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Esquel Guangdong plant bags STeP by OEKO-TEX certificate

31 Oct '14
3 min read

OEKO-TEX said the Foshan production centre in Guangdong, the largest production facility of Esquel Group, has become the first production facility in China to be awarded with STeP by OEKO-TEX certification for its sustainable textile production.

Founded in 1978, Esquel Group is one of the world’s leading textile and apparel manufacturers, with state-of-the-art production facilities in mainland China, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

"The topic of sustainability is certainly not new to us as we have been employing a holistic approach towards maximizing quality whilst driving sustainability in every sphere of our businesses,” said Zeng Jun - Quality Systems Management (QSM) Head at Esquel.

According to OEKO-TEX, the manufacturer of premium cotton shirts and polo-shirts carried out the assessment required for STeP certification, including the company audit, in just a few weeks.

"We are thrilled at receiving OEKO-TEX’s highest classification and for being the first textile enterprise in China to attain the certificate. This not only recognizes our environmentally friendly production, but also our application of socially responsible policies”, Zeng Jun added.

The scope of certification covers printing both; carousel and flat, making-up of knitted and woven garments, spinning, twisting, knitting, weaving, dyeing of fibre & yarn, knitted and woven fabrics, finishing, making-up of knitted/woven garments and garment washing.

“One of the highlights during the audit visit was its use of solar energy for hot water production and steam production for ironing work,” OEKO-TEX noted.

"For the STeP certification, all of the areas of the company in relation to environmentally friendly production processes and socially responsible working conditions were first analysed using a web-based assessment tool," explains OEKO-TEX lead auditor, Adrian Meili.

This included the handling of chemicals and possible hazardous materials, environmental performance, implementation of an environmental management system, social responsibility in relation to employees, efficient quality management and safety in the workplace.

During the subsequent audit of the production facilities, the specifications provided by the company were verified on site by the OEKO-TEX auditors and a detailed audit report was created. The result of the sustainability assessment is displayed in a clear scoring system on the STeP certificate.

"The results achieved in both of the Guangdong Esquel Textiles production facilities go far beyond the basic requirements for STeP certification, taking them up to the maximum level and measures of sustainability implemented by the company are certified as exemplary,” Meili informs.

The modular structure of STeP by OEKO-TEX is clear and transparent.Each module and each tested area is weighted individually and thus enables a much more comprehensive analysis of a company's efforts in the area of sustainability than other certifications. (AR)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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