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Social and Environmental Responsibility

Brynje of Norway is a small family-owned clothing company located in Larvik, Norway. We have pioneered thermal mesh technology for over 75 years and our innovative baselayers have kept generations of adventurers dry and warm. When Tenzing Nogay and Sir Edmund Hillary first reached the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953, they wore Brynje's Original String Vest.

We care about protecting the climate and natural environment for future generations and continue to commit to reducing our environmental impact.

Social responsibility and environmental protection are core values shared by our employees, and key drivers in day to day decisions relating to partners, suppliers and customers. We take pride in our diligence to remain one of the leading environmentally-friendly outdoor clothing companies in Norway. 

 

Quality garments designed to last

Since its inception in 1887, Brynje has consistently placed quality, functionality, and durability at the centre of the manufacturing process. Our ultra-durable garments are designed to last for many years. We see our products as a counterweight to ‘fast fashion’ and purposefully apply timeless colours and designs throughout our collections.

Norwegian environmental organisation The Future In Our Hands states the following about emissions and resource use in the manufacturing process of clothes: "All clothes have a high environmental and carbon footprint. The most important thing you can do to protect the environment is to take good care of the clothes you already own and to reduce the consumption of new clothes." 

We say: the longer you wear our products, the better it is, for the environment and your wallet!

  • We offer a 5-year guarantee on our products and are delighted to hear of customers who have worn their Brynje garment for 10-15 years

  • We are happy to help with repairs but encourage you to purchase replacement parts and make small repairs yourself. This is often both faster and more cost-effective than sending your garments to us. Reducing transport emissions is also good for the environment. 

  • For maximum longevity of your Brynje products, learn to care for them properly. To avoid overwashing, we recommend airing wool and synthetic mesh garments several times before putting them in the washing machine.

 

Eco-Lighthouse certified 

Brynje is certified by Norway’s leading sustainability and social responsibility certifying body Eco-Lighthouse. We consistently seek to improve our performance in areas relating to our work environment, waste management, energy use, raw material procurement, and transportation, and to contribute towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We also strive to improve our environmental performance in our daily operations. At our head office in Larvik, we have recently replaced oil boilers with heat pumps. Our old lighting has been replaced with LED lights, every room has a recycling system and we are now set up to facilitate electric car charging.

Brynje was one of the very first clothing manufacturers in Norway to join the Green Dot scheme in the early ’90s. Green Dot Norway is a privately owned non-profit company responsible for financing the recovery and recycling of used packaging on behalf of the industrial sector.

 

Free from harmful substances 

Our wool, yarn, and shell materials are free from substances that can be harmful to your health.

 

Material composition for maximum longevity

Our aim is for the manufacturing process of every Brynje garment to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Over time, we have adapted and evolved the material composition of our products to meet this aim. Currently, we produce clothing in combinations of merino wool, polyamide and polypropylene. For example, all our wool garments contain a certain amount of polyamide. Our different material compositions are designed to improve the technical properties, strength and durability of each garment and to increase their lifespan.

Polypropylene is a synthetic fibre with unique properties when utilised in sportswear. There are environmental benefits to using it, especially in the areas of carbon emissions, agricultural land use and chemical consumption. Polypropylene can also be recycled multiple times. Most importantly, Polypropylene fibres increase the durability of garments, which means longer product life and a reduced need for customers to buy new clothing every season. 

Norwegian environmental organisation The Future In Our Hands state that "natural fibre mixed with a small proportion of synthetic materials can be environmentally friendly overall, due to the longevity of the clothes". Many of our customers who have purchased our Polypropylene-based Super Thermo garments tell us that they have worn them for 10-15 years. 

The textile industry is engaged in an ongoing debate about fibre compositions and other considerations related to environmental sustainability. Here at Brynje, we have taken a clear position: Instead of pursuing a growth strategy, we want to promote conscious consumerism with customers who value high-quality products that have a longer lifespan. As our customer, the most important thing you can do for the climate and natural environment is to care well for your clothes and wear them for as long as possible.

Eco-Lighthouse certified

Brynje is certified by Norway’s leading sustainability and social responsibility certifying body, "Miljøfyrtårn" / Eco-Lighthouse. We consistently seek to improve our performance in areas relating to our work environment, waste management, energy use, raw material procurement, and transportation, and to contribute towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We also strive to improve our environmental performance in our daily operations. At our head office in Larvik, we have recently replaced oil boilers with heat pumps. Our old lighting has been replaced with LED lights, every room has a recycling system and we are now set up to facilitate electric car charging.

