RESPONSIBLE REIMA
Climate
Reima’s mission is to champion an active childhood – and the future of children depends on how well we adults can solve the world’s biggest crises such as climate change.
In 2022 Reima began the first Finnish apparel company to commit to the Science Based Targets initiative for emission reductions, and our targets were approved in early 2023.
Our Science Based Targets
Reima commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 90% by 2030 from a 2021 base year.
Reima commits to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services and upstream transportation and distribution 51.6% per piece by 2030 from a 2021 base year.
We are also committed to compensating the remaining emissions from our own operations (scope 1 and 2) and have done so since 2020.
Carbon-neutral own operations (scopes 1 and 2)
The emissions from our own operations – scope 1 and 2 in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – are produced by fuels used in leased company cars and by electricity used in our offices and stores. We are committed to reducing these emissions 90% by 2030 from 2021 base year.
To reach our target, we will increase the use of renewable energy and regularly review our company car policy to make sure we use low-emission vehicles. In 2023, our scope 1 and 2 emissions were 201 tonnes of CO2, which represents a 44% reduction from year 2021.
In addition to emission reductions, we are committed to compensating for all remaining emissions from our own operations.
Our 2020 emissions were compensated with a a Finnish company Puuni that leases and reforests municipal wastelands which are not naturally afforested due to strong hay growth. "Reima's trees" were planted Lempäälä, Finland. You can read more information about the forest (in Finnish only) and see its exact location on Puuni's website.
Our 2021 and 2022 emissions were offset with Compensate, a Finnish company that invests in carefully selected, high-quality carbon projects. The selection of projects includes forest conservation and afforestation, as well as innovative carbon removals. Most of Reima’s emissions were offset with these two projects:
Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve in Indonesia: protecting the largest carbon sink on earth, peat swamp forests – home to orangutans and 50 other endangered species.
Qianbei Afforestation in China: turning barren land into a forest, which not only helps fight climate change, but also creates employment for local villagers and supports biodiversity.
You can read more about the compensation projects and their impact here.
Reducing value chain emissions (scope 3)
As for most apparel brands, our main environmental impact is in the supply chain. 99% of our total emissions are indirect emissions – scope 3 emissions in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – that are produced at different stages of the value chain.
A vast majority these emissions – approximately 80% of our total carbon footprint – is caused by the production of fabrics and other materials. Therefore, the choice of materials and collaboration with fabric producers play a key role in our efforts to reduce emissions.
During recent years, we have systematically increased the use of more sustainable materials. For example, in 2023, already 56% of all the polyester we used (by weight) was recycled – a significant increase from the 8% in 2021. This helps us reduce emissions, but we also need to look at how the materials are processed. For example, are the fabric mills energy-efficient and what energy sources are used? To tackle these issues and to reduce emissions of fabric production even more, we are tightening our collaboration with fabric suppliers.
In addition to material production, our biggest sources of emissions are product assembly – which accounts for approximately 12% of our total emissions – and transportation and packaging, which together account for approximately 7% of total. We are working on reducing these emissions by collaborating with our suppliers and logistics partners, and by avoiding air freights and unnecessary packaging.
Between 2021 and 2023, our total scope 3 emissions decreased 51% - meaning that we are on the right track towards our Science Based Targets! However, we realize that our targets will not be easy to reach, and we are constantly working to find new ways to reduce emissions. We will report on our progress in our annual corporate responsibility reports.
WWF Green Office
Reima offices in Finland have been WWF Green Office certified since 2018. As part of the program, we work continuously to reduce the environmental impact of our workplaces, for example by adopting more environmentally friendly procurement, recycling, energy usage, and cleaning practices. We also conduct a staff survey annually, to measure their environmental awareness and remind them about the Green Office practices.
The offices are audited every three years by a WWF specialist to ensure that the environmental standards are met. Reima offices were last audited in summer 2021.