DILLING: The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is part of our story

From Sundsvej in Herning, wool and cotton clothing is delivered to a number of countries throughout Europe. The address has remained the same since 1916, when DILLING was founded. A family business with a mission to create clothes based on the principle of: “Good sense and propriety”.

"We produce our clothes with great care for the environment. We dye the clothes in Denmark and then cut and sew them in our sewing factory in Lithuania, so that we retain control of our processes and avoid unnecessary chemicals," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen, CEO of DILLING.

Family business with solid values

Morten Dilling Bertelsen is the fourth generation at DILLING and has taken over the company from his father.

"My dad is extremely value-driven and he insisted that we should keep our dyeworks in Denmark, to keep track of our chemicals consumption. But this was also a decision that for many years made it difficult to earn a profit, with the company ending up with a deficit. Now we have succeeded in creating a strong brand and a healthy business," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen.

DILLING’s strong focus on chemicals is also the result of an employee’s hypersensitivity to formaldehyde, which was previously used in production.

"We found out how bad it was, and if one employee could become hypersensitive, others could probably also be affected. So instead of the employee having to find another job, we decided to remove the substance from production, and this decision contributed positively to our working environment," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen.

The life cycle perspective weighed heavily

In 2010, DILLING took the next natural step on their environmental journey and obtained a Nordic Swan Ecolabel certification. "We took stock of what the Nordic Swan Ecolabel can do. Our experience was that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel has the strictest dyeworks requirements and takes the most serious approach to chemicals and dyes. These were important reasons for our decision to invest in the Nordic Swan Ecolabel," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen.

The life cycle perspective also weighed heavily and, according to Morten Dilling Bertelsen, is in line with DILLING’s approach to how all links in the production chain need to be interconnected.

"We see it as a huge strength that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel considers the entire life cycle. Garment production is a protracted process, so it doesn't make sense to solely consider the raw material or the sewing factory. It is also an advantage that there is an impartial third party who relates to our way of doing things."

Competitive advantage and communication clout

DILLING finds that the environment is important to many consumers – and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a seal of approval for DILLING’s environmental efforts:

"As a consumer, it can be a jungle to navigate through different certifications and the companies’ many environmental messages. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel supports our narrative and gives clout to our communication," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen, adding:

“We can also see from the reviews on Trustpilot that consumers see it as something very positive that our clothes are certified – and our customers’ satisfaction is crucial to our success.”

Being among the first in the industry with Nordic Swan Ecolabel clothing also gave DILLING some competitive advantages.

"We were among the first to gain the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, and this clearly gave us competitive advantages. It's a plus that the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is continuously tightening the requirements, as many companies are eliminated when it becomes even harder to obtain the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. I'm keen for it to be as difficult as possible to achieve a licence. At the outset, we were alone in living up to the requirements, and it was really cool when we succeeded," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen.

Winning ground abroad

Today, DILLING is located in eight countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, and most recently, France and Norway.

"Every time we start up in a new country, our focus is to do this really well and deliver proper quality. This spreads the good story, and more people become familiar with DILLING and want to try our clothes," says Morten Dilling Bertelsen, finally adding:

May 2022