Mika Björkman
Maria Helena Sepp
Jacob Lexe
Karl Jakob Härgestam
Frida Stolpe
Jia Yi Tang
Jönköping International Business School
Guenola Nonet
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Vain Dane Athletics is rethinking the way sportswear is made by ensuring sustainability in all areas of the business, from creating the products by using regenerated nylon made from fishing nets to closing the loop by creating no end-waste through collecting and reusing discarded products. Simultaneously, Vain Dane Athletics has a large focus on social commitments. Vain Dane Athletics thus contributes to the UN SDGs 3, 12, 13, and 17.
Vain Dane Athletics has a zero-waste policy and strategy that is covering all stages from production to end-of-life treatment of products. In circular production, Vain Dane Athletics only uses materials that can be recycled indefinitely, such as recyclable Econyl made from discarded fishing nets and biodegradable wood.
“I have chosen to use wood since it requires much less water and the way you grow it is much more sustainable. When it comes to fishing nets, no one is going to use them to make new fishing nets. So that is how I chose my materials.”
Further, the company minimizes waste generation by keeping the design and number of materials as simple as possible to improve recyclability. All of this, without compromising quality.
Vain Dane Athletics is closing the loop through its end-of-life treatment of products and circular waste management. The company takes back worn-out clothes through a return deposit, from which the materials collected are reused to create new products. Furthermore, the cut-offs from the production are also reused and reshaped into new products. Vain Dane Athletics is also working to reuse larger cut-offs through a non-profit project where marginalized women are employed to create swimwear for children.
Other social commitments include giving away 2% of the annual revenue to research, charity, and partnerships. The company is also working to ensure decent wages for their workers by only collaborating with suppliers who work towards change in their industry:
“It costs more to produce sustainable products because the fabric you buy is more expensive because the people making it earn living wages not minimum or below minimum wages”.
Tina was pursuing a successful career as an HR manager in the Middle East.
“After having a guilty conscience for quite some time and not being able to pinpoint what exactly was the reason for this guilty conscience, it came to me one day when I was drinking water out of a water bottle.”
At this point in time, there was no waste management system in place in the Middle East. This acted as a turning point for Tina, and she realized that she wanted to start working on the issue of plastic pollution by becoming a part of the solution.
Tina realized that she wanted to work with plastic and combine it with the SDGs however, she had no idea of what product she wanted to create. After conducting research for one year, Tina eventually came up with the idea of creating sustainable sportswear made from regenerated plastic.
“If I have to do this, then I have to be able to justify why I am putting another sustainable sportswear brand into the market”. From the start Tina had a clear vision: “The clothes have to be much better than what is on the market, it has to come from waste, I can not generate waste myself, so I have to deal with the waste in production and what the customer has done with it. So by backtracking, I came up with the product”
Vain Dane Athletics' sustainable impact can be identified in both the environment and society. The circular business model contributes to the environment by repurposing polluted waste in the ocean and creating a regenerative sustainable product. The effects of this business model contribute to eliminating plastic in the sportswear industry and minimizing the pollution from the textile industry. The impact Vain Dane Athletics has on society can be recognized in the fair wages that the company offers for workers in all departments. When it comes to adding social impact, Vain Dane Athletics strives to influence sustainability in the sportswear industry, by shedding light on the plastic issues within the industry.
The short-term effect of the business is providing consumers with a sustainable option for sportswear and influencing the sportswear industry. The long-term effects are the rehabilitation of the ocean and the closing of the loop for waste in the sportswear industry.
The evidence that accredits Vain Dane Athletics' sustainable impact is the B-corporation certification awarded to them, as well as, being recognized as “Best for the World 2022” in two categories, community, and environment.
The sustainable business model has provided Vain Dane Athletics with several benefits. Vain Dane Athletics has been recognized with the highest B- corporation score in the Nordics. The benefit the certification provides is a competitive advantage in the sportswear industry.
If consumers or retailers would like to become more sustainable then Vain Dane Athletics would be the ultimate choice. Additional benefits would be the future proof of the company having a circular business model to ensure the production flow of the business. Furthermore, Vain Dane Athletics offers fair wages for all employees, this creates a loyal and trusted culture in the company that benefits the business.
Because the business has aligned itself with the four sustainable development goals: 3 Good health and well-being, 12 Responsible consumption and production, 14 Life below water, and 17 partnerships for the goals; the company has created a circular business model that contributes to the environment and society and therefore a good choice of business to partner up with.
Vain Dane Athletics' contribution to sustainable development has a positive effect on the environment and society. The hallmark of the business aligns itself with the fourteenth development goal of “life below water” and aims to minimize the pollution in the ocean. Thus, has chosen a responsible and regenerative material that can close the loop of creating excessive waste. Further, the production benefits the environment by using 100% regenerative material, eliminating plastic in the textile industry, and not producing waste.
Vain Dane Athletics' benefit to society is not only through their employee benefits but also through allowing the consumers to become more sustainable. Further, the business benefits society by being an advocate for sustainable sportswear in the textile industry and as mentioned before, providing a fair wage employer.
Vain Dane Athletics has created a sustainable business that benefits the environment and allows society to become more sustainable. By eliminating pollution, and creating a circular business, while offering businesses and consumers sustainable products, Vain Dane Athletics creates sustainable value that the environment and society benefit from.
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Tina Soegaard-Pedersen, Founder
Vain Dane Athletics is a responsible sportswear brand that provides everyday athletes with high-quality sustainable sportswear without comromising the design, environmental and ethical commitments, and quality.
To be a part of the solution, companies need to create a solution, something Vain Dane Athletics has taken seriously. Thye do so by creating a brand that ensures high-quality clothing that actually lasts, has a perfect fit and has high durability.