Lindström wins the Via Bona Slovakia award for Climate Responsibility

In Slovakia, Lindström’s textile rental model helped prevent 52 tonnes of textile waste in one year. This achievement has now been recognised with the Via Bona Slovakia award for Climate Responsibility.

The award shows that business growth and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. The jury recognised Lindström’s circular service model, which gives companies a more sustainable alternative to buying textiles outright. Instead of owning, washing, repairing and replacing textiles themselves, customers can rent what they need while Lindström takes care of the full lifecycle.

This reduces the daily workload for customers and keeps textiles in use for as long as possible. It also shows that even industrial textiles can be part of a circular system where waste is avoided, not accepted as the norm.

The award is presented every year by the Pontis Foundation to companies that connect their business with a clear benefit for society.

We stay true to our values, and the circular economy is one of the most important ones. Even though making socially responsible decisions in Slovakia is not always easy, we believe it creates a better future and brings value to our partners. That is why I would especially like to thank our partners for their trust, and also my colleagues, who help us provide this service.

Tomáš Silla, Managing Director of Lindström Slovakia

When businesses manage workwear for their employees, small inefficiencies can quickly add up. Where do the textiles come from? How many garments are really needed? What happens to workwear when an employee leaves?

In Slovakia, Lindström has long supported a more circular way of managing textiles. Instead of buying workwear, mats and industrial wipers, customers rent what they need as a service. Lindström then takes care of washing, maintenance, repairs and responsible end-of-life handling.

This means customers do not need to own or store large amounts of textiles themselves. At the same time, garments and other textiles stay in use for longer.

How to prevent textile waste at scale

The results from the past year show the impact of this model in practice. In Slovakia, Lindström helped prevent more than 52 tonnes of textile waste from being created. That is roughly the same weight as scrap metal from around 30 passenger cars.

This was possible because textiles were kept in use for as long as possible and tracked carefully throughout the service. Each garment has a built-in RFID chip, which helps Lindström know where it is, how often it has been used and what kind of maintenance it needs.

In one year, 74,000 textile items were professionally repaired in Slovakia. By repairing instead of replacing, Lindström helped avoid unnecessary CO₂ emissions. And when a garment can no longer be used safely, Lindström recycles 100% of the discarded textile together with a local partner.

The journey towards net zero

The same service model also helps customers simplify their everyday operations. They get better visibility of their textile use, while Lindström takes care of washing, repairs, deliveries and logistics.

Garments are produced in Europe on demand in our own Prodem facilities. This means we only produce what customers actually need, instead of making unnecessary stock. In our laundries, we also focus on using resources as efficiently as possible. For example, our washing process is supported by an innovative heat recovery system.

Lindström Slovakia currently uses electricity from 100% renewable sources and has reduced its emissions by 19% year on year. A key part of this has been greener transport planning, including the gradual introduction of electric vans and the use of HVO fuel from non-fossil sources for truck transport between warehouses.

Our climate commitments are also backed by the global Science Based Targets initiative, in line with the Paris Agreement. Lindström’s goal is to halve emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Our current EcoVadis Platinum rating further supports this work, placing Lindström among the top 1% of the most sustainable companies in the world.

Via Bona Slovakia is one of the most important responsible business awards in Slovakia. Over its 26-year history, it has recognised 189 companies and projects that have contributed to positive change in society. In the latest edition, independent evaluation committees selected 17 finalist projects across six categories.