Matas: The Nordic Swan Ecolabel strengthens consumer trust and gives a competitive advantage
Matas uses the Nordic Swan Ecolabel to create trust among consumers and to obtain competitive advantages. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel also plays an active role in Matas' product development and green communication.
The Danish retail company Matas was founded back in 1949 as a chain of independent materialists. Today, Matas is Denmark's largest retail chain within beauty, health and wellness with 266 stores and approximately 2,500 employees across the country. In 2023, Matas acquired the Swedish beauty chain KICKS, which has 226 stores in Sweden, Norway and Finland, thereby becoming the market leader in the Nordic region.
First in the Nordics with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel
Over the course of its 75 years, Matas has weathered oil crises, austerity measures and a pandemic. A large part of Matas' success is due to the fact that they have managed to adapt to the trends of the time – from chemicals and cosmetics to health products and more environmentally friendly goods.
When the Nordic Swan Ecolabel was introduced in Denmark in 1995, Matas was quick to grasp the growing environmental awareness among consumers. This led to the Matas Natur range being certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel in 1997 as the first skincare range in the Nordic region.
“Matas has had sustainability high on its agenda for a long time, and with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, our products receive a seal of approval that shows that both health and the environment have been taken into account. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel also makes it easy for customers to contribute to more responsible consumption”, says Kirsten Johansen, Brand Marketing Manager, In-House Brands, at Matas.
High awareness and trust is crucial
Today, several sub-series of Matas Stripes have the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, including the baby series and the sun series, which in 2006 received the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as the first sun protection series in the Nordic region. According to Matas, the high recognition of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel is a great strength:
“The fact that a certification is highly recognisable is a huge advantage when our consumers are in a purchase situation and have to choose products. Therefore, a high level of familiarity means a lot and weighs highly when we choose certifications for our products”, says Kirsten Johansen, and adds:
“The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is an official label with high credibility. It provides reassurance for our consumers and helps build trust in our brands.”
Matas in numbers
Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products
The year Matas was founded
Employees in the Nordics
The year they bought Kicks
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel strengthens competitiveness
Matas uses the Nordic Swan Ecolabel actively in the marketing of its three in-house brands, Matas Striber, Matas Natur and Matas Medicare, to strengthen competitiveness and differentiate the products from its other brands. At the same time, the ecolabel supports the increased focus on documentation and marketing of green claims:
“In relation to the Green Claims legislation, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel helps to strengthen our Matas Natur brand even more. It is a clear advantage to have the Nordic Swan Ecolabel on the products because it means that we can continue to communicate about the environmental advantages the products have,’ says Kirsten Johansen.
Matas also uses the Nordic Swan Ecolabel when developing products:
“The requirements of the Nordic Swan Ecolabel work very well with our own product development policy. We have strict rules for what can be added and what we exclude. We often go further than the legislation, so here the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and Matas go hand in hand,” says Kirsten Johansen.
Large increase in products with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel
The number of Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products in Matas' in-house brands has been increasing over the years. In 2017, Matas had 227 Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products in its own range, and in 2020 that number had increased to 366. Today, there are almost 400 different products with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel among Matas' in-house brands.
Despite the large range of products with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Matas plans to continue the positive development in the future:
“The demand for more environmentally friendly products and products without harmful chemicals is increasing, which is why we are constantly working to expand our range of Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products. Our goal is to offer at least one variant within each of our product groups that is certified with the official Nordic ecolabel,” says Kirsten Johansen.
Following the acquisition of KICKS Group in 2023, Matas has became the market leader in the Nordic region. At the same time as the acquisition of KICKS, Matas launched its strategy for the future with the title ‘Win the Nordics’ and an ambition to expand its range to the other Nordic countries.
Nordic Swan Ecolabelled cosmetic products:
- Comply with strict requirements for harmful chemicals.
- Does not contain perfume in baby and children's products.
- Meets strict requirements for environmentally harmful chemicals.
- Meets strict requirements for the amount and type of packaging.