Swedish Stockings

Tell us a little bit about Swedish Stockings. How did you come up with the idea?

The idea for Swedish Stockings came after watching the documentary film “The Lightbulb Conspiracy”. The film shines a light on the fact that tights are a petroleum-based product and also a wear-and-tear item. I felt that there was so much more to do with this product. Today, we are the only sustainable hosiery brand worldwide. Our mission is to change and influence the hosiery industry towards a sustainable production. We want to be at the forefront when it comes to innovation and pushing the hosiery industry forward.

What is the most meaningful part of your job?

I feel that I can inspire people to be a little bit more sustainable. Even if it’s ‘just tights’ – it’s equivalent to plastic straws, the lifetime is very short. It might start with tights, but I think it could lead to more sustainable choices overall. The more we grow, the more impact we get and the more we are able to influence people and companies through our channels. When I see other brands starting to produce sustainable tights or ask for our help to do so, I feel we have succeeded. We want other brands to copy what we do – we are fully transparent. I believe partnership is the only way forward.

What makes a business sustainable, and why is it so important for a business to be sustainable?

I think you have to consider the full lifecycle of your product/service. Everything from materials, production, packages, transport to recycling and so on. It’s so much easier to just focus on one part of the chain, but it’s only when you have a solution for all parts that you can truly call yourself sustainable. I believe it’s our responsibility as entrepreneurs to have a solution for all the steps of the chain, but perhaps most importantly: the recycling. We need to make sure that our products don’t end up in landfills.

What should be considered when creating a sustainable business?

Durability. It doesn’t matter how sustainable your business model is if you’re not durable or try to make your products last longer, then you can’t call yourself sustainable. That’s something we’re working hard with, since tights are usually very short-lived. Be meticulous, you need to be fully transparent, and that means you have to know “everything about everything” there is to know about your products.

What are your top tips for a more sustainable lifestyle?

Be out in nature more – when you experience how beautiful nature is, it’s impossible to not try to do good. Overall, I don’t make it too complicated, I eat less meat (preferably wild, local meat) and eat more in season so that we can minimize food transport from other parts of the world. Try to buy secondhand (not just clothes!), and also vice versa: sell or give away things you don’t use – there is always someone who needs it. Travel by train as much as possible. Very simple stuff. Everybody should be able to do this.