Each FREITAG bag produced today is still made from used truck tarp. Finding old tarps for 400,000 FREITAG products annually is no easy task, however. It takes a logistical offensive headed by a four-member team that brings 350 tons of used tarp material back to the factory each year after tracking it down from Sweden to Portugal. Once they arrive at the factory, the tarps are tested for their constituents to ensure that the safety of FREITAG products can be guaranteed.

In order to turn grimy garbage from the roads into the right raw material for a desirable bag, fearless tarp butchers are needed at the outset. With cutters, pliers and raw force, they free the bulky tarp beasts from their cords and fittings and then slice prime cuts from them. It’s tough work!

What happens in Freitag's basement is pretty much the same as any other laundry room. Three huge washing machines completely remove road grime from the tarpaulins, revealing their unique patina. Because we use more than a million gallons of water annually for washing activities, we collect rainwater from the roof of the factory and heat it using the residual heat of the remaining dirty water. The clean tarpaulins are then sent to the drying room instead of an energy-consuming dryer.

FREITAG has many different designers. Like other companies, they leave the task of creating new models to the actual design department. However, in the factory, cutting the tarpaulins is also part of the design process. Each bag pattern consists of several templates. Bag designers place these templates on tarpaulins in such a way that as many as possible can be cut from the raw material, each more beautiful than the last. This is what makes every Freitag bag unique.