Production

Sustainability and the production of items

When sustainability is discussed, it quickly becomes about the materials that are used. And those are very important too, because how those materials are grown (in the case of natural sources, as with many textiles) and processed are important steps that determine sustainability. If a lot of poison is used during the growth of materials, as in the case of ordinary, unsustainable cotton, for example, then you go wrong at the very beginning.

The processing of materials

Next, how materials are processed largely determines sustainability. If chemical materials are used in that processing, that is not necessarily wrong, but you have to be careful. For example, will those chemicals be recycled? What happens to the chemicals if they are not recycled? If that is simply discharged, or dumped in a place not intended for that purpose and not further processed into a harmless substance, it can harm the environment.

Transparency and controls

The above are the most obvious components in the sustainability discussion. Even then, you're not there, because who controls all of this? In those checks, government agencies and a country's rules are key. One country takes sustainability and compliance more seriously than another. And one country is more transparent with regard to compliance checks, such as the desired checks by customers or certification bodies, than another.

Working conditions

Next, working conditions play an important role. After all, what good is sustainability if working conditions are abysmal. Labor conditions are always a difficult discussion, because Western countries are quick to impose their own production standards on other countries. But that is not entirely fair and amounts to comparing apples and oranges. You simply cannot impose on other countries at once standards that it took Western countries themselves decades, sometimes more than a hundred years, to achieve. As a Western buyer, you will have to give the producing countries time to keep improving working conditions. But of course there are issues that you as a Western country can never be tolerant about and should never accept, the so-called lower limits so to speak, such as child labor.

Vervper

And then when we have touched on working conditions, another sustainability issue comes around the corner and that is transportation. When items are transported from one end of the world to the other, only to fall on the consumer's mat, it is far from sustainable. It is well known that container ships are often just as polluting on their own as tens of thousands of cars.

The Far East

All these points have been reasons for Undiemeister® not to have its items produced in the Far East, such as in countries like China, Pakistan or Bangladesh. At the same time, as a textile brand, it is true that you do not have an extensive choice. It's not like you have the countries where textiles are produced to choose from. The fact is that some countries in the world, a handful, have dedicated themselves to the production of textiles and other countries have not. So you will have to look at those countries to see if it is possible to have your products made in those countries.

In addition to sustainability requirements, other things also play a role, such as the quality of the production, which has to correspond to the quality you have in mind as a textile brand. The production volume also plays a role, as do the delivery times and, of course, the purchase price.

Turkey, Portugal and Italy

If you want to have your products made as close to your Western market as possible, and have requirements for transparency regarding sustainability and working conditions while at the same time wanting the highest quality, there are really only a few countries left in Europe: Turkey, Portugal and Italy. Undiemeister® investigated these countries and came to the conclusion that Portugal is not really a country that is geared towards underwear production. From Portugal, it is true, come items of very high quality, but they focus more on outerwear, bed and bath linens. Moreover, Turkey is a country that has made very great strides in recent years in terms of sustainability and working conditions, and is also a country that is quickly accessible from Western Europe, for example for an inspection. In addition, Italy, with its centuries-long textile traditions and as an EU country, is ideal for having items produced to the very highest quality standards.

The production location makes the difference

Within a country there are, of course, differences. Again, one factory is better than another. Within Turkey, for example, there are many choices, making the country ideal for choosing exactly the location that meets all requirements. And as you may know, Undiemeister® has quite a few requirements when it comes to sustainability and working conditions. Undiemeister® works with the very best manufacturers, all modern locations, equipped with the very latest and clean technology with working conditions that, especially for textile production sites, are at a high level and all are certified.