Oeko-Tex presented the first Sustainability Award to five companies from the textile and clothing industry during an evening event in Frankfurt last week.

The Sustainability Award was created in 2012 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Oeko-Tex. By the end of last year, over 80 companies from 22 countries had applied for the award.

Fifteen companies that showed their determination to meet the ecological and social challenges in their segment were nominated for the award. A jury with seven representatives of the Oeko-Tex Association, of NGOs, industry and research as well as associations and the trade press then selected the winners.

Environmental Management

Sun Hing Industries Holding

A professional lingerie materials and accessories supplier with the art production complex in Shenzen, Sun Hing, was recognised for its consistent application of the self-imposed principle ‘Green at Heart’, the jury were particularly impressed by the company’s use of the available water resources at the location.

In view of the massive pollution of the Maozhou river from private and industrial wastewater, the company clean the contaminated river water in their own water treatment plant and pipe it into their reservoir of about 400,000 m3 capacity.

A second water treatment plant allows the wastewater from production to be biochemically degraded, purified and returned to the Maozhou river. As a result, the processed water is substantially cleaner than the original river water.

Quality Management

YKK Corporation

The Japanese YKK Corporation is one of the leading manufacturers in the field of fastening technology. This primarily includes the world-famous YKK zips but also other fastening and fixing solutions made of textile material, metal or plastic.

The jury believe that the company is setting standards worldwide by striving for perfection and maximum quality. This is based on a thoroughly vertical production system where everything from raw materials to finished products and machinery is manufactured in-house.

Quality assurance systems developed in-house or independent certification to ISO 9001 ensure that all production steps can be documented efficiently and transparently.

Social Responsibility

Mattes & Ammann

German Mattes & Ammann , the producer of over 56 million square metres of textile fabrics in circular knitting, circular weaving and warp knitting a year, impressed the jury with its exemplary social and cultural management that puts the appreciation of the employees as a cornerstone of economic success of the brand.

The jury especially recognised the outstanding health management, the semi-annual health check-ups, the health passport for all employees, vaccinations and professional lectures about health issues.

Safety Management

Veramtex

Veramtex, a Belgian company that specialises exclusively in the treatment of fabrics and knitwear made from natural and cellulose fibres, has managed to impress the jury by its in-house development of a special recovery plant.

The especially developed for this purpose ‘Beau Fixe’ process allows the ammonia, a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, which is completely removed from the fabric after treatment, to be recovered, cleaned and then reused at a rate of over 99% without any air and water pollution.

This innovative plant has now made the risky delivery of liquid ammonia in lorries unnecessary.

Product Innovation

Lenzing

Looking for the innovations that are suitable for the market, are economically sustainable and may contribute to the ecological aspect of saving valuable resources and reducing pollution, the jury voted for Lenzing, a leading world market supplier to the global textile and non-woven industry, based in Austria, that has been producing man-made cellulose fibres from the renewable raw material wood for over 75.

In the field of environmental technology, the company manages to convey its philosophy with a focus on sustainability with its latest achievement, an ‘Edelweiss’ technology, the application of an oxygen-based process that makes the modal fibres produced with this technology even more environmentally friendly and CO2 neutral.

Special Award for Sustainable Efforts

Century Rayon

An additional ‘Special Award for Sustainable Efforts’ was presented by the jury to an Indian yarn manufacturer Century Rayon that supplies weaving mills and knitting mills and produces fabrics for the clothing and home textile sector. The company philosophy is reflected primarily in the successful implementation of internationally accepted management systems for quality, environment, and health and safety.

The jury believe that Century Rayon have pointed the way to a future of more responsibility for people and environment through the measures implemented. Within the framework of the general challenges for the textile industry, the company have achieved a successful position and taken on a leading role in corporate responsibility.

Why an award for sustainability?

In the framework of the Oeko-Tex certification, the Oeko-Tex Association have been working very closely with around 10,000 companies from the entire textile value chain for many years to reduce the negative press received by the international textile companies.

On the occasion of its 20th anniversary last year, Oeko-Tex launched the Sustainability Award to recognise Oeko-Tex certified companies that have shown outstanding commitment in the area of sustainability.

The aim of the award is to draw attention to the exemplary companies who stand out on account of their safe products and sustainable production conditions. They achieve this independently on the basis of current legislation and regardless of their production location and the respective markets.

The applications received for the ‘Company of the Month’ campaign additionally show the wide range of clever ideas and measures employed by these companies to create and successfully implement sustainable conditions in everyday production.

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