faq: sustainability

Does Gina Tricot set any demands on its suppliers when it comes to the use of chemicals?
Yes. Gina Tricot has a list of chemicals that are limited or prohibited in the production of our products. This list is part of the General Agreement that all suppliers sign before production can begin.
 

Are Gina Tricot's products tested for chemical contents?
Yes. Gina Tricot and our suppliers carry out regular tests on products from new suppliers and on new materials and products with a higher risk. We also carry out random sample testing from the head office.
 

When it comes to product quality, does Gina Tricot set any demands on its suppliers?
Yes. Gina Tricot has a list of quality demands that all products should meet. This list is part of the General Agreement that all suppliers sign before production begins. The suppliers regularly test the quality of the products, and we carry out tests all the time at the head office.
 

Does Gina Tricot test its products to examine product quality?
Yes. Gina Tricot carries out regular tests on products to maintain as uniform a product quality as possible.
 

Does Gina Tricot set demands on jewellery being nickel free?
No. As a rule, our products/details are not nickel free. But we comply with EU legislation and the limits that have been established so that users do not develop allergies. This means that a certain amount of nickel is allowed and in Gina Tricot’s chemicals list on limited or forbidden chemicals, that is the amount we use. Our jewellery suppliers also comply with our chemicals list.
 

Has Gina Tricot taken a stand with regard to the use of sandblasting in jeans production?
Yes, Gina Tricot does not allow sandblasting. This is to protect the health and safety of those who work with the manufacture of our products.
 

What is Gina Tricot's stand when it comes to mulseing?
We only use certified non-museled wool.
 

Are Gina Tricot products tested on animals?
Gina Tricot does not allow animal testing on our cosmetic products.
 

When it comes to fur, can I trust that Gina Tricot only uses faux fur in its products?
Yes. Gina Tricot only uses faux fur, which is manufactured from synthetic materials.
 

At Gina Tricot, do you use down or feathers in your products?
Gina Tricot only uses down or feathers from birds that have been raised for meat production. We do not allow down or feathers to be plucked from live birds. We only collaborate with one supplier for our down and feather products and that supplier is RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified.
 

How do you work with leather goods?
Leather is only accepted in our products if it comes from dead animals that have been raised for meat production. We’ve selected a handful of tanneries and suppliers to work with and they are the only ones that we source genuine leather from for our products at Gina Tricot.
 

Does Gina Tricot have any demands with regard to the use of parabens?
Gina Tricot does not allow parabens in its makeup products. Parabens are listed in Gina Tricot's chemical list, which is adhered to by our cosmetic suppliers.
 

Does Gina Tricot use environmentally friendly materials?
Yes. Gina Tricot uses organic cotton, Better Cotton, Lenzing Viscose, Tencel®, Promodal®, Proviscose® and Recycled polyester. Products manufactured from these materials typically have a label, which makes it easier for our customers to shop sustainably at Gina Tricot stores.
 

Can you see where Gina Tricot's products are manufactured?
All products with care advice are also marked with their country of origin.
 

Does Gina Tricot have a code of conduct?
Yes. Our code of conduct is the basis of our work with all responsibility issues at Gina Tricot. The code of conduct covers our demands with regard to wages, working hours, health and safety, which our suppliers must adhere to. These demands are based on international labour standards (ILO) and are used by all members of BSCI.
 

How does Gina Tricot ensure that the code of conduct is adhered to?
As a member of BSCI, Gina Tricot has access to a platform for following up our suppliers. We also visit our suppliers on a regular basis.
 

What is BSCI?
The Business Social Compliance Initiative is an organisation that works to improve working conditions in our suppliers' countries. By being a part of this organisation, we have access to tools for following up and educating our suppliers.

Does child labour occur in the factories where you have your production?
Gina Tricot does not accept child labour, but we are aware that it is difficult to monitor the entire production chain. The rules in the code of conduct are there to protect children from financial exploitation, from carrying out work that is dangerous, affects their education or is harmful to the child's health and development. Unfortunately child labour survives because the laws that exist are not followed fully and due to the weakness of social and political systems in many countries. If someone under the age of 15 should be found working in a factory, as part of BSCI we have a plan for how this is to be dealt with, with the focus being on helping the child.

Where are the clothes you sell produced?
The majority of our manufacturing is done in Turkey, followed by China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. A small percentage of manufacturing also occurs in a few European countries.

Gina Tricot does not own the factories, how can you be sure that inspections are carried out and followed?
We work with the tools that BSCI provides, audits, training courses and knowledge exchange, among other things. BSCI is a business-driven initiative for companies committed to improving working conditions in the global supply chain. The basis of the follow up is BSCI's code of conduct and it is also fundamental in the contracts we sign with our suppliers.
 

