How does our brand strive for energy efficiency?

The World Energy Efficiency Day (celebrated annually in March) is the perfect occasion to share what we do to reduce our energy consumption, both as individuals and companies. In 2018, we were able to move into our new building which has thorough insulation and excellent LED panels. We also managed to purchase modern machines with lower energy consumption. Let’s see the details.

The objective of World Energy Efficiency Day is to point out the need to reduce energy consumption through reasonable and sustainable energy use.
Let’s think about this: there’s no part of the fashion value cycle that doesn’t involve energy consumption. Extraction of raw materials, preparation of yarns and fabrics, textile finishing processes, garment production, transportation, trade, product use, and post-consumer activities (for example burning or recycling) are all energy-intensive processes.

Shocking numbers

According to data from the World Resources Institute (2016), energy consumption is responsible for 73.2% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, of which industry accounts for 24.2%. Unfortunately, there’s no precise data on the fashion industry’s representation in this.

In spite of that, we do know (according to data from 2018) that the fashion industry is responsible for 4% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is a giant proportion in this context.

Action is worth taking at every level

Everyone has a smaller or bigger role in reducing these numbers: decision-makers, investors, factories, brands, traders, and also individuals. As a fashion brand, for example, we can make an impact on many things in a positive way with the decisions made at the design table or the conscious selection of partners.

However, we believe that it also matters a great deal what steps a brand is willing to take in terms of its daily operations in order to save energy. Find out more about our current ambitions and future goals.

We didn’t regret building our own sewing factory

Before the foundation of ÊTRE, when the activity of our company was entirely based on contract manufacturing, we worked in another building, but as we started to grow, we had to decide what the next step was.

We could only rent older buildings, which were considered outdated in terms of energy efficiency. We didn’t feel right about that, neither from a sustainability standpoint nor from a financial point of view.

That’s why we decided to build our own sewing factory. We were able to move into the new building in 2018, which was a tremendous joy for us, since the new location of our company was a result of a real family collaboration.

Thorough insulation and excellent LED panels

Energy efficiency was one of our main goals when creating modern conditions. Firstly, the insulation of the building has relevant energy certificates. What’s more, the thermally insulated windows and doors, and our external insulation also tell about our maximalism. It’s surprising, but true even in the coldest season, that heating for a few hours in the early morning ensures warmth for the whole day.

In addition, we use modern LED panels as light sources, which are crucial not only for energy consumption, but also for maintaining the health of our eyes.

New machines with lower energy consumption

Furthermore, we replaced our old piston compressor with a modern screw compressor. That’s really important because our operation requires not only electricity, but also air (for instance to extract textile waste or cut threads).

We also managed to purchase some new sewing machines, partly through tenders and partly through our own efforts. The motors of these machines are very modern. Most of them no longer work with industrial electricity, but only need 220V, so their consumption is much less.

More and more plans

One of our future goals is to replace our other machines step by step. Not because of their operation, since they still work beautifully, with very good quality, but the machines with older motors consume much more energy.

We’d also like to install solar panels on our company building in order to make our operation even greener with the use of renewable energy. Needless to say, we know that there’s always room for improvement, which is why we constantly check out energy saving opportunities.