KappAhl is working for more sustainable fashion in our wardrobes

KappAhl's effort to increase the proportion of sustainable fashion in our wardrobes continues. In fiscal year 2011/2012 selling fashion chain over 11 million garments with certified eco-labels.

With the current collection, "It's all about being friendly" the fashion chain use quirky and personal texts to reinforce the message with the eco-friendly garments.
      - It must be easy to shop fashion produced with care, the texts will help the customer to make a conscious choice, says Carina Ladow, Vice President Assortment and Design at KappAhl. We want our customers to get more stylish, sustainable clothes in their wardrobe.

To enhance the customer conscious choices when it comes to sustainable fashion is one of the fashion chain's priority activities in sustainability in the future.
     - Our customer should be aware of that also the KappAhl garments that are not certified meets harsh chemical requirements, says Eva Kindgren, CSR and quality manager of KappAhl production. The share of certified sustainable fashion will continue to increase each year in our stores.

About the collection "It's all about being friendly", currently in store:
"It's all about being friendly" is a recurring collection with an eco-friendly theme. This time, the collection consists of classic "feel-good clothes" in a neutral color scheme. The collection is made of materials that consistently are environmentally friendly, such as organic cotton, lyocell and recycled fibers.

• Organic cotton is grown without the use of dangerous chemicals, pesticides or fertilizers. Cotton titled organic is approved by external certification organs.
• Lyocell is a new type of fiber made from the same raw material (wood cellulose) as viscose but with chemicals use and manufacturing processes that a more gentle to the environment.
• Recycled fibers are made from already used materials such as PET bottles, old clothing or raw waste from the textile industry. This leads to a reduced consumption of raw materials.

During the year, KappAhl's work to help the customer to a more sustainable wardrobe included the following activities, among others:

• With more sustainable collections such as Newbie, Kaxs and "It's all about being friendly", the supply of sustainably produced fashion is growing every year.
• Clearer labeling of certified products in store.
• “The right way to Wash” guide in stores and on the website shows how both clothes and planet will last longer.
• Promoting the development of increased opportunities for recycling of textiles, in cooperation with industry peers.
• Cooperation with-in the Better Cotton Initiative to accelerate the increased availability of organic cotton.
• To make greater demands on limited chemical content in garments and in production.
• Became certified by the Swedish Environmental Department after testing substances banned by KappAhl such as lead, cadmium and nickel in jewelry

For more information:
Carina Ladow, Vice President Assortment and Design, tel +46 704 71 57 02
Eva Kindgren, CSR and Quality manager production, tel +46 704 40 57 37

For photos and other information:
Charlotte Högberg, tel. 0704-71 56 31, charlotte.hogberg @ kappahl.com

7 OUT OF 10 SWEDES CHOOSE TO GO INTO A KAPPAHL STORE*
KappAhl is a leading fashion chain with more than 380 stores and almost 4,900 employees in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic. KappAhl sells affordable fashion to a wide range of consumers – women, men and children – with a particular focus on women in the 30 to 50 age group with families. All KappAhl garments are designed by our own fashion team. In 1999, KappAhl was the first fashion chain in the world to receive environmental management standard certification. KappAhl’s sales for the 2010/2011 financial year reached almost SEK 5 billion and its operating income was SEK 222 million. KappAhl is quoted on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. More information is available on www.kappahl.com.

*Source: Orvesto Konsument 2011

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