be large but even the more interesting and hopefully will contribute future projects and processes as well. 

Going deeper.

 

“When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche