New life for discarded ambulance clothes
With products for personnel working in the most demanding environments, Taiga creates workwear for everything from the ambulance, to sea rescue and the military. Together with TexChain3, the aim has been to further extend the life of textiles that can no longer be used in active service.
On one of the hottest days in June, I meet Louise Ohlsson, Sustainability Developer at Taiga and Caroline von Post from Beskow von Post outside Stockholm. We meet to visit some of the companies involved in the production of their new collection. The days are busy, the holiday is waiting and the deadline is sharp.
- We have to put the logo today and the last details, then we can release it and give it to the production, says Louise while she continues to type on the computer to send what is hopefully a final confirmation email that everything is in order before the start of production.
She turns the computer and shows me the logo as it is supposed to be designed. Re:used by Taiga, it says on the label that will adorn their garments.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle, retaiga, says Louise. "This will become a natural part of our DNA.
The new collection being developed is a result of Taiga's involvement in the TexChain3 project. So far, it is a small collection consisting of a cap and a pair of wrist warmers for ambulance staff.
- "But these are not just any garments," says Louise. "These are garments that we have worked hard on to have as low an environmental footprint as possible. We have achieved this by using materials from discarded ambulance clothing and with production in Sweden with very short transportation distances.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Retaiga, this will become a natural part of our DNA
Louise Ohlsson, Sustainability Strategist at Taiga
Collection
Creating a new collection from discarded ambulance clothes was not the driving force behind participating in TexChain3. The aim was to find a use for the discarded clothes, but above all a functioning collection. Ambulance staff often work in tough environments, but the turnover of clothes is not as high as one might think.
- "Many people hold on to their clothes," says Camilla Fredrin, operations assistant at the ambulance in Gothenburg. "They appreciate and like their clothes and take good care of them. But eventually they get worn out, and it's mainly the print and reflectors on their garments that give way first.
One of Taiga's partners during the project has been the Västra Götaland region and a number of ambulance stations within the region. Together they have developed a system for collection and a routine that they believe will continue even after the end of the project.
- For the Västra Götaland region, sustainability work is becoming increasingly important and the demands on suppliers are getting higher. For example, Taiga is one of the region's suppliers of ambulance clothing. We control through the procurement and there we can specify that the clothes should be able to be taken care of in a sustainable way when it is discarded, says Jonna Bjuhr Männer, environmental strategist at Region Västra Götaland.
To make the collection easy, Taiga has developed a collection bag that is very reminiscent of Karl-Bertil Johnsson's large mailbag. The bag has been placed in the changing rooms at the ambulance stations where the staff have left their discarded ambulance clothes. When the bag is full, it is sent for sorting.
- I think we may have made the bag a little big, it is too heavy to lift. But at the same time, it shows that the ambulance staff are involved in the transition and want their clothes to go on to a new life, says Louise Ohlsson at Taiga.
Sorting
So far, the bags have ended up at Louise at Taiga in Varberg, but the aim is for them to be sent directly to the sorting facility at M29gruppen. This is where we meet on that sunny day in June, in an industrial area outside Märsta. M29gruppen is a work-integrating social enterprise that runs several activities together with employees and participants who need adapted working conditions. The aim is to create social sustainability that empowers the individual, participation and employment opportunities.
- For us, it is important to work with all aspects of sustainability. Keeping production in Sweden is important to be able to make great environmental benefits but also to be able to guarantee good working conditions. If we can also help by supporting an organization like M29, it is a big win for us," says Louise.
When the bag of ambulance clothes arrives at M29 groups, the clothes are valued and sorted before they are taken on for cutting and production.
Together with Beskow von Post, Taiga has developed and selected the materials used for a cap and wrist warmers made from the ambulance clothes. Caroline von Post, who has been involved in previous TexChain projects, was asked before the third round if she could imagine being involved this time too, and she saw the possibilities early on.
- But, I said from the start that Beskow von Post would only be involved if we could work with a company that really wanted to work on something, not just do tests, but really wanted to make a difference. Then we were paired with Taiga and it has been a fantastic journey," says Caroline.
Caroline co-founded Beskow von Post with her colleague Susanne Beskow. Together they have a long experience of working with upcycling and making use of discarded textiles.
- We need to work much more like this in society, these are textiles that are not badly damaged but for various reasons can no longer be used by ambulance staff. The fact that we are taking care of a small part of this textile now is just the beginning, says Caroline.
Together we look at the collected clothes and it is all worn logos, cracked reflectors and broken zippers. Caroline and Louise don't rule out the possibility that the next step in extending the lifespan of the garments could be an extensive repair business.
- "We want our garments to last as long as possible. The fact that we have succeeded in producing this collection gives us great motivation to develop our circular work further, and we will do that too," says Louise.
Production of
When we are done at the M29 group, we go on to Textilmaskineriet Stockholm in Bromma. On the way there, Louise and Caroline describe that we are going to a factory where the actual sewing production of the hat and wrist warmer in the Re:used by Taiga collection will take place. From the street, Textilmaskineriet's premises look far from being a factory, more like a business complex from the 60s. But as usual, don't judge a book by its cover. At the top of the building, the business is in full swing and in the small-scale sewing factory there is a production that we do not see much of in Sweden today.
- "I started Textilmaskineriet Stockholm to help keep the knowledge of garment sewing in Sweden, but also for environmental reasons," says Cina Haas, founder of Textilmaskineriet Stockholm, which also runs Svensk mönsterform in the same premises.
- "It has become increasingly difficult for me to think it's okay to do what I do, i.e. to help create more clothes. So I turn it into something positive by working a lot with second-hand materials and by sewing up small collections for Swedish customers here in Sweden," she continues.
- Our goal throughout this process has been to work as locally as possible, and Cina here at Textilmaskineriet is a professional at what she does with long experience of working with outdoor clothing, so this was a perfect match for us, says Caroline von Post.
Ready-cut pattern parts are delivered by Beskow von Post to Textilmaskineriet and here the focus has been to refine and develop useful products that will be appreciated by the ambulance staff.
- Both the cap and wrist warmers are already in our standard collection. It was important for us not to develop completely new products but to be able to replace, for example, the newly produced cap with a circular version. Just as good, but with a higher value and, above all, better for the environment," says Louise.
The future
There are many plans for the future and the work to simplify and develop is in full swing. One of the difficulties of reusing materials as Taiga does now, is the stage when the garment has to be taken apart and the right pieces picked out to be used in a new product.
- We want as much as possible of the material in old garments to be used again. Therefore, we are now reviewing the production of our garments to optimize them so that it will be easy to take out a piece for a hat or a wrist warmer, for example," says Louise.
The Re:used by Taiga collection took off during TexChain3 but is now completely independent. The collection will be launched as early as the beginning of September 2023.
- "We currently produce clothes for a number of different customer segments, not just the ambulance. We believe that we will see the same interest in taking care of the garments also from other actors because the collection requirements that will come in 2025 affect us all. We are ready to continue developing circular products for our customers," says Louise Ohlsson, Sustainability Developer at Taiga.
