Textile chemical management specialist Bluesign has been recognised by the German Government as a credible measure of sustainable manufacturing for public procurement purposes. Bluesign said it was proud to be able to contribute to the sustainable production of textiles and improved consumer safety for public servants and other people using publicly-procured textiles.
Thomas Schaefer, Head of the Bluesign Academy, said: “Public procurement of textile articles is a large market – workwear for fire fighters, police forces, the military, bed linens for hospitals etc – and governments will increasingly focus on the procurement of sustainable textiles.
“Governmental bodies should be a forerunner, and in some countries there are already commitments to achieve a certain level of sustainable textiles in procurement decisions.”We are proud that Buesign is now accepted as a qualifier. That’s important for public sector bodies because with our label a wide range of textile articles with high technical performance will now be accepted.”
Bluesign initiated more than 500 stakeholders to participate in the consultation process for the latest revision of its Bluesign Criteria, contributing to the continual improvement of the Bluesign System.
One of those stakeholders, Kilian Hochrein, Director of Environmental Affairs for Gore-Tex fabrics developer WL Gore & Associates, commented: “We are pleased to learn that the German authorities now recognise the Bluesign System as a qualifier for green public procurement.
“For Gore, this milestone is further proof point of the science-based, profound and pragmatic approach of the Bluesign System, which will help transform and strengthen the segment of consumer and technical protective apparel in the textile industry. “This is strong support for Gore’s efforts to provide high performance protective fabrics to professionals in public safety, security, and workwear arenas with the least environmental footprint.”
The Bluesign System aims to eliminate harmful substances right from the beginning of the manufacturing process, and sets and controls standards for the environmentally friendly and safe production of sustainable textiles.
