SUSTAINABLE COOPERATION
Working together on sustainable linen management
Tight cooperation with our customers, our textile suppliers, our own laundries and laundry partners is essential for a successful strategy in sustainability. We inspire one another to be sustainable. Smarter, more efficient and better is our motivation; always in motion, with an eye on the future. For instance, we have been in yearlong partnerships with our laundries and have entered into various other partnerships for a more sustainable world. Besides our partnerships with about 1,000 partner laundries and many sustainable suppliers, our network of sustainable cooperation is ever expanding.
Hotels for Trees
Hotels for Trees is an initiative for sustainability on the hospitality industry. The foundation plants a tree for every time a hotel room cleaning is turned down. “A fantastic initiative with a direct and concrete impact”. Our relations – hotels, restaurants and wellness centers – can become ambassadors. This means a reduction in costs, but also a more healthy living environment with less CO2 emission. The goal is to plant at least one million trees every year from 2025 onwards. Also want to be an ambassador? You can register on this page.
Circular linen through cooperation – Cibutex
Making a difference in the linen chain together. That is the goal of several companies from the textile industry that have founded Cibutex. They join forces and share knowledge to fully commit to a completely circular textile industry. The production and use of textile takes its toll on the environment. By upcycling textile waste and make it available in the chain again, Cibutex strives to reduce the ecological footprint within the chain and the use of raw materials. Read more about Cibutex on this page.
GreenDeal Network
Together with linen supplier Beirholm, we strive to be more sustainable, but also to make it more insightful. Through a new digital platform, we share what we do about sustainability and where our linen comes from. From picking to laundry and recycling, we show the entire product journey of cotton. Please follow along on this page.
A liter for a liter – Made Blue
For the production of textile, a lot of water is required and water is of vital importance. That is why we take a critical look at our own water consumption by initiatives involving economical laundry, hot water recycling and heat exchangers. Despite all our efficient endeavors, still a lot of water is required. That is why we mirror our water usage according to the concept of ‘A liter for a liter’ with Made Blue. This way, we make an amount of water available for developing countries that is equal to our water consumption.
A better life for cotton farmers – Chetna
Chetna cooperates with small and micro farmers to improve their living conditions in the rain-deficient region of Maharashtra, India. The agriculture must become sustainable and provide in the livelihood of the farmers for 100%. Chetna enables a different, productive and sustainable way of farming for these farmers. By cooperating within the chain, our Indian farmers now work under decent working conditions, receive an honest price and the community is thriving due to bicycles and better schooling for young people. Read more on this page.
When developing new products, we also think about reusing materials. We now have our Comeback: a runner made of recycled jeans. This is not only sustainable and strong, but also distinguishing and authentic.
Recycled bed linen as a bag – ReusedRemade
Repurposing hotel linen is not new in and of itself. However, with ReusedRemade, we found a whole new purpose for discarded linen. The Swedish company not only makes beautiful bags of recycled cotton, but also proves that recycling and upcycling of used cotton on a large scale is commercially viable. Tob e able to do so, they do need a continuous and reliable supply of used cotton. Blycolin helps them. By cooperating with ReusedRemade, we have taken yet another step towards a closed textile chain. Read more about Circular Linen.
MARTAN – Sustainable Fashion Brand
MARTAN is a sustainable fashion brand that gives our hospitality linen a new lease on life in a very different way. MARTAN takes our discarded linen onto the catwalk. We have stored old linen, in colors that are out of production, for up to dozens of years, but also rejected Blycolin bed linen of the Grand Hotel Amrath Amsterdam is repurposed in the MARTAN collection. The linen had no future in hospitality anymore, but a bright one at MARTAN, as they provide the bed linen with a new future. Read more about textile recycling and MARTAN.
The Table brings linnen back home – Elliz in Company
Some initiatives are suffused with social responsibility. Elliz in Company also uses Blycolin’s discarded linen. The company recycles textile into various other products, such as bags, flags, pillows, stuffed animals and Christmas presents. Piece by piece made with not only used textile, but also with the dedication of people with a distance to the employment market. Elliz in Company is close to Blycolin, in Zaltbommel, and also cooperates with The Table. Read more about textile recycling and Elliz here.
The Table
Hotel linen can be written off for various reasons. A tear, a frayed edge or visible wear and tear, but also stains that won’t come out in the wash are all reasons for rejection. After all, that is the quality we promise our customers. At the same time, the idea that a piece of fabric is no longer useful is a social convention, an unwritten rule. At The Table, they do not work according to social conventions. Part of our discarded table linen gets a second lease on life there. And what a life indeed! The Table uses stains ands hole for new designs. For instance, by embroidering around it. This is embroidered by Elliz in Company.