20 Towards a sustainable profitability
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ORGANIC COTTON Conventionally grown cotton accounts for about 25 % of global use of pesticides . Chemical pesticides are harmful to wildlife and plants and also for those who work with it . It also leaks into drinking water and poisons the soils . To be allowed to call the cotton organic , it is required that it is cultivated without any chemical pesticides or artificial fertilizers . Organic farming may result in poor harvests and requires more work . It can be good to have in mind when comparing prices and wondering why there is a price difference between organic cotton and conventionally grown cotton with chemical fertilizers and pesticides . Examples of brands that offer garments and products in organic cotton are Cottover , Clique , Craft and Sagaform .
SPUN-DYED POLYESTER The biggest environmental impact in the life cycle of clothes and textile derives from the fiber processing and wet treatments . Normally , this requires huge amounts of water , chemicals and energy . Spun dyed polyester is a way to add color to polyester fabric in a much improved way . Instead of soaking fabric or yarn in water with dyestuffs , the color pigment is added into the polymer melt . Thus , the color pigments become an embedded part of the fiber prior to extrusion . Not only does this eliminate the need for a conventional wet dyeing process – saving approximately 60 % energy and water – it also results in excellent quality properties such as improved color fastness .
Garments made out of spun dyed polyester are available among our brands AHEAD , Clique , Craft , Projob , Cutter & Buck and Printer .
A WIDE ASSORTMENT OF PRODUCTS CERTI- FIED WITH STANDARD 100 BY OEKO-TEX Oeko-Tex is the world ’ s most recognized and independent product label for all types of textiles tested for harmful substances . Garments with the Oeko-Tex-label have been successfully tested for chemicals that pose a health risk , and therefore contribute to an effective consumer protection , taking into consideration both REACH and non-regulated substances . Within our brand Clique , more than 80 % of the assortment is certified by Oeko-Tex . A wide assortment of Oeko-Tex certified workwear can also be found at ProJob and Jobman .
RECYCLED POLYESTER In recent years , there has been a noticeable shift towards more products made from recycled materials and fibers such as recycled plastics , aluminum , leather , cotton and rubber . The material that is most represented in the New Wave Group product range is recycled polyester and more specifically rPET , which stands for “ recycled PET ”. RPET comes from plastics that has already been used for packaging , such as PET bottles . The plastic is sorted , cleaned