People-Planet-Process-Progress-Product-Passion
Sustainability at Utexbel is all about our 6 P’s
It is our way to answer and adapt ourselves to a changing world. It is about connecting our products and the end user across three commitments: Focussing on People, following our Passion for local production, preserving our Planet, while maintaining and increasing the Performance of our Products through better and more efficient Progress.
Our Commitments
People first
Utexbel has always been committed to maintaining textile production in Europe and has fought to ensure that all those involved can take pride in their work. It has always sought to create a workplace where everyone is treated with respect, is empowered to contribute on an equal level, and where diversity is seen as a strength. A workplace where the safety for the worker comes first. A workplace where everyone, through education and continuous learning, can improve the quality and expertise of his work, introducing a mentorship scheme to welcome and coach new hire.
Circularity
Utexbel is a leader in the development of circular products based on yarns made from recycled fibres. In the last years, Utexbel has been a partner in European research projects such as “Retex”: https://www.dotheretex.eu/fr/ or Textended https://textended.eu
Utexbel has developed a network of companies active in the recycling industry allowing her to propose to her client the possibility to treat and manage their pre and/or post-consumer waste. As a vertically integrated company, Utexbel has the knowledge and expertise to spin innovative new yarn with the recycled fiber produced by her partners and create fabrics with whom her customer can produce new garment, effectively closing the loop. The project Dr Green, active since 2018, is an example of this collaboration, allowing hospital to be circular in the management of the medical workwear, transforming their end of life uniforms into recycled fibre, yarn, fabric and finally new uniforms.
Traceability and transparency
Utexbel has always promoted traceability in the textile industry as key tool to ensure safety and quality for the end user. As an integrated spinner, weaver, dyer and finisher, Utexbel controls its whole production processes. Utexbel has tight and long-lasting partnership with the best leading raw material suppliers and assesses its suppliers and subcontractors as to their ethical and social policies. Utexbel is able to guarantee a perfect traceability of her products.
Environment
Natural resources are scarce and require a careful and well thought management. Utexbel is part of several project working to reduce emissions, as EBO in Flanders and “Accords de branche” in Wallonia, save water and energy and bring new products to the market designed with the eco-design in mind. Utexbel is investing in new production machine allowing her to reduce her energy and water consumption and increase the use of renewable energy sources across its supply chain. Impact on wastewater has always be at the hearth of textile production. Utexbel has already implemented several solutions to reduce her impact on wastewater and is at the beginning of a investment campaign to allow her to attain a zero waste in the future. Utexbel is also part of the Detox to Zero initiative supported by Oeko-tex that aims to reduce the impact of chemical use in the textile industry. Utexbel is actively involved in the permanent quest for harmless chemicals in collaboration with its chemical suppliers and the development of new articles that need less chemicals to achieve the needed functionalities by physical blend of functional fibres.
Ecoconception
Her experience in circularity and sustainability has shown Utexbel how crucial the eco-conception of her product was. Each new development are designed following the LIDS Wheel, an eco-design tools helping our R&D department to push their decision towards a more sustainable product but also helping her team to make decision in the optimization of materials flow, logistics, improvement of machine maintenance and investment. Utexbel encourages her customers to think about the end of life treatment of their product in term of separation, material value and recycling.
