How Houdini has woven nature into its sportswear business model

October 18 – In 2014, The Guardian published an article about a problem that was on few people’s radar: the leaching of microfibres from synthetic clothing into marine ecosystems. It became one of the most popular sustainable business articles that year.

The insidious, tiny fibres that shed from clothing when washed or tumble-dried are responsible for 4% of the total mass of microplastic leakage into the oceans, along with personal care products. That’s between 200,000-500,000 tonnes of fibres entering the oceans every year.

There were few fashion companies back then that were aware of the issue, let alone working on it. But Sweden-based Houdini was one of the pioneers. Chief executive, Eva Karlsson, who has been at the helm of the sportswear company for 22 years, says they began working on microfibres in 2013, just one of the many sustainability and circular economy-related imperatives the small firm is advancing on.

As well as being a member of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, a cross-sector collaboration that aims to halve global emissions before 2030, Houdini built its 2018 corporate sustainability report around the Planetary Boundaries framework, the first company to do so. The boundaries, developed by Johan Rockstrom and his team, helped the company to link the fashion industry to all nine planetary boundaries.

We sat down with Karlsson to talk microfibres, circularity and why we don’t need any more innovation.

Q: When did Houdini start weaving circularity into its business model?

Eva Karlsson: I came on board in 2001, and that was when we defined our long-term strategy in terms of how to move towards regenerative business. Our products are designed for a long life, but they were still moving in a linear, albeit a slow linear, pattern. We needed to bend that curve, so to speak.

That means not only using recycled material and recycling at the end of life, but designing for circularity, so that instead of an end-of-life solution, there’s a next-life solution.

We then looked at natural resource flows and flows of products towards circular business models. Very early on we were exploring rental, subscription, take-back schemes and having vintage as a part of our offering. And repairs, of course.

Then the third part of circularity is the flow and distribution of knowledge. So open-source has been a principle of ours, sharing knowledge with peers in the industry, and also with our users and customers in order to shift mindsets. We’ve come a long way because we’ve been really stubborn: 85% or so of our products are designed for circularity.

Q: Houdini’s planetary boundary assessment dates from 2018, and the report says you had planned to do a full-scale, third-party planetary assessment every third year”. Is there one that is more up to date, and if not, why not?

EK: Our second planetary boundaries assessment was delayed due to Covid and us making an attempt at integrating a broader spectrum of indicators, among them user-phase impacts. We expect to publish it before the end of this year.

Q: What is your strategy around microfibres and microplastics more generally?

EK: We have very clearly defined goals for 2030 and that includes microplastics. In 2013, when we started talking to all our suppliers and innovation partners to figure out ways to solve it, we acknowledged that we are part of the problem and decided to act on it. I would say this recognition is still something that is lacking in many cases across the industry.

We’ve phased out quite a lot of staple fibre fabrics, meaning fabrics that are constructed with shorter fibres. Nowadays we only use filament fibres, which are extremely long and made in a very complex construction that doesn’t shed. We also work with appliance company Electrolux, which has a simple filter solution that can be added to existing appliances to catch microfibres.

Additionally, we’re working a lot on how to improve washing, but also garment care in the larger sense. Products are worn out by washing too much. We can shift the culture around care and support with new, better detergents. There are a lot of things companies can do.

Q: Is switching to longer filament fibres the main solution to reduce microfibre shedding?

EK: I think we need to take a holistic, systems approach – there is not one magic bullet that will solve all the problems. We need to work on several angles and go in many different directions. Our industry is pretty good at adding conceptually interesting, new and novel solutions, but only as a “spice on top”, or an additional separate line, and then continuing with business as usual.

There are many, complex issues we need to sort out, not least microfibres. For example, academic research has found that organic fabrics, when interacting with the natural environment, are behaving like synthetics. This is because they are treated with so many chemicals during dying and production. When Houdini uses natural materials, it’s important for us to make sure that the dyes and all the chemicals that are involved are either eliminated or substitutes are used. Some of the treatments that are done are not even necessary, and there are natural alternatives that are available.

Q: Houdini’s products fit into a more premium bracket. Is it possible to produce a sustainable fast fashion garment?

EK: If you look at the filament fibre, the long one that I talked about that is continuous, you can have it stretch through the entire fabric – that doesn’t have to make it more expensive. I think it’s much more about knowledge and willpower in that sense. But if we look at the larger scope of things, not only microfibre shedding but product longevity, it’s difficult to do it at a low price. And if you add to that social and ethical aspects, it’s not possible.

Q: Where does that leave us then?

EK: Honestly, I think that we have for the last few decades been trained to not value natural resources, because everything is available so cheaply. That has also resulted in an explosion in consumption. There are 100 billion garments produced every year, and 60% of that is discarded within the first year. That’s not value creation for anybody, not even the customer.

I think if we start valuing natural resources and valuing products, we will be more accepting of higher price points. But that’s very easy to say being a brand from Sweden catering to the top 7% of the global population.

We asked ourselves quite some years ago: would it be possible for us to add an entry-level price point or mid-price point in order to be more inclusive? And we realised that the only way to do that without compromising our philosophy on supporting ecosystems, society and individuals, is to continue doing super high-quality products that last for a long time, but offer them in circular business models. So, selling used products and offering a rental service, which we can do at a much lower price.

We did a survey around our Power Hoodie, (which retails for 220 euros) and found that it’s worn on average 1,287 times. The average in the western world is 10. And the global average is 160. Wearing something so many times means the cost-per-use goes down radically.

Q: What role can consumers play in reducing microfibre shedding?

EK: You can use a wash bag, and choose the right products. There’s a lot of talk at every conference about educating the customer. But it’s going to take time and it’s a complex issue – not only microplastics but everything about sustainability. Maybe the best solution is simply for brands to take responsibility by only offering sustainable alternatives. There’s no reason to continue with microfibre-shedding fabrics. We can continue to innovate, and I love innovation, but we don’t need to wait for it. We only need to decide whether we would like to have more fish or more microplastics in the ocean by 2050.

There’s exponential change going on in terms of mindset shifts, as well. We don’t even know what to expect in a few years, in terms of customer demand. So I think we all had better act, including fast fashion – now. Otherwise there will be stranded assets. I truly believe that.