The Model 4R was originally created by a city in the United States, where it wanted to find a way for more efficient management of the area's recycling and waste management. The model quickly spread to other areas and countries. We quickly liked the 4R model, as it is easy to work with and clearly explains the areas we want to work in to reduce our business impact on the environment.

In short, it is for us to reduce the use of our natural resources by consuming less. When you buy a higher quality garment, your garment will last longer and you can reuse garments for a sibling, cousin or friend. If necessary, we will always offer to repair your garment from Polar Bear. In this way we also save our natural resources. Finally, when the life of your garment from Polar Bear is over, then we strive to make your garment possible to recycle.

REDUCE 

By Reducing the amount of products that we use we reduce the environmental impact. Less consumption
means less production — which results in less pollution, less waste and fewer transports. This is how we contribute: We encourage the customer to make informed choices and buy the right product. We encourage the customer to buy fewer products and use the more. Our high quality clothing also reduces the frequency the consumers need to buy new, which results in less environmental impact. Reuse
When we Reuse the clothing that already exists we eliminate the strain that new production causes the planet. This is what we do:

• The Isbjörn of Sweden clothing is
designed for being reused.

• We encourage consumers to reuse the
clothes.

• Isbjörn of Sweden clothing has a high
value on the second hand market.
repair

REUSE

When we Reuse the clothing that already exists we eliminate the strain that new production causes the planet. This is what we do:

• The Isbjörn of Sweden clothing is designed for being reused.
• We encourage consumers to reuse the clothes.
• Isbjörn of Sweden clothing has a high value on the second hand market.

REPAIR

Repairing a product avoids it being discarded for a minor failure and having
to be replaced by a new. This is what we do:

• As much as possible we try and design products that are possible to repair.
• We offer our customers repair if a garment for some reason would fail.

RECYCLE

To Recycle products is a last resort as it is a lot more environmentally friendly to reuse existing products. However all products has a lifetime and when they are no longer possible to use in their
current form some materials can be recycled. It is a significant environmental gain in recycling compared to using new resources.
This is what we do:
We use recycled materials whenever it is possible in the designs. Our entire fleece collection as well as all padding we use, is made out of recycled fibers. Our aim for the future is to
present more and more products in our collection entirely made out of recycled materials as well as offering a possibility to return used garments back to us.

WHY DO BIRDS FEATHERS NOT GET WET ?

Why does this type of water repellency in nature work without perfluorinated
compounds? Effective implementation of natural functions The Rudolf Group has answered these questions by means of the scientific branch Bionic.

BIONIC FINISH ECO DOES NOT MEAN TO JUST IMITATE NATURE..

..but to realise its functional principles and to transfer them to technical solutions. Thus, novel, sustainable and ecologically
advantageous technologies for imparting hydrophobic properties have been developed.

Hydrophobic finishing with Bionic-Finish® Eco is based on a fluorine-freerecipe. Hyperbranched, hydrophobic polymers with ramified structures like in tree tops orientate in an orderly manner on the textile and crystallise on specifically adjusted comb polymers. The optimum arrangement of many of these functional elements is highly effective. Additional boosters(crosslinking agents) ensure the optimum attachment and durability on many fibre substrates.

read more

Rudolf Group:

www.rudolf.de/en/

In January 2013 we became Bluesign® system partner. As a Bluesign® system partner we receive knowledge and help with our work to become even more environmentally friendly. It is an on-going progress to produce new materials which are better for the environment without loosing function and quality.

Today over 90% of our material are Bluesign® certified with the goal to become even better.

The five principles of the bluesign® system What is the meaning of a sustainable textile business? It means to conserve valuable resources, to minimize environmental impact and to drive innovations. Industrial partners will in particular have to examine all their components and processes on the basis of clear principles. In this spirit the textile industry will be able to guarantee sustainability to both consumers and environment.

THE FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR the Bluesign ® system

1. Resource productivity — sustainable use of energy and raw materials
2. Consumer safety — responsibility to people and environment
3. Water emission — improved protection of the natural circulation
4. Air emission — less air pollution for a better climate
5. Occupational health & safety — improve working conditions.