Tretorn might have been in business for over 100 years, but the heritage footwear and raincoat brand is forward-thinking when it comes to dressing for the outdoors.

Founded in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1891, Tretorn started out making sturdy rubber shoes to withstand the harsh Scandinavian winters. It has since become most famous for its iconic Nylite tennis trainers and impressive range of coats that are both warm and colourful. But over the last three years, the brand has been reinventing itself as a sustainable and responsible clothing company, just when the demand for eco-friendly fashion has never been higher.

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While fast-fashion retailers have sparked concerns that the 'throw away' clothing culture is wasting valuable resources and contributing to climate change, a growing number of fashion labels have been upping their sustainability game.

Building on its philosophy to create long-lasting products, Tretorn has followed suit with 'Eco Essentials' - a collection made up of recycled, bio-degradable or renewable, clothing and footwear - first launched in 2016. The brand aimed to add over half of its outerwear inventory to this range by 2020. Last year, with the release of its Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, the company announced that 80% of its coats and jackets were already in this category.

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"In everything we do, sustainability is key," Fredrick Eksrom, head of sustainable affairs at Tretorn, tells Country Living. "For us, it means creating an organisation and business system that provides for quality of life, while being resilient with the environment and its resources."

Tretorn has long believed that its products should be durable, but reusing and recycling have become just as important in the manufacturing process. In keeping with this concept, the company has started to look to waste, including discarded fishing nets and recycled plastic bottles, as a resource.

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"We have always been concerned about the problems in our oceans and for us it is natural to create rainwear from materials that would otherwise end up damaging the environment," Eksrom explains.

"We found a substantial amount of left-over fabric in our factory's sample rooms which sparked the idea for a left-over project, creating small limited edition collections in unique colourings. After that we started to look upon the problem with dumped fishing nets in the ocean and started to look at what they are made of. What if we could 'naturally harvest' fishing nets and give them a second life as high-quality rainwear? That was the start of our Rain Jacket From The Sea Project."

Rain Jacket From The Sea Tretorn

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These parkas are woven in regenerated nylon from discarded fishing nets that are collected in Korean harbours. Free from fluorocarbons, phthalates and PVC, they follow on from the first product in the Eco Essentials range, the Recycled PU Parka. This unisex style, made from polyester from recycled PET bottles and consumer plastics, has become a bestseller for the brand. And the collection is expanding.

A new fabric called Ocean Shell has been developed using recycled polyester and recycled ocean waste. A light rain jacket which is 100% biodegradable is another of the latest inventions. In February, the brand will also launch new range of sustainable sneakers made of locally sourced natural and recycled rubbers and eco-suede. For Ekstrom, this focus on eco-friendly clothing is a "future engine for growth."

"Sustainability will be incorporated into everything we do, from digital sales meetings instead of traveling to solar panel factories and more recycled fabric in the production process," he says. "We believe that the future of innovation is sustainable innovation. It's in our DNA."

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