Corporate Responsibility

We are guided by the old Finnish philosophy of respecting nature, which takes many notions. It directs our sustainable thinking in design and production, while it also underlines the old wisdom of Finnish outdoorsmen – equipping yourself properly when heading out into the wilderness.

With our roots deep in the last true wilderness of Northern Europe, we want to do our part to ensure that our nature is preserved also for future generations. We are paying increasing attention to the environmental impact of our operations and are constantly working to find responsible ways to provide more responsible clothing for demanding wilderness conditions – clothing of high quality and function, that last a long time.

MATERIALS
We choose materials that are best suited for the intended use of our products and can be trusted in tough wilderness conditions. Firstly, the materials we use must be durable, easy to maintain and as environmentally friendly as possible.
Different recycled materials have been used in our collections for decades. For example the cotton-polyester blend we use is made from organic cotton and recycled polyester, the raw material for which comes from used plastic bottles. Our classic Sarkawool consists of recycled wool, which is old wool waste that has been torn into fibres and then remade into fabric. Our merino wool items consist of mulesing-free merino wool, which guarantees better living conditions for sheep. Finally, most of the cotton we use is organic.

We try to also look beyond just the materials we use, and as an example, the cardboard boxes used as packaging material are partly made from recycled materials - and in our own operations, we re-use boxes as much as we can.
We work hard to minimize the use of substances, that are harmful to the environment. We have been phasing out the use of long-chain perfluoroalkyl compounds in the material finishes (so-called C8 finishes) for many years. Many of our products have already a C0 finish (PFC free) and our goal is to move to it step by steps, as material suppliers are able to offer us such options. We also keep a close eye to avoid material loss and carefully plan the use of all the materials we procure.

We are constantly investigating the availability of various new materials and their suitability for our needs and for the type of garments we produce. Whenever possible, we switch to more environmentally friendly materials, unfortunately they are not yet available for all needs. For example, virgin polyester is still widely used in hunting products, as we have not found suitable alternatives made from recycled materials. Our suppliers continuously keep developing more responsible materials and give us a an even wider range of responsible material alternatives to choose from. That allows us to keep improving on the amount of responsible materials used, without making compromises on the quality and function of our clothes.

The proportions of different raw materials in the fabrics we used in 2023:

You can find more detailed information about the materials we use, their origin and certificates on our Materials page.

REPAIR SERVICE
Extending the lifespan of a garment can significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Therefore it is especially important to us that our products wear well against both time and use.

We have also provided a repair-service for our products throughout its history, since 1969. If the garment breaks down, or needs smaller repairs, we advise you to repair the product rather than discarding it or buying something new. More information about our repair service can be found here.
Alongside repairs, caring for your products is as important to extend the life of a garment. Detailed care instructions for Sasta products can be found on our website - and by following these instructions, you can extend the life of your clothes even further.

FACTORIES
Sasta's products are manufactured in carefully selected factories in European Union, China, India and Turkey. Of the total amount of materials (kg), we used in 2023, 93 % of our total production has been in the European Union and the rest 7 % outside EU.

The majority of production takes place in the European Union, where factories are bound by EU legislation on environmental and human rights issues. The proximity also allows for better communication and monitoring of our manufacturing partners.

Here is the list of factories and suppliers Sasta cooperates with 

ELECTRICITY

At Sasta's head office in Nurmes, we have chosen zero-emission windpower for our use. Electricity is GO-certified.

Through our electricity supplier, Pohjois-Karjalan Sähkö Ltd, we are involved in a project to dismantle the Louhikoski hydropower plant and free Sararojoki as a natural river route.

OUR SUSTAINABILITY WORK CONTINUES
We are constantly striving to improve our operations - and that also concerns all aspects of being more sustainable and responsible as a company and business. We want to reduce the environmental impact and increase the transparency and measurability of our operations.

Our next goal is to calculate our company's carbon footprint. We have signed the Scandinavian Outdoor Group’s climate initiative and we have pledged to be a carbon neutral enterprise by 2030. We have also joined the Carbon neutral textile 2035 -commitment launched by Finnish Textile & Fashion because we want to be involved in creating a carbon-neutral textile sector in Finland. With the commitment, we will have access to a carbon footprint calculator that meets the requirements of the standard for calculating the carbon footprint of organizations in accordance with the international Greenhouse Gas protocol. In addition to developing its own operations, the outgoing company is also committed to promoting low-emission operations in global value chains.

We intend to reduce our carbon footprint by avoiding unnecessary travelling and changing the materials and packaging of our products to more environmentally friendly. We intend to compensate for the remaining emissions in the future.