Founded in 1997 by Jörgen and Annette Appelqvist in Borås, Sweden, Gina Tricot has grown into a leading women’s fashion brand with a strong presence across five European countries and an expansive online footprint reaching over 30 international markets. With around 1,600 employees—and over 90% women—the company blends Scandinavian roots with a global fashion outlook.
Laying the foundation: people, product, and planet
Gina Tricot’s dedicated sustainability journey stems from a long-standing recognition of the fashion industry’s significant environmental and social impact. Motivated by a desire to reduce negative impact for both people and the planet, Gina Tricot has continuously expanded its sustainability work, now structured around the pillars People, Product, and Planet. These pillars guide strategic actions and targets, including halving climate emissions by 2030 with a base year of 2021, in line with the Science-Based Targets initiative.
“To support this, we have developed a detailed climate reduction roadmap outlining key actions in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable materials, and logistics. Our approach to sustainability is further reinforced by increasing regulatory demands such as the CSRD and the European Green Deal, which we proactively prepare for through transparency, traceability, and circularity initiatives.”
Risk management at Gina Tricot is approached through a structured, double materiality lens—considering both the impact of the business on people and the environment, and how sustainability issues can affect financial performance. Ongoing risk mitigation includes regular social audits, extensive factory visits, and engagement in responsible sourcing and supplier training. Gina Tricot also maintains internal systems for incident reporting and whistleblowing, and sustainability-related risks are continuously monitored by the board to ensure alignment with both internal goals and external requirements.
The amfori partnership: A decade of progress
Gina Tricot’s relationship with amfori began in 2011, when the company adopted amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) to help reinforce human rights, fair working conditions, and transparency throughout its supply chain. Since then, amfori BSCI has been central to the company’s social compliance strategy, particularly across tier 1 production units.
The approach blends third-party audits with direct engagement: frequent factory visits, supplier training sessions, and on-the-ground dialogue complement audit findings. This multi-purpose strategy helps maintain a living picture of supplier conditions, supporting ongoing improvements and fostering a culture of shared responsibility.
“amfori BSCI provides the transparency and credibility we need at the site level,” says a Gina Tricot representative.
Exploring new solutions: amfori ESG Risk Compass and amfori Speak for Change in action
While amfori BSCI remains the main solution in use today, Gina Tricot has begun exploring additional amfori solutions to deepen its due diligence capabilities, particularly in the context of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its own double materiality assessment conducted in 2024.
Among the most promising solutions is amfori ESG Risk Compass. Though not yet fully integrated, Gina Tricot has used it to gain increased awareness around social risks across its supply chain. The dashboard’s country-level insights are proving valuable for identifying systemic ESG risks and prioritising areas for follow-up.
“We see strong potential for amfori ESG Risk Compass to complement amfori BSCI effectively,” the company notes. “While amfori BSCI offers site-specific insights through social audits, amfori ESG Risk Compass provides a broader view at the country level, allowing us to identify systemic risks earlier.”
Gina Tricot’s use of the dashboard is currently exploratory, but there is a clear intent to scale up its role across risk management processes, aligning it more closely with CSRD-related reporting and planning. In parallel, Gina Tricot is also making use of amfori Speak for Change, applying the supply chain grievance mechanism selectively across relevant sites.
Why the partnership matters
At a time when regulations are becoming more complex and stakeholder expectations are growing, partnerships like the one with amfori help brands like Gina Tricot remain proactive and informed. From risk identification, assessment and mitigation to capacity building, amfori solutions offer a flexible and evolving toolkit to meet environmental and social challenges head-on.
“Sustainability is complex and fast-moving, especially in fashion,” reflects a Gina Tricot spokesperson. “amfori gives us structure, insight, and a network to move forward with clarity.”