As a leading player and pioneer in the textile industry, we feel responsible for both our own environmental performance and that of our industry as a whole. We are proud of our rich history. However, in order to maintain our legacy for future generations, we have embedded sustainability and conscious manufacturing processes into our corporate strategy and culture. For this reason, we base our business decisions largely on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria.
Quality of textiles – and quality of life
The world around us is changing, and we are changing with it. In our pursuit of ongoing improvements to textile and product quality, we also take our sustainability responsibilities very seriously. This is visible, in our expanding range of bio-based and renewable products, and in our ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency and sustainability of operations at our production facilities. It is also reflected in our extensive collaborations with suppliers and other partners.
No matter what we do, we share our activities openly with the world. In fact, we regard transparency as the essential foundation for our future sustainability efforts.
Verified sustainability
Our solutions and activities contributing to a more sustainable textile industry are based on reliable evidence. For example, we’ve been working with bluesign® since 2012. This is an independent party that assesses our working methods and products in terms of health, environment and safety concerns.
More about bluesign®
bluesign® is one of the most important sustainable production standards in the textile industry. Not only does bluesign® assess chemical ingredients for health and environmental effects, it also looks at entire production processes. In addition to this, bluesign® challenges companies and brands to exceed the standard legal requirements.
In 2023, bluesign® conducted its periodic audit at our production site in Ede, the Netherlands. The result was a level 3 ‘Progressive’ rating. Almost 400 products from our global portfolio have been approved by bluesign®, making each of them part of the ZDHC Gateway. About 70% of our sales volume consists of bluesign® products.
Present at the inception of SCTI
We are a founding member of the Sustainable Chemistry for the Textile Industry (SCTI), along with several other leading chemical suppliers. As a co-initiator, our aim is to continue helping to accelerate the sustainability of the textile and leather industries through SCTI.
By means of collaboration, innovation and transformational change, SCTI members are striving to apply sustainable, state-of-the-art chemical solutions to the textile and leather industries. These are intended to protect factory and other employees, local communities, consumers and the environment.
