Climate change increases water scarcity and uneven distribution of water resources. We want to do our best to reduce both our value chain and our own water consumption. In 2024, for the first time, we achieved our goal of halving the water scarcity score of our textile materials per kilogram of sourced textiles. The water scarcity score for textile materials decreased by 76 per cent from the base year, while the target was to reduce it by 50 per cent in 2019–2025. The water scarcity score takes into account the blue water consumption in the cradle-to-gate production of textiles and the water scarcity of the region where water is consumed. Value based on Higg MSI 3.9.1 data, available at app.worldly.io
The decrease in the score was mainly due to the lower emission factor of the Better Cotton cotton we use, due to the regular update in the Higg MSI database. In addition, increasing the share of organic cotton to 52 percent of all purchased cotton had a major impact.
Increasing the share of organic, regenerative and recycled materials and new material innovations will help us to reduce the use of water in the upstream of Marimekko’s value chain. Water use can also be reduced in our own operations by improving water efficiency at our printing factory, and in the downstream of our value chain by washing our products less often at home.
We have not set a target for Marimekko’s own water consumption but we strive to use water in our own operations efficiently. We also monitor the water use at the HQ and at the printing factory. Our own printing factory holds an environmental permit which sets conditions e.g. for the quality of our wastewaters. In accordance with the environmental permit requirements, wastewater samples were taken and analyzed four times during 2024. The limit value for one of the substances to be monitored, chromium, was exceeded once. After the exceedance, the wastewater sampling well was emptied and cleaned. In the new sampling, the concentrations dropped back to the normal level, clearly below the limit values. Compliance with our environmental permit is also monitored through annual reporting and inspections.