Women’s empowerment is not just a buzzword. It’s a conscious and ongoing effort to ensure that women have equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources. As a Norwegian brand, you could say that this mission sits particularly close to our hearts. Norway is considered one of the most gender equal countries in the world and often ranks in the top five of global gender parity reports. We at Kari Traa share this commitment and use our brand as a lever to push for progress and to empower women – no matter who they are or where they come from.

As a relatively small company, we believe that the greatest impact can sometimes best be achieved by aligning with other initiatives in the business and non-profit sectors. The UN Sustainable Development Goals is one such example, particularly its Goal 5 which pledges to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” 

But as a brand run by women, making products for women that are primarily produced by women, we’re serious about reducing human rights abuses and creating greater gender equality, and we will go it alone where need be. So, whether we’re giving female athletes the opportunity to secure more funding or improving conditions for the workers in our focus project with some of our key factories. We’re part of shaping a future where all women get the support and opportunities they deserve.  

All of our initiatives are aimed at improving the living, working (and playing!) conditions for women around the world. From sportswomen to seamstresses, we’re on a journey to rally and champion the global sisterhood in every way we can! 

• Supporting women in sports.

• Using our platform to highlight women’s issues: we’re not afraid to speak up about the issues that matter to us, no matter how controversial. We believe that if you’ve got a voice, you should use it!!  

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It’s everyone’s birthright to enjoy the breathtaking nature this world has to offer – no exceptions. But not everyone has access to, or feels welcome in, the outdoors. A major diversity problem means many people are missing out on the health and happiness benefits of spending time outside. We’re on a mission to change this, and to make the outdoors more welcoming, inclusive and accessible to all.

We recognize that accessing outdoor spaces can feel daunting if it's not something you're used to or know much about. By removing the barriers that many people face when getting outside, we hope to diversify the outdoors and make it a more inclusive place for everyone. What’s good for us is good for the planet – because the more people who love nature, the more people who care about protecting it now and in the future.   

It can be tough to get outdoors when you don’t have the right knowledge, equipment or community. Our initiatives aim therefore to assist minority groups in claiming their space in the outdoors and embrace all that nature has to offer.

• We work with underrepresented women’s groups to open up the outdoors to all.

   

• Women have unique demands when it comes to their activewear. We’re committed to developing products with integrated FemTech to give women the comfort and protection they need to push their limits. 

   

• Representation matters. We maintain a strict marketing policy that involves promoting models and talents representing different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. There’s no one-size-fits-all look at Kari Traa. 

   

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We do much more than create activewear. We use our platform as a force for promoting women’s health, in every sense of the term. Our bodies are made to move, whether you’re conquering the mountain slopes or enjoying a relaxed stroll in the city with friends. As a brand that’s bent on enabling and inspiring women to be more active outside, we hope to support them in their journey to becoming the healthiest, happiest version of themselves.

Providing women with the equipment they need to lead full, healthy lives is only the start. We want to inspire women from all walks of life to dive headfirst into an active lifestyle. A mission, by the way, that aligns with the UN’s third Sustainable Development Goal for good health and well-being worldwide. Why is this so important to us? Because women are the beating heart of our brand, and we’re passionate about helping them live their lives to the max.

We don’t just talk the talk. We’ve spent many years trying to change the landscape of women’s sports and putting the spotlight on women’s physical and mental health.

• We encourage a healthy, active lifestyle and support women’s sports teams

   

• Across our channels, we are growing a community and promoting a sense of sisterhood. Sharing experiences and motivating each other to maintain a healthy lifestyle can inspire women to stay committed to their health and well-being.

   

• Every year, breast cancer affects 2.3 million women and causes 685,000 deaths globally. We are engaged in several initiatives aimed at improving these numbers by increasing awareness of early detection and providing support to those affected by breast cancer. We donate a portion of the earnings from each Kari Traa bra sold

  in October

  to the Norwegian Cancer organization in an effort to support breast cancer research. 

   

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It would be hypocritical to preach about empowering women while not taking care of our own. How we behave and do business within our organization is closely monitored to make sure everyone working for us enjoys safe and fair working conditions. We’re all in this together, and by choosing Kari Traa, you’re supporting a brand that stands with women.

