Photo of Beskow von Post taken by Emily Laye.
This year's Sustainability Award in the Textile Service Industry goes to entrepreneurs Susanne Beskow and Caroline von Post who, through their company Beskow von Post, create new life for end-of-life textiles. The prize is awarded by the Swedish Textile Service Association in cooperation with Ecolab.
- Through design and upcycling, Susanne Beskow and Caroline von Post are developing the circular business model in our industry. Big sustainability gains occur when recycled textiles replace virgin raw materials, says Michael Sandin, chairman of The Swedish Textile Service Association.
The clothes live again and again
Both prize winners have a long career where, based on their expertise in design and biology, they worked for reuse and upcycling. Susanne Beskow and Caroline von Post collaborate today in the joint company Beskow von Post, an upcycling company with a focus on work clothes. They are testing different circular design principles to see how they can best arrive at what is best for fully circular work uniforms from an environmental, functional and cost-effective perspective. Garments already on the drawing board are designed for multiple lives, with every detail earmarked for a new function once the original garment has reached its end of life.
Pressing climate impact
- The Swedish as well as the European professional textile service sector has a strong focus on reducing the environmental impact of the industry. The average use of water, electricity, chemicals and fuel is constantly decreasing. Decisive for the environmental performance of textile services is also to extend the lifespan of textiles, as the production of textiles is a big burden from a sustainability perspective. This year's award winners are driving forces in this work, and it is with great satisfaction that we present Susanne Beskow and Caroline von Post with this year's Sustainability Award, the eighth in a row, underlines Michael Sandin.
Supports the Rainbow Fund and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Every year since 2017, the Swedish Textile Service Association has awarded the Sustainability Award to a number of deserving award winners. Since 2022, the award has been made in cooperation with Ecolab, which offers solutions and services in water, hygiene and infection prevention that contribute to making the world cleaner, safer and healthier.
The prize sum is a total of SEK 10 000 and the prize winners will donate the amount to The Rainbow Fund who want to contribute to a world where all people have the same basic freedoms and rights regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who work for the survival of elephants.
Former laureates
2017 Pia Bergman, national coordinator against serious economic crime at the Swedish Tax Agency.
2018 Carl-Johan Björkman, entrepreneur Hr Björkman's Entrance Mats.
2019 Schlemon Athoraya, entrepreneur Örebro-Tvätt, and Kent Pettersson, entrepreneur KåPI Tvätt in Bengtsfors.
2020 Jonas Olaison and Lena K Wiles, sustainability managers at Textilia and Elis, respectively
2021 Peter Streijffert, entrepreneur at Lindbytvätten on Öland.
2022 Jonny Hägerström, CEO TvNo, and Henry Eskola, National Key Account Manager at Scandbio,
2023 Anders Thorgaard, entrepreneur, visionary and owner of the laundry group Textilia
Innovative and competitive laundry industry
The Swedish Textile Service Association is the Swedish industry organization and represents members in both laundry for private individuals and industrial laundry and textile services. The association conducts continuous work for an innovative and competitive laundry industry.
The member companies have about 5 000 employees and account for up to 90% of industry turnover of about SEK 6 billion. The association's operations are driven by increased demands on customer value, quality, hygiene and climate and environmental efficiency. All members of the Swedish Textile Service Association are professional authorized businesses and undergo an annual inspection by the environmental consulting company Ensucon.
For further information
Michael Sandin, Association chairman, tel. 0709 35 12 47
Daniel Kärrholt, CEO, tel. 0705 11 36 85
