#Sustainability

2015-12-07

Loftex China Ltd. is OEKO-TEX® Company of the Month for November 2015

With vertically organised production processes for weaving, bleaching, printing, dyeing and finishing on 167,000 square meters of production space and an annual output of up to 45,000 tons, the company's core focus is ensuring that its goods are exported far and wide. © Loftex China Ltd.

Loftex China Ltd. is one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of towelling products in China. The company has a workforce of around 2,700 staff, manufacturing high quality textile products such as bath towels, beach towels, bathrobes etc. Environmental protection and sustainability are now firmly anchored in Loftex's company philosophy and it introduces new measures with them in mind on a regular basis.

Loftex China Ltd. was one of the first production facilities in China to be awarded with STeP by OEKO-TEX® certification for sustainable textile production. The company has now become the very first business in the B2C sector to receive the Made in Green by OEKO-TEX® label. The products awarded with the label include towelling products and bath towels that are manufactured under sustainable conditions.

Founded in 1980, Loftex China Ltd. has grown into one of the largest towel manufacturers in the world, with a total of five production locations in China. With vertically organised production processes for weaving, bleaching, printing, dyeing and finishing on 167,000 square meters of production space and an annual output of up to 45,000 tons, the company's primary focus is ensuring that its goods are exported far and wide. Its main clients are from the USA, Australia, Europe, Canada and Japan. "Success gives us strength," says a Loftex spokesman. "We have devoted ourselves to the production and marketing of home textiles and we are committed to offering our customers the ideal products for their needs. To do that, we focus on innovation, creative product design and the maximum possible quality."

Pic: Loftex China Ltd. was one of the first production facilities in China to be awarded with STeP by OEKO-TEX® certification for sustainable textile production. © Loftex China Ltd.

The maximum possible quality – for Loftex, that includes more than just product quality: "For many years now, environmental protection and sustainability have been cornerstones of Loftex's corporate philosophy. The huge number of measures we have implemented in these areas pay testament to that. We also like to highlight our commitment, and it is something our customers really appreciate."

With that in mind, the company is certified in accordance with the environmental management system DIN EN ISO 14001. With its own water reservoir and an efficient water treatment plant, the company ensures that it effectively utilises its water resources, which are an intensively used but integral part of its processes.

In the last few years, the company has introduced measures, including the use of its own energy generation plant, that have allowed it to increase its energy efficiency by 23 percent. Furthermore, it has made significant investments in modernising its plants and buildings and optimising its production processes. For instance, its state-of-the-art weaving machines and pressure dryers make sure that the work performed is easy on both the environment and the materials. Loftex is also certified in compliance with the OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety management system, another example of its outstanding commitment to the health and safety of its staff. Likewise, the management places a major emphasis on training its staff on an ongoing basis to increase their level of environmental awareness.

The fact that Loftex's sustainably manufactured towelling products have been awarded with the Made in Green by OEKO-TEX® label confirms that environmental awareness is a feature of daily life in the company. Loftex sees significant benefits in the product label: "The Made in Green label gives us the opportunity to highlight our commitment to sustainability, socially responsible working conditions and environmentally friendly production conditions with a visible label attached directly to our goods, and to distinguish ourselves from other suppliers in the same market sector in a positive way." Consumers can use the unique product ID and QR code on the product label to track its manufacturing route transparently throughout all of the stages of the textile chain. The cornerstones of the label include certification according to STeP by OEKO-TEX®, specific conditions with regard to environmentally friendly production processes, optimum occupational health and safety and socially responsible working conditions that the facilities need to meet and the successful completion of testing for harmful substances in accordance with the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 product certification.

Pic: The company has now become the very first business in the B2C sector to receive the Made in Green by OEKO-TEX® label. The products that were awarded with the label include towelling products and bath towels that are manufactured under sustainable conditions. © OEKO-TEX

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