Aarni

Aarni’s products exemplify meticulous craftsmanship and dedication, ensuring each piece meets the highest standards of quality and design. With a focus on precision and excellence, the brand sources high-quality watch movements from top manufacturers in Switzerland and Japan. This is then assembled at a family-owned factory in Shenzhen, China, recognized as a leading hub for watch manufacturing. Aarni prioritizes fair working conditions, ensuring employees receive fair wages and working hours, with regular visits to the factory to maintain healthy standards.

The brand’s products proudly bear the Design from Finland mark, while their sunglasses are crafted in a workshop on the outskirts of Shanghai, specialized in wood materials. The workshop employs 30 individuals, keeping the number small to ensure they can provide the best working conditions to each employee.

Aarni’s dedication to conscious materials is evident in their choice of Finnish wood material. Which not only represents the brand’s roots, but is also responsibly sourced and supposedly FSC-certified, reflecting the brand’s commitment to mitigating harmful deforestation. 

Additionally, Aarni uses recyclable stainless-steel cases and components to provide durability, with glass and polycarbonate lenses. In line with their eco-conscious ethos, the brand’s cases are crafted from real cork, a renewable and biodegradable material, promoting minimal environmental impact. The folding design of the cases enhances convenience and reduces waste.

Watches and glasses are generally readily dismantled, making them easy to recycle at the end of use. Aarni’s materials are consciously chosen for their recyclability or biodegradability, if the finishing chemicals allow the biodegradation where applicable. This emphasis on conscious materials makes the products inherently circular, even in the absence of a formal circular business model.

The brand conducts its design and some sourcing local to the headquarters in Finland, and the rest of its sourcing and production activities abroad in Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, and China. This makes the length of the production and supply chain quite long. Moreover, their unknown transportation methods could potentially exacerbate the environmental impacts.

Aarni embraces the use of elk leather and Scandinavian bovine leather for its products. The elk leather, which is largely a product that is gone to waste, is sourced as a by-product of Finland’s annual elk hunt, ensuring no harm is caused solely for leather production. Similarly, the bovine leather comes from Finland and Sweden, where animal welfare standards are high, and it is a co-product of the food industry. 

Aarni’s commitment to longevity is evident in every aspect of their design and production process. Rooted in Finnish craftsmanship, their wood materials undergo meticulous processing to ensure the highest quality for their products, representing the essence of Nordic culture in every piece. Aarni spends several months designing each product, selecting only the finest materials, components, and craftsmanship available. Rigorous testing precedes the launch of every product, ensuring durability and timeless style. With a water-resistant design, Aarni products are built to withstand the test of time. Moreover, all their products come with a 3‑year warranty and a 100-day money-back guarantee, providing assurance of quality and reliability. Additionally, spare parts are readily available, and maintenance instructions are provided to preserve the wood’s shine, ensuring that Aarni products remain cherished possessions and stay out of landfills.

Aarni’s transparency regarding their materials and environmental efforts is commendable, showing their commitment to environmental consciousness. However, we seek further details about their material sourcing to ensure adherence to ethical and conscious production methods. Additionally, more details on their production process, including the chemicals used and measures taken to avoid microplastic contamination from polycarbonate materials, would enhance transparency. More information on their transportation methods within the supply chain is also needed.