Are the factory inspections planned or unannounced?
An important prerequisite for long-term improvements in working conditions is based on trust between supplier and client. Our own visits to suppliers are planned, partly due to our work with creating this trust, but also to ensure that the people we need to meet are actually on site when we visit. Audits are also carried out on planned dates for the same reasons as above, plus the fact that there is an extensive audit questionnaire with more than 400 questions that need to be answered. A lot of the questions require supporting documentation and, to ensure that all documents are available, it is necessary to plan the visit. There are also unannounced visits, particularly if we suspect that something is wrong.

You have all your production in low-wage countries, how do you ensure that the people producing your clothes have fair conditions?
Our goal is to, together with our suppliers, achieve a safe and positive working environment for the people who produce our products. Dialogue and supplier development are key terms in achieving this goal. We do not own the factories that produce our clothes, so a close cooperation with our suppliers is a prerequisite for ensuring our clothes and accessories meet the demands we have on design and quality. Plus the fact that the factories where production is carried out meet the demands in our code of conduct. In order to be able to follow up the work at our suppliers, we have been part of BSCI since the spring of 2008. We visit the factories continuously with regard to product development and to inform them of, and carry out inspections to ensure they are adhering to, the code of conduct. This is time-consuming work and a constant ongoing process.
 

How do you check that the factories are safe?
Ensuring the workplace is safe and healthy is one of the 11 areas in the code of conduct and it is followed up during an audit. The checks include safety equipment, fire protection, access to toilets and clean water.
 

Do you allow trade unions in the factories?
The right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are in our code of conduct. We cannot carry out union activities, but we can set demands that joining should be acceptable.
 

Why don't you pay the factory workers minimum wages they can live on?
Gina Tricot owns no factories of its own; we purchase goods from a range of different manufacturers. It is our opinion that it is in each particular country that wages are best determined between the employer and the employee, with support from the national legislation In our code of conduct, we demand that the suppliers pay at least the legal minimum wage. Today there is no definition of a 'survival wage' for each country or region, but there are a number of different ways to calculate it. In those cases where a minimum wage is too low, we feel that it should regularly be audited by local authorities to reflect other inflation rates in society.

You manufacture a large quantity of clothing. What is your responsibility for dealing with this clothing after it is no longer wanted by customers?
A big part of sustainability efforts involves reducing waste. Unwanted items can be dropped of at our stores in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany. Our recycling partner, Human Bridge, takes over these items. They work with a partner company in Holland, which has the capacity for large-scale textile recycling. We donate leftover items from our stores to Human Bridge or Fretex, in Norway. To learn more about recycling, we belong to a network in our industry and are in continual dialogue with stakeholders.

Your head office is a so-called Green Building, was does that mean?
Our office in Borås is built to consume at least 25% less energy than prescribed by Swedish construction standards. Energy saving measures and results obtained are reviewed by the Sweden Green Building Council.

Does Gina Tricot publish a sustainability report?
In spring 2013, we published our first Sustainability Report and we will publish a new report each spring. The Sustainability Report is available at The Good Project.
 

At Gina Tricot, do you use any materials from animals in your products?
We care very much about animals. For this reason, we don't use angora, down, feathers or real fur. When we use merino wool, it is always sourced from farms that do not use the museling procedure. Our genuine leather products are always from animals raised for food purposes and we only source from tanneries that we have closely investigated.
 

What is Gina Tricot's position on mulesing?
We do not use merino wool at all because we want to take a stand against mulesing and the way in which sheep are often transported.

You have a project in Bangladesh, what does this cooperation between UNICEF and Gina Tricot involve?
The cooperation between Gina Tricot and UNICEF spans a six year period, includes the construction of 150 preschools and will give 22,000 children a better chance of finishing school. The preschools are in the slum areas of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and the children that attend them are between 4 and 5 years old. The preschools have been financed by Gina Tricot and built by Unicef. UNICEF is the UN's Children's Fund and works on behalf of the UN to promote children's rights. http://unicef.se/partners
 

What can I do for the environment?
By looking after your clothes, you can spare the environment from any unnecessary impact. Try to air your clothes instead of washing them as often as possible. If you really have to wash them, remember to lower the temperature, also try and fill the machine and always use gentle, environmentally-approved washing detergent. Always follow the instructions on the packet so that you do not overdose the washing detergent. Finally, you make a big difference if you hang your clothes to dry instead of using the tumble dryer.
 

Have you published a list of your suppliers?
Yes. Our list of suppliers contains all of the factories currently owned or used by our suppliers. We continually update the list.

Tier 1: Production units related to final products
This list includes all production units that are active for Gina Tricot, and which provide sewing, cutting, garment washing, placement printing, embroidery, garment finishing, and packing. So-called vertical suppliers – which provide both processes related to final products and Tier 2 processes such as dyeing and washing/finishing internally – are listed in Tier 1. This list is updated twice each year. The latest update is always available on this page. Last updated: August 2022

Tier 2: Production units related to raw materials and accessories
This list includes all production units that are active for Gina Tricot, and which manufacture fabrics and yarns; these units also provide dyeing, washing/finishing, all-over printing, and accessories.  This list is updated twice each year. The latest update is always available on this page. Last updated: August 2022