Leveraging Vaayu’s Technology to Accurately Calculate ASKET’s Product Carbon Footprints, Water and Energy
A New Approach to Seamlessly Measure the Footprint of ASKET’s Entire Product Range
The average person in Sweden generates 8 tonnes of CO2e annually, a figure that must be reduced to 2 tonnes to maintain global warming levels below the 1.5°C threshold laid out by the Paris Agreement. Founded on the need to break fashion's overproduction-overconsumption cycle — one of the industries biggest challenges — Swedish clothing brand ASKET knew it was imperative to understand the footprint of its products to lower its overall impact and empower shoppers to do the same.
Creating Product Profiles for LCA is Typically Cumbersome
As part of their sustainability journey, the ASKET team had calculated the carbon emissions of a selection of their core products, but when they came to Vaayu they were looking for a partner to help calculate the impact of the brand’s whole collection in a more seamless, user-friendly way.
ASKET is industry-leading when it comes to supply chain traceability, in which the process of tracking and updating clothing products and each component within them is typically a time-consuming and laborious task. In the next part of its journey, ASKET wanted to meticulously analyze its footprint at every stage of its supply chain from cradle-to-gate to foster transparency and encourage informed shopping choices among consumers.
A New Vision for Seamlessly Connecting Climate Tech Users with their LCA Process
Vaayu worked closely with ASKET to launch a different way of doing things. To reduce the amount of manual effort needed in product impact calculations and streamline the process for Vaayu’s climate technology users, Vaayu developed a tool and methodology to meet ASKET’s needs.
The idea behind the Product Design Studio (PDS) was to empower brands by giving them the control to update information themselves and foster increased engagement with their supply chain partners. The PDS needed to allow brands to efficiently profile their garments, seamlessly connecting to their Vaayu dashboard to provide enhanced visibility and the opportunity to make changes themselves.
One of the main goals was to enable primary data, such as supplier updates or product modifications, to be easily managed within the system, avoiding the need to input entirely new product information. Without the PDS, Vaayu traditionally handled all these tasks and provided the final results directly to its clients.
When it comes to LCA, data from the PDS is used for product calculations to provide a fuller picture of ASKET’s impact, carrying out LCAs across the brand’s entire product range, collection, deliveries, facilities and packaging. Using ASKET’s primary data alongside quality secondary data, Vaayu modeled the products and their life cycle impacts to the highest standards, using its proprietary LCA database and powerful automated Kria Impact Modelling Engine.
To ensure ASKET’s impact was not underestimated, Vaayu used a broad scope and a more conservative approach. Utilizing a cradle-to-grave LCA in accordance with recognized standards, including ISO 14040 and 14044, Vaayu calculated a series of product life cycle stages including raw material extraction and processing, material production, wet processing, product assembly, and distribution inclusive of all packaging outcomes until each product's end of life.
Vaayu’s New Product Design Studio Providing Full Product Visibility and Editability to ASKET
Vaayu successfully brought its vision for the Product Design Studio to life while working closely with ASKET. The new tool enables Vaayu users to construct and assess the environmental impact of products based on their supply chain, materials, and components. It offers the flexibility to update and modify existing products easily, ensuring they remain up-to-date with the latest information without having to start the process from scratch with each update.
Traditionally, collecting and managing this data for impact calculations was complex, but the Product Design Studio streamlines this, enabling modular and scalable product development with precise footprint impact calculations. Leveraging advanced research and technology, it delivers highly accurate results, making it a unique and invaluable tool in automating sustainability data and product design.
ASKET has now streamlined its product development process with quick adjustments to composition and sourcing, using Vaayu’s tools and this data to make science-backed decisions to reduce its environmental footprint. The brand can provide a comprehensive view of each product’s environmental impact, from fiber extraction to the finished garment, enabling more informed consumer choices and contributing to ASKET’s wider mission to reduce its environmental impact.
The Product Design Studio constructs and evaluates the environmental impact of products, allowing easy updates and modifications
A customer facing breakdown of the environmental cost of every ASKET order
Giving shoppers impact traceability on every garment
This work serves as a model for businesses worldwide looking to reduce their environmental footprint. By meticulously calculating and transparently sharing product carbon footprints, water scarcity, and energy consumption, and through the development of the Product Design Studio, Vaayu is helping to set a much higher standard for responsible and conscious product development.