Brynje of Norway is a small, Norwegian family business from Larvik. We deliver clothing that keeps you dry, warm and strong when you are outside in all kinds of weather. Humans are part of nature, and we need the resources that nature provides us. Therefore, it is our responsibility to take care of nature for future generations.

Social responsibility, nature and environmental considerations are the basis for Brynje’s entire business. It is in the backbone of our employees and guides all the small and large decisions we make on a daily basis - in meeting with suppliers, customers and partners. We work purposefully to ensure that we always stay on top as one of the most environmentally friendly outdoor clothing manufacturers in Norway. We are proud of this.

Quality lasts longest

Since 1887, Brynje has made clothes with a focus on quality, functionality and durability. We make products with high quality so that they last as long as possible. Unlike others who constantly change collections and facilitate that people should buy new, Brynje makes models that should live for years after years. Our colors are timeless and inspired by nature.

“All clothes have a high environmental and climate footprint. The most important thing one can do to preserve nature and the environment is to take good care of the clothes one has and try to reduce the consumption of new clothes,” writes Framtiden i våre hender. In other words - the longer you use your clothes, the better it is for both your wallet and nature.

Brynje is Eco-Lighthouse certified

Brynje is a certified Eco-Lighthouse company (PDF) and works continuously to improve its environmental performance in the areas of working environment, waste management, energy use, procurement and transport. It is important for us to contribute to the UN’s sustainability goals. Brynje works purposefully on a daily basis to become even more nature and environmentally friendly. Locally in Larvik, for example, we have replaced oil heating with heat pumps. We have replaced old lighting with LED lights and facilitated electric car charging. We sort waste in all rooms and are constantly looking for new things we can improve. Brynje was one of the very first clothing manufacturers in Norway to join the recycling scheme Grønt Punkt.

Wool, yarn and shell without harmful substances

Brynje only collaborates with leading manufacturers and suppliers who have a clear, stated environmental profile. Our raw materials come from world-leading Schoeller Textiles in Switzerland, Schoeller Spinning Group in Austria and Sudwollegroup in Germany. We also use Polartec and zippers from YKK. None of our shell garments contain environmentally harmful PFOA or PFOS chemicals. The yarn we use has the textile industry’s highest environmental certification Bluesign, and is on the independent organization Oeko-Tex’s list of approved products.

Product composition for the longest possible durability

The process behind each Brynje garment should be as sustainable as possible. In line with the times, Brynje has developed and made changes in the product composition. Today we deliver products with different compositions of merino wool, polyamide and polypropylene. The different combinations give the products unique properties, high quality and very long durability. All our wool products contain a certain amount of polyamide that improves the garments’ technical properties when used, while increasing wear resistance and lifespan.

Polypropylene is a synthetic fiber that has unique properties when used in sports clothing. The fiber has several environmental advantages in terms of climate, seizure of agricultural land and chemical consumption. Polypropylene fiber increases the wear resistance of clothing, which means long life and reduced need to buy new clothing every season. Framtiden i våre hender says that “natural fiber with a smaller proportion of synthetic materials can be environmentally friendly overall with regard to the lifespan of the clothes”. Many customers who use e.g. Super Thermo netting tell us that they have used their garments for 10-15 years. Polypropylene can be recycled many times.

There is a lot of debate around product composition and many considerations to take. Brynje has chosen a clear strategy: We do not want to become as big as possible. Instead, we want to act sustainably in collaboration with conscious customers. Therefore, we make products with high quality so that they last as long as possible. If you wear out three wool sweaters against one, the total environmental impact will be much greater. The most important thing you can do for nature is to take care of your clothes and use them as long as possible.

Animal welfare

Brynje only uses wool of high quality and believes that human needs should not come at the expense of animal welfare. We guarantee that we never use wool from sheep that are subjected to mulesing or any other form of abuse. It is an absolute matter of course that the animals we get resources from are treated with respect.

Production in Europe - headquarters in Larvik, Norway

Brynje has its headquarters in Larvik and this is where we develop products, perform repairs and customize garments for customers who need it. In the sewing room we also do some small-scale production and make a few hundred garments a year. The rest of the production takes place in Poland, and we have worked closely with the same factories for over 20 years. Our shell clothing is produced by Tekosom in Gdansk and our wool products by Elastic in Lodz. It is approx. 112 miles from Oslo to Gdansk, which corresponds to the distance Oslo - Bodø. To save the environment, we use digital meeting places as much as possible to communicate with our partners. Close and frequent dialogue is important to ensure that production takes place in a good and proper way, and that employees are doing well. All factories are ISO 9001 certified.

Framtiden i våre hender has made a list of brands that are open about where they produce their goods. Under “outdoor and sport” you will find Brynje of Norway.

Brynje safeguards human rights and does not engage in social dumping when it comes to labor. We are against all forms of discrimination and harassment and take care of our employees as well as possible. High quality and consideration for people, nature and the environment are the reason why our products are not among the cheapest on the market.

We want nature and environmentally conscious customers

Our goal is not to become as big as possible. Instead, we want to contribute to preserving nature and the environment together with conscious customers. Our dream customer values quality that lasts and uses their clothes as long as possible.

In Norway, people buy about 70,000 tons of new clothes every year and throw away tons of clothes that have never been used. Each new garment corresponds to greenhouse gas emissions of between 1 and 17 kg of carbon dioxide (framtiden.no). We are happy to help you repair, but if you can fix small things yourself, you save both the environment and your wallet. Take good care of your clothes; wash them properly and only when really needed. Feel free to extend the life of the old, thin-worn wool sweater by using netting underneath.

We appreciate feedback that makes us even better. Thank you for choosing Brynje! We take it as a vote of confidence and promise to do our best to preserve nature and the environment in collaboration with you.

See also:

Uganda: Brynje supports health work in the Moon Mountains

Nepal: Brynje supports education in the Himalayas