Fjällräven's Newly Designed Kånken Bag Raises Ocean Plastic Awareness

In honor of World Oceans Day, outdoor gear company Fjällräven has launched a special edition of its popular Kånken bags. Every year for the past three, the company has released an artistic version of these bags, and Kånken Art '21 is a truly stellar one. 

Designed by Swedish artist Linn Fritz, it is meant to raise awareness about the problem of ocean plastic pollution. Fritz created an abstract design after studying cut-out pieces of plastic and sketching them digitally using Photoshop and Illustrator. There are two color palettes available—Ocean Surface, which is lighter blue with pink/coral accents, and Ocean Deep, which is darker blue and grey. 

The bags themselves are made from Fjällräven's G-1000 HeavyDuty Eco S fabric in recycled polyester and organic cotton. The fabric is free from fluorocarbon impregnation and can be made more water- and wind-resistant with the company's Greenland Wax bar. 

Each of the four products in the Kånken Art lineup—the Classic backpack, the Mini backpack, the Sling, and the Laptop bag—comes with a complimentary waste-picking bag that encourages people to pick up trash wherever they go. From a press release: "Fjällräven is encouraging everyone to spend two or more minutes collecting litter outside. Participants can share a photo on Instagram of how much litter they have collected for a chance to be featured on fjallraven.com. They simply need to tag it @kankenofficial and #IRespectNature."

Through its Arctic Fox Initiative, Fjällräven has also committed to supporting two organizations this year that focus on reducing plastic waste and cleaning up what's already out there. One is the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, which teaches people the principles of leaving no trace when spending time outside. Another is The 2 Minute Foundation, which strives to clean up the planet two minutes at a time—something that anyone can do, with or without a special waste-picking bag. 

A Fjällräven spokesperson tells Treehugger this is the first time the company will be shipping products without poly bag mailers: "This is a pilot project to reduce single-use plastics during shipping and with the goal of completely phasing out poly bag packaging by 2025."

Fritz reflected on the experience of creating the bag design. "I felt such a huge sense of reward the first time I got to see the bag with my pattern printed on it, and it feels even more special knowing that Kånken will team up with organizations in order to create awareness around ocean plastics. I hope Fjällräven will continue to use this platform for good and create awareness for different environmental causes in the future."

Everyone needs to buy a great bag once in a while, and if you're in the market for one, knowing the proceeds support ocean cleanup work is even better. You can check out the Kånken Art '21 collection here. It launched on June 8, for World Ocean's Day.