At European Spinning Group, sustainability is in the DNA
European Spinning Group in Spiere-Helkijn produces and distributes yarns. Innovation, technical know-how and sustainability are in the DNA of this family business. Julie Lietaer, who is the third generation in charge, strongly believes in this combination to continue making a difference.
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European Spinning Group produces and distributes yarns for a wide variety of applications, such as interior, outdoor, (work) clothing, technical textiles,... The yarns are made in Belgium and exported all over the world. "It is typical for family businesses to adopt a long-term vision. With us, this is reflected in a strong focus on combining innovation, technical knowledge and sustainability," Julie explains. "In the last few years, we have been focusing even more actively on sustainability. In our production process, for instance, we use partly recycled cotton and organic cotton. And by working with solution-dyed raw materials, we avoid using chemicals and save water. "At European Spinning Group, sustainability is in the DNA.”
ESG also forms partnerships to take steps in terms of circularity. A great example is #hackyourjeans, whereby used jeans clothing is collected from consumers. "We reuse these old jeans to make yarns. This takes a lot of research and development, as well as raising awareness among customers and end customers, designers, students, research institutes, etc. You could safely call us a pioneer in the sector, as we have been establishing such an ecosystem for about five years. Thanks to that experience, we can also support our customers in introducing more sustainable products into the world. As a matter of fact, Julie also founded her own start-up Ariadne Innovation to make the textile and fashion industry more sustainable, including by using digital tools.
Focus on both planet and people
The link between ESG's products and AQUALEX is easily established, as ESG also processes polyester fibres made from plastic bottles at its factory. “Using plastic bottles obviously does not fit in with our vision of sustainable business. That is why we ordered two tap water coolers from AQUALEX to be installed in our production departments," she explains. But sustainability for ESG is not only about our 'planet', it is also about our 'people'. "By offering both still and sparkling water to our employees, we want to encourage them to drink more water and opt less often for soft drinks. Over the past few years, we have been putting health and prevention higher and higher on the agenda. Moreover, we linked the commissioning of the devices to the start of Tournée Minérale. We also provided reusable drinking bottles in an ESG jacket. We strongly believe that you can express your gratitude to employees with little gestures. The reactions have been very positive."
Julie discovered AQUALEX through a variety of reference projects in her local area. "AQUALEX's products not only fit our ambitions in terms of circularity and water saving; I also see a lot of overlap between our visions on sustainability, technicality, innovation, creativity, design. That creates a bond. I am myself very active on social media, where I often see inspiring stories and images of AQUALEX coming along, for example about its concept store in Knokke-Heist. That concept is a great example of the creativity and authenticity of managers Alexander and Niki."
More info:
- Ellie.Connect: B2B digital platform for the sustainable textile & fashion ecosystem.
- Ariadne Innovation: digital platform with solutions to support sustainability, digitalization and collaboration in the textile and fashion industry.
- European Spinning Group (ESG): family-owned textile group active in the production and distribution of textile yarns for various markets.
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