Brynje was one of the very first clothing manufacturers in Norway to join the "Grønt Punkt" / Green Dot scheme in the early ’90s. Green Dot Norway is a privately owned non-profit company responsible for financing the recovery and recycling of used packaging on behalf of the industrial sector.



Free from harmful substances

 

Material composition for maximum longevity

Our aim is for the manufacturing process of every Brynje garment to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Over time, we have adapted and evolved the material composition of our products to meet this aim. Currently, we produce clothing in combinations of merino wool, polyamide, and polypropylene. For example, all our wool garments contain a certain amount of polyamide. Our different material compositions are designed to improve the technical properties, strength, and durability of each garment and to increase their lifespan.

Polypropylene is a synthetic fibre with unique properties when used in sportswear. There are environmental benefits to its use, especially in the areas of carbon emissions, agricultural land use and chemical consumption. Polypropylene can also be recycled multiple times. Most importantly, Polypropylene fibres increase the durability of garments, which leads to a longer product life and reduced need for customers to refresh their wardrobes every season.

The Norwegian environmental organisation "Framtiden i våre hender" (The Future In Our Hands) state that "natural fibre mixed with a small proportion of synthetic materials can be environmentally friendly overall, due to the longevity of the clothes". Many of our customers who have purchased our Polypropylene-based Super Thermo garments tell us that they have worn them for 10-15 years.

Brynje sells Guppyfriend washing bags that prevent microplastic from being released into the waterways. 

The textile industry continues to debate the issue of fibre composition and other considerations affecting environmental sustainability. Here at Brynje, we have taken a clear position: Instead of pursuing a growth strategy, we want to promote conscious consumerism with customers who value high-quality products that have a longer lifespan. As our customer, the most important thing you can do for nature is to care well for your clothes and wear them for as long as possible.
 

Animal welfare

Brynje cares about the welfare rights of animals. We use premium quality wool from suppliers that ensure strict animal welfare practices, and guarantee that the wool we use does not come from sheep that are exposed to mulesing or other forms of abuse


Production in Europe - head office in Larvik, Norway

Brynje’s headquarters are in Larvik where we design our products, perform repairs and tailor garments to the unique needs of some of our customers and clients. We also carry out small-scale production of a few hundred limited garments each year.

Our main production takes place in Poland where we have partnered with the same factories for over 20 years. Our shell clothing is produced at Tekosom in Gdansk and our wool products at Elastic in Lodz. These factories hold the ISO 9001 certification, which is the world’s most widely recognised Quality Management System standard.

We have chosen to locate our production in Europe and keep our product miles as low as possible. Although our production partners are located abroad, the distance between Oslo-Gdansk equates to the distance Oslo-Bodø within Norway. 

To cut carbon emissions, we use digital meeting places as much as possible to communicate with our partners. Close and frequent dialogue is important to ensure effective and responsible production with the welfare of employees in mind.

Norway’s leading environmental organisation, The Future In Our Hands, lists brands that are transparent about where they manufacture their products. Their list includes Brynje of Norway.

Brynje safeguards human rights and does not engage in labour based social dumping. We oppose all forms of discrimination and harassment and take care to ensure the wellbeing of our staff. Ultimately, these considerations result in more ethically and environmentally sound products.

We support health & education projects in Uganda and Nepal

The pursuit of adventure, spectacular nature experiences and personal mastery have brought Brynje’s ambassadors and customers into contact with local communities around the world. We believe we have a responsibility to positively impact these communities. In 2021, Brynje began contributing to two different initiatives situated in remote mountain regions of Uganda and Nepal. We invite our customers and collaborators to join us in supporting these projects:


Conscious consumerism

Our focus is not on becoming the biggest brand or the most profitable outdoor retailer in the market. Instead of pursuing a growth strategy, Brynje is choosing to encourage ethical and environmentally responsible consumerism. We attract conscious customers who are willing to pay the realistic cost for high quality, durable and ethically produced clothing and who will wear their Brynje garments for as long as possible.

To prolong the life of wool garments, we suggest adding a mesh layer underneath, when the wool starts to become threadbare. Learn how to care for your Brynje clothes here. We are happy to perform repairs but recommend that you purchase replacement parts and make small repairs yourself.

We value constructive feedback. Thank you for choosing Brynje! We view it as a declaration of trust and will do our best to protect nature and environment in collaboration with you.
 

 

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