Of the millions of people working in the global textile industry, the vast majority are women. This majority is even greater in the garment manufacturing stage,

. Close relationships with those working in our supply chain is therefore crucial to ensure that our workplaces are safe and healthy, benefiting women today and creating a blueprint for increasingly better working conditions for tomorrow.

Creating a secure and fair work environment for our co-workers in the factories is a top priority for us. To keep us on the right track, we follow standards laid out by the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The International Labour Organization (ILO) towards equal pay between women and men and fair compensation. We are closely tracking so called zero tolerance issues and that all workers are entitled to overtime provisions and regular breaks during their workdays. These rights should be considered the standard, but sadly they’re still denied to many workers.

We have high expectations both of ourselves and our business partners when it comes to everything from compliance with laws and regulations to labour standards, human rights, and environmental protection. We have joined forces with several leading initiatives to help us maintain these high standards:

• As a part of the Active Brands family, we are a member of Amfori, a leading global business association for open and sustainable trade. Through our participation in Amfori’s Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), we receive valuable assistance in inspecting factories and assigning ratings ranging from A to F. Factories that achieve an A or B rating are granted approval and undergo inspections just once every second year. However, if a factory receives a C rating, we conduct annual inspections to ensure continuous improvement in their practices. We are not approving factories with a lower rating than C.

   

• Through Active Brands, we’re a member of the Ethical Trade Norway (IEH) organization which advises us on which countries are safe to produce in, what to look for when doing inspections and how to create efficient long-term goals. IEH has also helped us develop our code of conduct to meet the UN’s, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) and our own regulations.

   

• To maintain close proximity to our production, which primarily takes place in Southeast Asia, we have established an office in Shanghai with a team of around 40 dedicated professionals. This team conducts unannounced inspections and workers’ interviews, ensures product quality, and fosters valuable, long-term relationships with our partner factories.

   

• Promoting clean production is a key part of our commitment to safeguarding both the well-being of our consumers and our behind-the-scenes team who make our products. Our certifications from bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® reflect our dedication to this cause. Read more about this on our ‘Footprint’ page.

   

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It already is a challenge to simply keep up with today’s complex supply chains. But for sustainability to have a chance of being anything but an empty promise, we need to know

where the various components of our products are being made and under what circumstances. Fortunately, this “traceability” is something we’ve gotten pretty good at here at Kari Traa. In a world with history of labor violations and air pollution, we´re in a position where we confidently can communicate our traceability to our stakeholders with transparency.

Ensuring the traceability of our materials is a top priority for Kari Traa. Here, we rely on third-party certifications, such as bluesign®, OEKO-TEX®, and IWTO-sourced wool, to guarantee that our fibers and textiles come from responsible sources. Additionally, we use FSC-certified paper and GRS-certified plastics in our recycled materials and packaging. These certifications help to assure both us and our customers that the materials we use are contributing towards a more responsible supply chain.

The Ethical Trade Norway organization serves as a resource center and driving force for promoting sustainable business practices that safeguard human and employee rights, society, animals, and the environment. They are supporting us members on ESG priorities, offer year-round training, webinars, and facilitate working groups, connecting us with relevant organizations.

Over the years we have built a stable supply chain and when entering into new business relationships, our goal is always to make them long-lasting. This enables us to maintain accountability and transparency throughout our supply chain. While we don’t own any of our manufacturing sites, we have direct relationships with almost all our garment assembling suppliers and material suppliers. There are many conversations going on year-round with our suppliers, and we at minimum twice per year discuss key performance indicators, including social, labour and environmental progress areas.

For complete transparency, Active Brands openly shares the locations of all key suppliers through Open Supply Hub, which also lists all assembly partners.

Our parent company Active Brands publishes annual ESG impact reports to provide our stakeholders with access to our sustainability-related information. This not only brings transparency to our operations but also makes sure we are held to account – for better or worse.

In 2022, Norway enacted the Norwegian Transparency Act which mandates public reporting on efforts to ensure fundamental human rights and decent working conditions throughout the value chain. While Active Brands has been diligently reporting on these aspects for several years as a member of Ethical Trade Norway, we’ve gone the extra mile to ensure full compliance with the Transparency Act. This involved reviewing our internal policies and procedures, leading to the development of our Responsible Business Conduct Policy. We’ve also conducted an updated materiality assessment, diving deep into the risks within our value chain.