PART FOUR

SUSTAINABILITY

Humanistic +

Holistic Series

The way we work, the materials we use, and the environment we do this in, is where our sustainable and social responsibility begins. 

As the Australian subsidiary of Denmark-based Kvadrat & USA-based Maharam, we are dedicated to minimising our environmental impact. Environmental awareness and sustainability have been core parts of the design philosophy since Kvadrat’s founding in 1968. Maharam is committed to the implementation of progressive sustainability and environmental practices as a matter of corporate and design philosophy.  

Through constant examination and development of our business practices and our approach to product development, Kvadrat Maharam continues to deepen its understanding of the impact our collections have on the environment.

As a company, we have defined specific goals to reduce these effects and move towards a more sustainable future for the textile industry.  

We focus on our manufacturing practices, local & global initiatives, and the afterlife of our collections, to achieve a comprehensive, sustainable approach. Everything we do, from the sourcing of raw materials, through to design & production, is influenced by innovation and an investment in circularity. 

Designing with pure compositions and without harmful chemicals enables the recyclability of our products. We consider whether the biodegradability of our collections at their end of use is the best outcome or whether re-using, upcycling or recycling a product is a better way to respect the earth’s resources.

 We reflect upon impacts when investigating production methods, and use the circular economy prioritisation list when working with waste as a resource.

The prioritisation list encompasses four points. 

We believe in the potential of circularity to enable positive change, and seek to lead this transformation towards a circular economy. Working with recycled materials such as recycled wool and polyester plays an important role in reducing our impact at the raw material extraction stage and ultimately reducing our carbon impact overall.

Over 200 textiles in the Kvadrat Maharam collection are made using recycled content. This content varies across collections and consists of wool, cotton, post-industrial and post-consumer recycled polyester as well as recycled glass.  

The use of recycled wool contributes greatly to a reduced energy consumption and environmental footprint. Kvadrat Maharam utilises recycled wool from both the fashion industry and our own woollen waste that is generated when woollen fibres are spun into yarn.  The wool is then used in the production of a growing number of textiles in our collection. 

Rather than dyeing new wool, garment fibres from wool clothing are shredded, sorted and cleaned before being spun back into yarn to create new, upholstery textiles. This practice reduces energy consumption and the environmental footprint, as the need to farm & transport sheep as well as scour and dye the wool, is eliminated from the production process. In 2020, more than 8300 kilograms of our own woollen waste fibres were recycled and used to create new textiles. 

The use of recycled plastic in our textile collections also continues to rise. 

 Revive, an upholstery textile from Kvadrat, uses thirty plastic bottles to make one metre of fabric; and in 2018, production of this textile accounted for a reduction in plastic waste by 2.3 million plastic bottles. 

The high-performance woven textile ranges in the M collection from Maharam, have expanded to over 400 colours across eight ranges with its recycled compositions between 50 – 100%.

Kvadrat Maharam utilises innovative technology and production methods that allow us to offer more sustainable textiles which are free from perfluorinated compounds (PFCs).  Kvadrat’s outdoor textile collections utilise advanced water repellent technology based on fat modified compounds, creating effective sustainable textile solutions, free from fluorocarbon. 

In keeping with our belief that longevity is at the core of sustainable design, most of our textiles carry a 10-year warranty. In using only the best raw materials, our textiles are made to last with the least possible impact on the environment. 

In 2020 Kvadrat initiated the Carbon Emission Project, involving an impact screening across our entire supply chain and its activities. To ensure adherence to the science as well as our commitment to a meaningful contribution, we are following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s emission accounting standards, scope and definitions, along with the methods of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

In 2021, we set an ambitious carbon reduction target approved by SBTi. Covering our HQ in Denmark and our main office and warehouse in Germany with 100% renewable energy, is only the beginning. Our initiatives will reach many more Kvadrat locations and tackle different sources of carbon emissions across our entire value chain.

Kvadrat joined the UN Global Compact in 2013 and aims to move the agenda forward, with regard to performance relating to human rights, labour rights, the environment and anti-corruption. Progress in line with the ten principles of the compact is reported annually.  

Our collections are certified in accordance with a number of third-party organisations:

Greenguard

Greenguard Gold

EU Ecolabel 

REACH

Health Product Declaration (HPD)

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) 

The standards we adhere to provide us with a framework for continually reducing the environmental footprint of our production and internal processes, as well as assisting us in driving the efficient and responsible use of raw materials. This sets the direction for a secure and healthy environment for all employees, as well as guiding a proactive approach to responsible business conduct and compliance.

Photo Credits

Glacial Expectations, photographer Annabel Elston
Remix 3 with Giulio Ridolfo, photographer Howard Sooley
Maharam Love That Design, photographer Nick Ballón
Kvadrat Showroom, photographer Gilbert McCarragher
Patio 2 BREA collection, photographer Moritz Peters
Curtains from Kinnasand's MONOTYPES collection 2020
Wooltex Huddersfield, photographer Helene Seitz-Madsen
Revive 1 colour wheel image, photographer Casper Sejersen
Wooltex Kvadrat, photographer Joël Tettamanti
Kvadrat Warehouse, photographer Alastair Wiper
Wooltex, photographer Lea Kargaard
Kvadrat Febrik, photographer Casper Sejersen
Waterborn by Aggebo & Henriksen, photographer Casper Sejersen
Knit! In use, photographer Tomas Friml
Re-wool by Margrethe Odgaard, photographer Casper Sejersen
Molly 2 by Åsa Pärson, photographer Casper Sejersen
Atrium Outdoor, photographer Casper Sejersen
Patio by Karina Nielsen Rios, photographer Casper Sejersen
Wooltex, photographer Alastair Wiper
Technicolour by Peter Saville, film by Eva Weber