MODIN STUDIO was founded in response to the current and deeply problematic state of affairs. The world is moving in the wrong direction, shaped by fraught beliefs and mindless impulses. What we need is to travel in a new direction, to learn that it is possible to live our lives in a different way, and to be guided to other ways of thinking and doing.
Western society is a consumer culture, based on exploiting people’s insatiable desire for constant novelty. In a world where everything is replaceable, newness is the ultimate and most desired characteristic. Instead of primarily being a citizen – or even a fellow human being – we are defined by our capability to spend money, our capacity to transform our dreams into new things to buy. This mentality needs to be challenged, and a new world order, based in a completely different type of ideology, will have to take its place. Our aim is to promote things with meaning, to communicate ideas and to present objects that bring people together, instead of simply accentuating the difference between those who have and those who have not.
The climate crisis is the most acute threat to all life – humans, animals and plants – on the planet. If we don’t act collectively, and in this very moment, life as we know it will come to an end. This is not a discussion. We need to rethink, reconsider and redo: Throw aside modern, industrial values and instead offer a new, holistic approach to coexistence and a peaceful mindset, where one is not valued more than the other, and no one is left wanting more. We need to find peace in the now. Old generations have to learn to respect the new. Wealthy nations have to give consideration to those less fortunate. Instead of waiting for someone else to do something, we ourselves have to be the change that we are waiting for.
Every fleeting moment is precious. Each breath a reminder that we are still alive in human form. All levels of the universe are interconnected, and we are all inextricably interlinked with one another, part of the same energy and force. What we need is a new awakening and a new dawn; to see the spirituality in the everyday and the beauty in life as it is. To enable this transformation is the main motivation of MODIN STUDIO: to offer a vision of a new kind of future, where we value each other, our belongings and our planet.
As a client of MODIN, we accept and align with the following principles:
1. Our company is based on a vision to support a more sustainable and ethically just society, by offering products that can be appreciated, cherished and used for a long time by the same person or by many users, and by carrying out our business in the most respectful, ethical and environmentally responsible manner possible.
2. Our products are designed to be appreciated, used and cared for over a long period of time, ideally a lifetime. We therefore create products of timeless style with durable and healthy materials, thoughtful construction and high-quality manufacturing. When possible, we adopt modular design to enable individual parts to be easily separated for effective and successful repair, redesign, reuse and eventually material recycling.
3. Fundamentally, we are driven by a heart-felt commitment to be and do good to all humans, animals, ecosystems and cultures that we touch through our business. We believe that all living entities should be treated with dignity and compassion. We therefore do our best to prevent, minimize and/or restore any undesired environmental, social or economic impact that may arise due to our business.
4. We believe in using materials that are pure, natural and sustainably and ethically sourced and produced. We therefore aim to maximize our share of ethically and environmentally certified materials in our collections. Specifically, we prioritize materials that are certified ’recycled’, ’organic’ or ’ethical’ by GOTS, EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, Oeko-Tex, Cradle- to-Cradle, Fairtrade, FSC and/or similar.
5. We believe in the precautionary principle, meaning that we always do our best to avoid any material or practice that could lead to social or environmental harm, either directly or indirectly. We specifically seek out those factories and suppliers of both raw and fabricated materials (such as yarn, fabrics, trims, metals, wood, glass, chemicals, dyes, and plastics) that share our belief and act accordingly. Also, we seek to identify and phase out any chemical or substance in our supply chains that has been listed by REACH as harmful to human, animal or ecosystem health.
6. We constantly strive to maximize our use of biobased materials (such as natural textile fibers and wood), while minimizing our dependency on petroleum-based materials and rare minerals (such as new plastics and raw silver). For fabrics, we prioritize plant-based and animal textiles fibers that will naturally biodegrade and regenerate, such as wool, cotton, flax linen, hemp and silk, as well as sustainable cellulose fibers, such as TENCEL® and Monocel®, and other innovative materials. We avoid any petroleum-based synthetics, such as polyester, acrylic, nylon, and other plastics (both virgin and recycled), as these cannot biodegrade naturally in nature and thus may contribute to microplastic pollution of air, land and water.
7. Along our entire supply chain, we aim to maximize the use of renewable energy, i.e. sun, wind and biomass power, while gradually phasing out our share of petroleum-based energy sources. In general, we aim to minimize our dependency on natural resources, such as water, energy and minerals. Also, we aim to increase our overall resource use efficiency by introducing closed-loop systems for water, chemicals and other materials in factories and on the fields, where possible. We recognize all materials as valuable resources, and we actively work to reuse or recycle any spill materials and leftovers within our production units.
8. We choose the most sustainable modes of transportation and distribution, such as train and ferries as opposed to air freight and lorries, to cause minimum harm on the environment and human livelihoods. We also use minimum amounts of packaging, wrappings and other materials to reduce our environmental footprints.
9. We support all workers along our supply chains, from the sourcing and production of raw materials to the manufacturing and distribution of final products. Our workers are supported through fair wages, favorable working conditions, building safety measures, gender equality, artisan rights, the right to engage in labor unions, etc. We also expect our partners and local suppliers to exhibit high professionalism and proper work ethics in relation their employees within their businesses.
10. We believe in high animal welfare standards. Therefore, we only source from farms that can ensure careful and respectful treatment of all animals. No animal cruelty is tolerated at any time, and no animal must be killed for our products. (Note: The issue of animal welfare is only applicable to our clients sourcing silk, sheep wool, alpaca, cashmere, angora, leather, and similar materials.)
11. We take actions to continuously improve our business agenda, operations and performance in relation to environmental, ethical and social issues. Moreover, we aim towards full transparency along our supply chains, for any interested party. Thus, we constantly strive to improve, simplify and clarify our supply chains, and to build positive and long-lasting relationships among our suppliers and partners.
12. We donate part of our annual revenue to one or several positive causes, may it be humanitarian, environmental, animal, cultural or other initiative/s organized by an NGO, public organization, or private actor, with whom we share core values.
13. We wish to contribute to a society that is ‘circular as opposed to linear’, in which nothing goes to waste and everything is utilized, reutilized, repurposed and recycled in the most effective, ethical and sustainable manner possible. Therefore, we provide repair services as well as proper care instructions for all our products. We are also positive to the introduction of leasing or rental services, and resale of own-brand items, if relevant and/or practically possible.
14. Overall, we encourage our customers to appreciate the true value of our products, including all the work that lies behind and all precious natural resources that have been used throughout our supply chains. We inspire our customers to hold on to our products for as long as possible, to use them a maximum number of times, and to pass them on to friends, family, charity organizations, secondhand stores, or recycling collectors when no longer of use.