Fabrics

White as cotton…

We want our guests to sleep well in clean bed linen and have fresh towels when they get up in the morning. Textiles are an important part of the hotel experience. It also has a substantial impact on the environment and on the people who are part of the value chain. This is why we have to get it right.

We use a lot of cotton in our textiles. Did you know that:

• …One kilo of harmful chemicals is needed to produce one kilo of cotton?   
• …Between 5,000 and 25,000 litres of water is needed to produce one kilo of cotton? 
• …Cotton production uses only about 4 % of all farmland in the world, but accounts for more than 25 % of the use of pesticides?

Cotton has a greater impact on the environment and on social conditions than most of us realize. The entire life cycle of cotton products – from seed selection to growing, via production and laundry at the hotels and all the way until the cotton products can no longer be used – demands a lot of resources and involves many different people and bodies.

Use less energy, water and chemicals

We cooperate with our suppliers to improve conditions for the environment and for people throughout the life cycle of cotton products. It is challenging, as the supply chain is long and complex. We register all suppliers and sub contractors and develop measures to reduce the impact on the environment and social conditions throughout the supply chain. In addition we identify what each hotel can do them selves.

One of the most efficient measures is to reduce consumption. That means that we need to reduce the number of times that towels are washed. The less washing that is done, the less wear and tear, and the life cycle of the towels is thus prolonged. This way we also use less energy, water and laundry chemicals. In addition, we do not have to buy new ones as often, which means we use less cotton. This is why we ask you to use your towels more than once before we wash it.

 Towels can be recycled

Comforta AB, one of our Swedish laundries, give all their old, white towels to SBG Textilputs, who reuses the materials in their products. The coloured textiles end up at the local racetrack. This way the life cycle of our textiles is prolonged, and we use less raw materials and everything needed to produce them.