Strength through partnership: A core part of Odlo’s Sustainability Strategy
How we work with trusted partners to deliver on our sustainability commitments
By: Johanna Heimlicher
25.04.2025
At Odlo, we strongly believe that sustainable practices are strengthened through partnership and collaboration. By working together, companies can set common goals and pool resources, making a more significant impact than they could individually.
We work with several organisations that help us progress on our sustainability journey quicker and create more impact. Thanks to all our partners that have supported us on our journey so far. We’re committed to making 2025 a year filled with stronger collaboration and tangible progress!
Below is a brief rundown of our various partnerships in place for 2025:
Protect our Winters (POW), Switzerland
Founded in Switzerland by Nicholas Bornstein, POW Switzerland’s objective is to mobilise the outdoor community for climate protection, through systemic and behavioural change. As an official partner since 2021, we collaborate to raise awareness about the climate crisis and inspire action. Recently, Odlo and POW have worked together to develop a range of products, including base layers and running apparel, made from recycled materials. These products are designed to reduce their environmental impact while still offering high-performance and comfort in the outdoors and helping to raise awareness of the climate crisis. Odlo also supports POW's advocacy efforts to address climate change and shape new policies in Switzerland. This includes supporting POW's campaigns, events, and initiatives. Odlo also heavily supported POW in advocating for two pieces of major climate legislation in Switzerland in recent years (both the narrow loss in 2021 and the victory in 2023).
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF)
Since 2008, Odlo has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), which endeavours to improve labour conditions in the textile industry worldwide. Along with the other FWF members, Odlo works towards improving labour conditions in the factories where our garments are produced. As a member, FWF carries out a yearly audit on us called Brand Performance Check (BPC), where we get rated based on our efforts. Thanks to our long-term relationships with our supply chain partners and the commitment to Fair Wear’s code of labour practices, Odlo has held FWF leader status for eight of the last 10 years. During the last two years however, Fair Wear has made material changes to their evaluation criteria, which has left many brands, including ours, with a lower overall score. We are now in the “Good” category which according to FWF means: “It is Fair Wear’s belief that member companies who are making a serious effort to implement the Code of Labour Practices—the vast majority of Fair Wear member companies—are ‘doing good’ and deserve to be recognized as such. They are also doing more than the average clothing company and have allowed their internal processes to be examined and publicly reported on by an independent NGO. The majority of member companies will receive a ‘Good’ rating.” While this is still a favorable result, we know we can do more when it comes to this and are working hard on improving our human rights due diligence efforts.
Cascale (formerly known as Sustainable Apparel Coalition or SAC)
Cascale was founded in 2009 by Walmart and Patagonia to bring together apparel industry stakeholders and develop a common approach to measuring sustainability. Essentially, it’s an environmental and social supply chain management system. Odlo has been a member of Cascale since 2016. Through our Cascale membership, we get access to Worldly, which claims to be the planet’s most comprehensive impact intelligence platform, delivering real data specific to our supply chain and products — all in one place, so we can know our true impact. Here is an overview of the tools and how we use them: Higg BRM, the Brand and Retail Module: We use the Higg BRM to understand how our business can improve environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and practices, and prepare for future reporting and compliance. It’s a yearly self-assessment on a wide range of ESG topics which can also be verified by an independent 3rd party. Higg FEM, the Facility Environmental Module & Higg FSLM, the Facility Social and Labour Module: We use the Higg FEM and FSLM to monitor our suppliers’ progress on their sustainability journey. These modules are self-assessments of the supply chain environmental and social practices that often get verified by a 3rd party.
Sustainable Textiles Switzerland (STS 2030)
STS 2030 is a multi-stakeholder program with the mission to contribute significantly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Swiss textile and apparel sector along the entire value chain. In joining this program, Odlo confirms that we will take measures to ensure the achievement of the following targets: - Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - Promotion of fair wages and humane working conditions for all - Promotion of innovative business models toward a circular economy - Transparency, to ensure that sustainable purchasing decisions can be made. One project as part of STS 2030 that started last year is “United for fair wages”. This multi-stakeholder project strives to promote and implement fair wages several production facilities in Vietnam where members of STS 2030 are producing their garments.
European Outdoor Group (EOG)
We’re proud to share that Odlo has (re)joined the European Outdoor Group – a step that aligns perfectly with our commitment to collaboration, sustainability, and innovation in the outdoor industry. The European Outdoor Group is a leading voice in the European outdoor sector, bringing together brands, retailers, and stakeholders to tackle key industry challenges. For Odlo, this partnership is particularly exciting because of their sustainability projects where working groups bring collaboration on vital topics and joint efforts drive real impact. EOG also offers access to valuable market data that can help us understand trends and opportunities even better. We’re looking forward to engaging with the European Outdoor Group community and helping advance our industry in a sustainable and responsible way.
