Hardly any other clothing item neither is as widespread in the world as a pair of jeans nor is hardly any other fabric offered in so many variants. In the denim sector the Spanish fabric supplier Tejidos Royo is currently viewed as a genuine trend setter.As a consequence of the increasing awareness of sustainability, Tejidos Royo has switched all production phases to environmentally-friendly procedures and has been certified as an environmentally-friendly production site in accordance with the OEKO-TEX Standard 1000 since 2010.
Evolution through revolution
Based on the motto “Evolution through Revolution” the company has aggressively committed itself to dynamic strategies for innovation, investment, external image, corporate social responsibility and last but not least to its responsibility for a clean environment.
Creative Director and Product Manager Panos Sofianos is convinced that Tejidos Royo can continue to firmly stand its ground in the market despite the fierce competition from the Far East: “Our objective is to overcome all future challenges in the same way as we have done in the past. But this will only be successful through a proactive comprehension of customer needs.”
These customers include some of the world's best known jeans labels who in turn are also focussed on their consumers' needs. The increasing awareness for more sustainability in the production of first-class quality materials was the reason why at a very early stage Tejidos Royo took the decision to have its production facilities certified as environmentally-friendly production premises in accordance with the OEKO-TEX Standard 1000.
In addition the in-house research and development department is constantly focussed on innovative concepts. According to Panos Sofianos: “Tejidos Royo has nailed both colours to its mast - trend awareness and environmental awareness. And one does not exclude the other!
To date this has worked very well for us since our trend-setting collections have always been very well received. OEKO-TEX Standard 1000 certification is a value-add both for us and our customers which is worth it in every respect.”
Spanish firm Tejidos Royo bags OEKO-TEX 1000 certificate
Tradition with future
The origin of our family business dates back to 1903 when José Royo in Alcudia de Crespins took over the company. In 1974 the weaving mill relocated to Picassent. This was followed by huge investments in the modernisation and optimisation of the machinery.
This step set the future course for the company and its wide product range and quality requirements were not only continued but hugely expanded. 256 people are currently employed in the company's in-house spinning mill, weaving mill, dye works and outfitting. All plant systems are designed for maximum possible efficiency.
Together with its subsidiary Denim Valley, Tejidos Royo has set itself the objective of always totally meeting customer requirements. According to Juan José Lopez (Sustainability Management), “The strength of our company is our ability to always deliver first class fabrics to our customers.
Today's modern lifestyles require the highest levels of fashionable, functional, sustainable - and depending on usage - elegant clothing and our innovative abilities are our absolute speciality in this regard.”
Fashion and environmental protection - the common denominator Textile ecology and sustainability are the focus at Tejidos Royo. Accordingly all processing phases from the raw materials to the finished fabric are carried out under the company's own management control. Innovative machine stock ensures optimum
production conditions for the annual output of about 15,000,000 metres of fabric.
All processes in the spinning mill, weaving mill, dye works and textile finishing are subject accordingly to the requirements of the OEKO-TEX Standard 1000, an extremely effective quality and environmental management system. Optimisation measures are constantly being implemented in the entire company to increase the level of sustainability.
These primarily include the avoidance of harmful substances in production, strict controls on waste water and waste air, optimised energy usage and measures to ensure occupational health and safety.
Sustainability also plays a role in the very product development of the company. This is reflected for instance in the successful development of an innovative denim material which particularly highlights environmental considerations as well as wearing comfort and trend awareness.
The fabric collections are called “Hybridenim”. As well as cotton the Hybridenim consists of recycled materials (polyester and cotton) plus Tencel, a cellulosic from the fast growing eucalyptus tree. Production savings which can be achieved by using one tonne of recycled yarns are huge according to Panos Sofainos: “Hybridenim represents a real breakthrough for resource protection.
The savings amount to 4.8 litres of water, 16.5 kg of chemicals, the avoidance of 233.8 kg carbon dioxide, 3.6 litre less waste water for disposal plus 512.5 kilowatt hours of energy.
Added to that is the fact that clothing items no longer have to be expensively sorted and cotton cultivation surfaces are also saved.” Even the dyeing of the jeans fabric uses a particularly environmentally-friendly process as in contrast to other processes, less water is used for hybridenim.
The specific wearing comfort of the finished jeans is created through the thermal and moisture control properties, a feature which makes the jeans feel extremely pleasant on the skin. The fashion components are provided by the special surface so that the jeans develop a nice shine when worn. Their care also requires little energy as the clothing item can be washed at low temperatures and does not require any time-consuming ironing.
The installation of a modern combined heat and power generation plant should ensure future annual energy savings through the use of process heat of 453,000 Kg of CO2 emissions and 12,036,864 KW/h of energy.
Furthermore a modern waste gas heat exchanger in the dye works ensures a reduction of gas consumption by a further 15%. Additional resource savings are achieved through the use of processes developed in-house. In line with its corporate social responsibility Tejidos Royo is also investing for the future in the areas of occupational health and safety, plus in vocational training and development.
Juan José Lopez is of the opinion that the commitment to sustainability is worth it: “The global energy situation is making environmental aspects increasingly important so our innovative collections are taking this into account more and more. The OEKO-TEX Standard 1000 certification supports us because it is visible externally and it signifies a distinctive competitive advantage for us over cheap imports.”
Courtesy: OEKO-TEX Association
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