THE CHALLENGE THAT KICKSTARTED TRENDHIM’S CSR JOURNEY

In the winter of 20/21 Sustainawear threw a sustainability challenge for members of Danish Fashion and Textile (DM&T). Members signed up for the online e-learning platform, Sustainawear Community and received consultation on a bi-weekly basis at online meetings with founder Anne Katrine Blirup and the other participants. The bootcamp was meant as a kickstart to CSR. And that was exactly what it turned out to be for online accessories retailer, TRENDHIM.

To TRENDHIM, the online challenge became the beginning of a very important journey. A journey which they embarked on with great vigor and continued with an equal amount of dedication and hard work. Bit by bit they ate the elephant of sustainability and changed their business for the better along the way.

The model student of an online sustainability community

“In many ways, TRENDHIM is exactly the kind of member I envisioned when I created the platform in the first place. They’re dedicated, curious and resourceful. Even though they are aware of the great challenge CSR can be, they have showed that they are not afraid to take on that challenge.”

Anne Katrine Blirup, Founder of Sustainawear and developer of e-learning platform, Sustainawear Community.

TRENDHIM chose to use the e-learning platform exactly as it was intended. Taking everything one step and stage at a time. They watched the video lessons in the correct order and completed the tasks as they appeared on the platform. That way they made sure, that they did everything in the right order, and without skipping any important actions.

Putting in the work

Besides structure, another big factor when it comes to succeeding with CSR is the amount of work, you are willing to put in. Our advice is short and sweet: the more the better.

This does not mean slow starts are wrong – in fact they can be the very best way to get started, when you are unsure of where you are going.

But a successful sustainability implementation will require a lot of work, at some point or another. Otherwise, you can not expect to change your business all that much.

Luckily, TRENDHIM did not shy away from a challenge. And hard work has characterized their approach from day one. At all times they were willing to dedicate man hours, resources and include different employees from all over the organization in the process.

A joint effort

All over the TRENDHIM organization employees have gotten involved in CSR and sustainability, integrating it into their work area.

Still, they are not CSR experts yet. When they meet a challenge, or an unexplored area, they consult the e-learning platform, Sustainawear Community, for answers. If they do not find exactly what they are looking for, they call the Sustainawear team.

Designers use the platform when making new collections and want to know more about materials and building a more considerate material strategy.

For the future

It is safe to say that TRENDHIM has put their membership of the e-learning platform, Sustainawear Community to good use.

They have now completed most of the stages and use the e-learning platform as a sort of sustainability encyclopedia or database that can be consulted on occasion.

In the summer 2021, TRENDHIM finally got to present all their hard work to stakeholders – with great success.