Own Production

CONTROL
FROM THREAD
TO FINISHED
GARMENT

Owning our factories gives us greater control over quality, working conditions and delivery. We can address issues directly, maintain consistent standards and make workwear that lasts.

For purchasing teams, that means fewer supply risks, fewer unexpected problems and products they can rely on throughout the contract.

SEE HOW WE OWN OUR IMPACT

98%

OF OUR WORKWEAR IS MADE IN OUR OWN FACTORIES

100%

OF OUR SAFETY FOOTWEAR IS MADE IN OUR OWN FACTORIES

WHY IN-HOUSE
PRODUCTION MATTERS

It is not about control for its own sake. Bringing material selection, manufacturing, testing and quality assurance closer together helps us maintain consistent standards and respond faster when something changes.

With fewer handovers between each stage, there is less room for variation and a clearer line of responsibility from material choice to finished product. The result is more consistent quality and greater predictability over the life of the contract.

LOWER SUPPLY RISK

Closer control of the value chain helps reduce variation, quality issues and delivery disruption.

CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY

Responsibility stays clear from material selection through to finished product.

ISSUES CAUGHT EARLY

Continuous checks help us spot and correct problems before they travel further down the line.

CONSISTENT QUALITY

Testing throughout production helps maintain the same standard from one order to the next.

RELIABLE DELIVERY, OTIF

Our own planning and capacity give us better visibility and more room to respond when demand changes.

TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY

Certified factories and clear documentation make it easier to trace, verify and demonstrate compliance.

Quality built into every step

Every Blåkläder garment passes through many hands, processes and checks before it is finished. That is where quality is built, not simply inspected at the end.

Our 1990 craftsman trousers are a good example of what goes into every product. Producing one pair involves 209 separate steps, 47 operators and around 90 minutes of manufacturing time. We can keep that level of detail consistent because the work is done in-house, with established processes, continuous checks, and people who know the product.

Transparency builds trust. When we openly show our production stages, we give purchasers confidence in their decisions. That is how we create long-term business.
– Anders Carlsson, CEO Blåkläder

Fewer suppliers, clearer responsibility

In-house manufacturing does not mean doing everything alone. We complement it with a limited number of carefully selected suppliers, and ten of them provide 90% of our textile materials. We build these relationships for the long term.

In an industry where supply chains can be long and difficult to oversee, that matters. Fewer supplier relationships make responsibilities easier to trace, requirements easier to verify, and quality easier to manage over time.

SEE HOW WE WORK WITH THE SUPPLY CHAIN

CERTIFIED FACTORIES

Our own factories are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, meet SA8000 requirements and are certified to STeP by OEKO-TEX®.

Certifications do not replace the work. They provide independent evidence that processes can be measured, audited and verified, making supplier assessments easier, strengthening traceability and reducing risk where documentation and accountability matter.

ISO 9001

Quality management

ISO 14001

Environmental management

SA8000

Social accountability

OEKO-TEX® STeP

Sustainable production

DOWNLOAD CERTIFICATES

Inside our factory

At our factory in Bangladesh, we manufacture knitted garments in-house in a facility designed for energy-efficient production.

Solar panels provide part of the factory’s energy needs, and the site is certified to LEED Platinum, OEKO-TEX® STeP and SA8000.

Quality at every stage

We don’t wait until the end to check quality. We build it into the production process from the start.

Testing and inspection continue throughout production in our own factories, allowing us to identify problems earlier, correct them faster, and prevent them from recurring. That helps garments retain their fit, function and quality over time.

Control from design to finished footwear

Since 2022, Blåkläder has operated its own footwear factory in Ulapane, outside Kandy in Sri Lanka. There, we oversee the process from construction and material selection through to the finished safety shoe.

Keeping the process close gives us a clearer view of quality and performance as production is running. If something needs adjusting, we can act quickly and verify the result in the product itself, not just on paper.

In-house testing, independently accredited

Safety footwear has to perform under demanding conditions, so our testing is designed to verify protection, comfort and performance against the required standards, not simply to produce a pass result.

Our safety footwear test laboratory is SATRA-accredited, meaning the independent testing organisation SATRA has assessed and approved it. We test to international standards and produce documented data you can use in tenders, audits, and supplier reviews.

WHAT THAT MEANS
FOR YOU

MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE DATA

Test results are quality-assured by an external body, giving you evidence that goes beyond our own internal checks.

FASTER FEEDBACK

Because the laboratory is in-house, testing can run alongside production. Issues can be found earlier, helping reduce risk, lead times and cost.

RECOGNISED CREDIBILITY

SATRA is widely respected across the footwear and PPE industry, and its accreditation provides independent assurance that our testing meets recognised requirements.

SEE OUR PRODUCTION FOR YOURSELF

Want to know more about how and where we make our products? Get in touch to discuss a factory visit or request documentation for tenders, audits and supplier reviews. Tell us about your organisation and our team will be in touch.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR PRODUCTION?

Need documentation, supporting material or answers about how our production works? Contact us, and we’ll help you find what you need.

See our production for yourself

Book a visit to our factories or request documentation for your supplier review.

Book a visit

CONTROLFROM THREADTO FINISHEDGARMENT

98%