Becoming sustainable isn't a 5-minute job but has to be seen as a dynamic process.
Professor Stefan Mecheels discusses the importance of testing and certification in textile industry along with the technological innovations taking place with Mary Christine Joy.
Synopsis:
Hohenstein institute is a leading textile research body based in Germany. It was founded by Professor Otto Mecheels and Professor Stefan Mecheels is the third generation head of the family business.
Professor Mecheels is a scientist and a renowned figure in the field of textile technology. He heads the institute and is responsible for all the findings of the institute.
Excerpts:
To start with, can you explain a bit about the importance of Hohenstein Institute in the field of textiles? The institute is established since 1946 and is a family concern. How has the journey remained in all these years?
The Hohenstein Institute provides testing, certification and research in every aspect of textiles – expertise from a single source. Over 4,500 clients the world over profit from the textile know-how of approximately 500 staff based at the head office in Boennigheim (Germany) and from a global network of international offices in over 40 countries. These provide access to the broad range of services of the research and service center locally, in all the major production and trade regions for textiles. In the last century, the main challenge for us was to keep up with the growing globalization of textile production. Because of this, we were able to win new customers mainly outside Europe. Without a doubt, this trend will continue in the future. Aside from our good reputation being spread by our satisfied customers, our more than 40 international offices are of major importance. Our global presence in all the countries and regions involved in textile production gives potential customers a direct point of contact. The staff members in our international offices speak their language, and are familiar with the special demands of the relevant markets. These are advantages which are highly appreciated by European importers, who in turn refer their suppliers to Hohenstein. Apart from cultivating and building on our direct contacts, we put a lot of emphasis on public relations and online media to inform potential customers as well as research partners about our work.
If you had to rate the global textile industry in terms of sustainability, how would you rate it in a scale of 1 to 10? Please elaborate your answer.
I don't think it's possible to judge any one industry as being good or bad the world over. Even here in Europe, it's not so long ago that the rivers were still very polluted, though this has changed greatly in the last 30 years, as everyone can see. Becoming sustainable isn't a 5-minute job, but has to be seen as a dynamic process. It's a question of providing an impetus, so that the textile industry in developing countries can also catch up in terms of sustainability. That takes a certain amount of time - time that we in Europe needed as well, to make that progress. What's important from my point of view is to keep up the momentum and try to get better every year - not only because of state regulations but above all because of a company's own sense of responsibility.
What are the latest technological innovations going on in the field of textiles? Can you tell our readers a bit about that?
As an applied research institute, we regard ourselves primarily as a partner for the industry's small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). These SMEs in particular benefit from the practical solutions which our interdisciplinary teams of specialists work together to develop. Thanks to the close cooperation between textile engineers, chemists, medics, biologists, and physicists, we are able to provide and optimize a diverse range of products and procedures for a wide spectrum of sectors in line with individual requirements.
One of the things we are working on at the moment is an "artificial uterus", which provides sensory stimulation for premature babies and helps them to avoid missing out on anything in their development.
Another exciting project is to do with improving underwear for use on future space missions. The German astronaut Dr. Alexander Gerst is currently carrying out wearing tests with "Spacetex" materials on board the International Space Station (ISS).
Since you are into innovation and services, can you tell us about the types of clients you have in the textile industry? Which type of clients can approach you for your services and when?
The Hohenstein Institute offers manufacturers, retailers, service providers and consumers "competence from a single source", covering a wide range of distinct but closely linked fields of work. Our clients differ greatly in their size, structure and countries of origin. They range from medium-sized companies to large corporations and are based both in Germany and in all the other textile-producing regions of the world. Our branch offices abroad, in over 40 countries, play a key role in customer support. The contact with our customers is generally very close, personal and oriented towards dialogue. This reflects the fact that the special know-how at Hohenstein does not just cover testing and certification of all kinds but also includes intensive consulting and support. We particularly see ourselves as trouble-shooters who don't just brush their customers off with their measuring results, but also help with solving problems that arise during production and optimizing products.
You credit the success of Hohenstein Institute to your grandfather who started the venture in 1946. What valuable inputs or learning have you got from him?
My grandfather already essentially formulated the secret for the success of the Hohenstein Institute when it was founded in 1946, and this still holds true to this day. On one hand, we have the fundamental principle of "unity of research, service and continued education". Through our research work, we have always kept pace with the times, which has enabled us to identify and meet the current demands of the markets when it comes to testing and certification services, as well as training courses. On the other hand, another factor for success is our focus on textile products of all kinds and their use in a great variety of areas of work and life. This gives us, and thereby our customers, the benefit of extensive expert knowledge, which in combination with our interdisciplinary approach, is unique in the world.
Can testing and certification help companies achieve sustainability in their supply chain? To what extent is this effective?
Over the past 20 years, the independent testing and certification of textile products has assumed significantly greater importance. This is due to both consumers being much more aware of product quality and to the changes which have taken place in the global flow of goods.
How important is transparency and traceability in the textile supply chain?
Environmental protection and social responsibility have become far more important in recent years for global textile brands, trade enterprises, and manufacturers along the textile value added chain.
Published on: 29/10/2014
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
