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Luhta.com – Nordic house of brands for sports, outdoors and more

We maintain an active dialogue with our stakeholders and respond as openly as possible to questions regarding our operations and our sustainability work. Below are some of the most common questions and answers related to sustainability.

Questions and feedback regarding our sustainability work can be sent to: sustainability@luhta.fi

Materials

At Luhta Sportswear Company, product durability and suitability in the chosen use are at the heart of our responsibility work. We systematically work on material choices so that our products will function as long as possible in their intended use. We are constantly looking for materials whose environmental impact can be reduced while taking into account the requirements of the product's designated use.

ANIMAL-DERIVED MATERIALS
Although the use of animal-derived materials in Luhta’s products is marginal (around 2%), respecting animal welfare in material production is extremely important to us. We take animal welfare into consideration in our Supplier & Partner Code of Conduct, and we have in place an Animal Welfare Policy that binds our suppliers and sets out our minimum requirements for material suppliers to respect the rights and treatment of animal in the production of materials. We also take into account the criteria related to animal-derived materials in our internal Material Sourcing Guide, and we strive to ensure comprehensive third-party certificates of origin for the materials used, that indicates compliance with certain animal welfare standards..

FUR
We have phased out the use of fur completely by 2022. We will only use faux fur as a product feature.

DOWN AND FEATHERS
We require certificates of origin for the down and feathers used in our products, the use of which is conditional on the ethical treatment of animals. The cornerstones of ethical treatment in down production are the prohibition of force-feeding and of plucking down from live animals. The down and feathers used in our products are a by-product from the poultry industry.

WOOL AND MERINO WOOL
Wool is the fibre produced by sheep. We use both traditional wool and merino wool in our collections. Merino wool is a finer quality and more comfortable to the touch than wool from merino sheep. Merino wool is mainly produced in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Mulesing, a painful procedure that produces scar tissue on the animal, is often referred to in connection with merino wool. It is banned by law in several countries and we at Luhta have taken the position that we do not approve of the treatment for the merino we use.

MICROPLASTICS, FLEECE
Microplastics refer to tiny plastic particles that shed from synthetic fabrics such as polyester. Research into the effects of microplastics on humans and animals is ongoing. Technical materials are used in clothing to enhance their functional properties, comfort, and durability. (We recommend investing in products designed for their intended use that will remain in good condition for as long as possible. That is why we focus on the quality and durability of our products.) According to studies, the structure of the textile, the manufacturing method, the finish, and the wear and tear of the product can affect the release of microplastics. We recommend purchasing high-quality products designed for their intended use and washing them only when necessary.

RECYCLED MATERIALS
We aim to use recycled materials wherever possible. The availability of certain types of materials may limit their use. Materials are constantly evolving and our goal is to increase the proportion of recycled materials in each collections.

Products

PRODUCT QUALITY
Our products have high quality criteria. We design products that will last for years of use, both in terms of quality and appearance. Our products designed for active use are also tested in active use and are designed to withstand heavy use. In addition, products designed for active sports take into account the harsh wear and tear caused by sport-specific use in critical areas. Materials are wear-tested before production to ensure sustainable quality. However, in active and hard use, any material will wear out and the garments will not last forever.

PRODUCT SAFETY
The safety of our products is a key part of Luhta Sportswear Company’s sustainability and the entire product development, procurement, and sales process. We design and manufacture products so that they are safe to use, in terms of their functional, mechanical, and chemical properties. We comply with all legislation and good international practices relevant to our operations, and we continuously develop our systems to meet the expectations of authorities and stakeholders. 

CHEMICALS
Chemicals such as dyes, finishing and fixing agents are an integral part of the textile manufacturing process. All our products on sale comply with current chemical legislation and consumer regulations. We always comply with up-to-date chemical legislation based on the EU REACH, POPs and with special attention to SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern), which are classified as particularly harmful. As a manufacturer of technical outdoor products, we have paid particular attention to the exclusion of PFC/PFAS chemicals in the waterproofing and repellency treatments of fabrics and accessories, and thus we oblige our partners to use PFC/PFAS free alternatives in water repellency treatment and technical films. We always recommend washing textile products that come into contact with the skin before use to remove any chemical residues.  

WHAT HAPPENS TO UNSOLD PRODUCTS / WHETHER SURPLUS PRODUCTS ARE INCINERATED
We sell them at a lower price than the normal price in our factory outlets or we donate items to charity. We do not incinerate clothes left over from seasonal sales or returned to our stores.

Luhta Sportswear Company as a Company

FINNISH COMPANY / DOMESTICITY
We are a 100% Finnish-owned family business and our brands are also rooted and managed here. The main areas of our business, from design and product development to marketing, sales, logistics and administration, are in Finland, and the majority of the taxes we pay are also paid in Finland. Unfortunately, we have been forced to abandon production in Europe and move it mainly to Asia to our long-term contract manufacturers, who are guided by our highly refined quality and production control process. We provide a transparent account of our sourcing processes in our Sustainability Report, which you can read more about here. We still produce in Europe and Finland too.

COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE AND BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY
Sustainability is at the heart of our business, from the point of view of product, environmental responsibility and social responsibility. Global operations bring risks and challenges in terms of human resources and human rights, highlighting the importance of managing these responsibly in all countries. We are a member of amfori BSCI, which promotes social responsibility in the supply chain, which, alongside our own processes, helps us to ensure social responsibility in production. The purchasing agreements that Luhta enters into with contract manufacturers bind suppliers to comply with the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the principles of the amfori BSCI, for example. Compliance with these principles is monitored both by Luhta and by external auditors.

In China, we operate through our local subsidiary. There, our in-house quality controllers are actively involved in monitoring the production of our contract factories, both to ensure product quality and to comply with our Code of Conduct and policy obligations. In China, we have our own organisation who is responsible for this process. 

NORTH STAR
North Star is our own production and quality control process, whereby we regularly monitor and audit our suppliers and factories in China, carrying out quality checks both before and during the start of production. In addition to ensuring that the conditions are in line with the requirements, these audits are also to ensure that our products are manufactured in the factories that we have been notified of. Some of the audit visits are unannounced, i.e. the supplier is not informed in advance of these audit visits. The audit largely follows the same principles as the amfori BSCI.

ACTIVITIES IN RUSSIA
Luhta condemns at all levels the war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine. At the outbreak of the war, we immediately ceased all our operations in Russia and also demanded that local franchisees cease doing business under our brand.

CLIMATE IMPACT
We recognise that the textile industry has a significant impact on climate change and that our biggest greenhouse gas emissions come from the production chain. We monitor and calculate annually the scope 1-3 greenhouse gas emissions from our operations globally in accordance with the GHG Protocol and report the results as part of our sustainability reporting. In 2023 we committed to setting science-based, short- and long-term climate targets in line with SBTi. In 2025, the SBTi approved our company’s updated climate targets. We have created a Climate Change Mitigation Transition Plan to achieve our climate goals and we are continuously developing our activities in line with the plan.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental sustainability is part of our business and sustainability strategy. We are constantly improving our operations to prevent and reduce the harmful environmental impacts caused by our own activities and our value chain. A significant proportion of the products we design and manufacture are intended for outdoor use, so a clean environment is of particular importance to our business. We want future generations to be able to enjoy outdoor activities in nature and in a clean environment. We also expect our subcontractors and suppliers to act in a similar manner.

PACKAGING
We focus on more efficient product packaging and the use of recyclable packaging materials in product packaging, logistics, and our stores. We ensure that our packaging materials are certified.

ENERGY
To reduce our carbon footprint, we have switched to using renewable energy for electricity and heat in our headquarters and warehouses. In the future, we want to be more self-sufficient in our energy consumption and we will produce a large part of the electricity needed for our logistics centre in Finland locally with solar power.

In the autumn 2022 we installed solar panels on the roof of our logistics centre in Nastola, Lahti. We also installed solar panels in 2025 on the property of our subsidiary in Suzhou, China.

Luhta Reuse Service in Finland

In 2022, we launched in Finland the Luhta ReUse service, which allows us to take greater responsibility for the products we already use or will sell in the future. Our ReUse service takes in used Luhta products and gives them a new life, either as reusable or recycled material at our partner's premises. We are exploring possibilities to expand the service to international markets.

What happens to the collected clothes?
Saleable items are delivered to our Lahti office, where they are inspected, described and prepared for sale in the Luhta ReUse online shop.

What happens to products that are not saleable?
Products that cannot be sold are properly delivered to our partner for textile recycling.

How much of the returned products will be sold?
So far, more than half of the returned products have been saleable. The rest of the returned products are sent to our recycling partner for fibre recycling.

Where can I buy used products?
Clothes returned for recycling through the Luhta ReUse programme can be purchased from the ReUse section of the Luhta.com online shop.

Can I buy second-hand products from the shop?
Unfortunately, we do not sell products returned to the store directly on site, but ReUse clothing is sold online.

What are the prices of the second-hand clothes for sale?
In principle, second-hand clothing is available online at a lower price than the corresponding new product. However, some of them can be real gems, vintage treasures, and the price can go up considerably.

Can I return the second-hand clothes I have bought?
The same ordering, payment and return conditions apply to used clothing purchased from the online shop as to other products ordered from the luhta.com online shop.

Can I complain about the used clothing I have bought?
Used clothing purchased from the online shop is subject to the same complaints conditions as other products ordered from the luhta.com online shop. Please read the product description carefully. The characteristics of used clothing may have changed over time, e.g. in terms of water repellency. Please note that the product may have been used for long, so is not in mint condition and may have natural wear and tear and imperfections due to use.