Ecology and environmentEnsuring sustainable action
Our Commitment to a sustainable environment
As the leading manufacturer of textile solutions in Europe and as the world market leader in knitted polyester materials for digital printing, we have a special responsibility in environmental and social issues. For this reason, we do not only focus on the highest possible quality, but also on the highest possible environmental standards. For many years, we have been pioneering the processing of recycled yarns. Since 2018, we have been increasing our contribution as part of a self-commitment initiative: With GOING GREEN by Friedrich, we have created a concept that contains five environmental aspects of our value added chain and ensures sustainable action.
Self-commitment initiative for the environment and resources
Self-commitment initiative for
the environment and resources
- purchase of raw materials from countries with high ecological and social standards, primarily within the EU
- 85% off all PES-yarns are produced in the EU
- preferred purchase of biodegradable auxiliaries
- ISO-certified or GOF-audited suppliers
- priority on ISO 14001 certified suppliers
- short delivery routes (CO2 footprint)
- most modern state of the art knitting and finishing-plant
- continuously monitored production and usage of resources
- very low wastage rates due to automated error monitoring and correction
- all permits correspond to the current state of the legislation
- optimization of production processes for lowest environmental impact and highest energy efficiency
- regular auditing with certification according to ISO 9001, ISO 50002
- continuous exhaust air and wastewater monitoring
- exclusive use of auxiliaries class WKS I (can be safely disposed in the municipal wastewater system)
- following the regulations of the ILO-Convention including No. 182 (Child-labour)
- halogen-free finishing and coating line (already meeting future standards)
- prioritising environmental aspects in the design and planning stage of all new sites and machinery
- 100% of production (warp knitting, finishing and coating) takes place in Germany
- textiles for digital printing are made from recyclable polyester yarns
- acetate and viscose articles, based on renewable raw materials
- 100% PVC-free
- textiles are REACH compliant and certified according to Ökotex Class I (Baby) or Class II (skin contact)
- own test laboratory for safety, quality and environmental testing
- CO2 footprint available for many products
- textiles made of recycled post-consumer PET available
- RETeX+ RC product line
- textiles made of SEAQUAL® Yarn
- operate system to improve energy efficiency according to §3 SpaEfV
- certification according to EN16247-1 / ISO 50002
- use of high efficiency heat exchanger systems in finishing plant (energy recovery of 45%)
- build to Up to Date energy and environmental requirements and regulations
- up to 60% of electricity produced by own photovoltaic plant (2459 Kw/p installed capacity) which is equivalent to the consumption of 800 households
- certification of finishing plant as „Energy Conscious Company“ according to the German “Spitzenausgleich-Effizienzsystemverordnung”
- CO2 savings of 2,282 to/pa (equivalent to a distance of approx. 15,737.931km for cars)
- usage of post-consumer PET (EU-origin-only, collection within 150 km of recycling plant)
- CO2 compensation by supporting afforestation projects with PLANT-MY-TREE®
- post-consumer recycled yarn certified according to GLOBAL RECYCLED STANDARD (GRS) - Version 4.0:2017
- recycling of production waste
- non-recyclable waste is fed into the energy cycle as secondary fuels
- reuse of packaging material
- use of reusable transport skids
- member of the SEAQUAL® Initiative for cleaning the Oceans of marine litter
- overview sheet Recycling vs. Greenwashing (statement GOF)
- overview sheet Local vs. Global - There can be no discussion when it comes to recycled polyester
Retex+ RC product line
With RETeX+, Georg+Otto Friedrich offers textiles made of recycled PET. PET is a valuable material because it is composed of oil or natural gas, it means it is a non-renewable raw material. Generally, it is 100 percent recyclable. However, the preparation and recovery of the materials from the composed articles is complex.
But the effort is worth it in several ways, because recycling also has a positive impact on the emission of CO2. Each tonne of recycled PET saves three tons of greenhouse gas. According to a Swiss study, this corresponds to the total emissions of an average car in one year. In addition, the production of new products from recycled PET saves around 50 percent energy. The addition of the name “RC” identifies GOF items made of recycled polyester.
Discover our RETeX+ and RC products in the product finder.
Every Tree Counts
Since December 2019, we cooperate with the certified environmental protection partner PLANT-MY-TREE®, which carries out afforestation projects for CO² compensation throughout Germany.
Already today, we save up to 29% CO2 in the production of fabrics made from re-PET compared to virgin PET. In addition, for every roll of fabric made from recycled polyester sold, an area of approx. 2.5 sqm of forest is reforested. After only 21 years, the CO2 footprint of this roll is completely offset (average CO2 absorption of a tree 12.5 kg/year, source: PLANT-MY-TREE®).
With your help, over 4,863 trees have already been planted. Continue to support this environmental project with Retex+ fabrics and maybe we will soon be able to walk through our forest.
We are also continuing our environmental commitment for 2023. In Nobitz-Runsdorf, another 860 GOF trees will soon be allowed to take root!
Cooperation for clean oceans
Cooperation forclean oceans
Our environmental partner SEAQUAL® INITIATIVE is a community of individuals, organizations and companies to clean our oceans. They are working to recycle recovered waste. amd aim to clean the Mediterranean Sea of plastic waste and recycle this plastic by upcycling into new, environmentally friendly polyester fibres. Exactly the right project and the right partner for GOING GREEN by Friedrich.
Do you know that approx. 12 million tonnes of waste is dumped into our oceans every year?
A large part of it is made of plastic, which takes centuries to decompose. It poses an enormous threat to marine life. Therefore it is about time to take effective countermeasures. Therefore we have developed another highly sustainable textile: DecoTex Blue. It consists of more than 60% SEAQUAL® polyester fibres, which are made from recycled marine plastic. DecoTex Blue (Art. 7058RCO6GFS) is suitable for advertising applications, frame systems and banners and available in a width of 320 cm ex stock. Each processed role supports marine fauna and provides cleaner ocean and beaches.
Become a SEAQUAL® licensee and help us to clean the oceans!
Ensuring sustainable action means to take ecological responsibility
