Durak Tekstil, the leading manufacturer of industrial sewing and embroidery threads, celebrates World Environment Day with its successful efforts to become a more sustainable textile business. Durak Tekstil, taking concrete steps in numerous areas from raw material procurement to more efficient use of natural resources and energy in the production process, from choosing renewable and recyclable resources to investments in reducing the footprint on the environment, has created its strategic plans for the coming period as a sustainable and environmentalist company.
Durak Tekstil Board Member and Marketing Director Yiğit Durak reminded that World Environment Day has been celebrated since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 in order to create global awareness and take action on the environment. Durak stated that Durak Tekstil has a history of 50 years and is one of the first companies to take initiative in the field of environment and sustainability said; “The use of resources, production processes and supply chain and the serious negative effects of the textile industry on the environment have been talked about for years. Significant developments have been achieved in increasing awareness and consumer demands in this regard. Durak Tekstil, as one of the leading industrial sewing and embroidery thread manufacturers in the sector, has been proving that a greener textile production is possible for a long time with the sustainability strategy it has prepared and implemented. We are aware that our environmental initiatives, beyond creating additional costs for us, increase our brand value with the responsibility we undertake.”
Production with the environment, eco-friendly production
Durak Tekstil, exporting to more than 75 countries on 5 continents, fulfills the sustainability criteria and environmental conditions in its facilities both in Turkey and China. The company, founding an independent Sustainability Committee in house for these activities, not only gains a more transparent identity with the steps it takes, but also creates more added value for its customers’ final products.
Durak Tekstil has the International Renewable Energy Certificate (I-REC) as of 2021 and is a company that uses 100% renewable electrical energy in all its facilities. Natural gas is another important energy source in production for the company. Durak Tekstil saves 100 thousand cubic meters of natural gas annually thanks to its Waste Water Energy Recovery Facility. This corresponds to 25% of its total natural gas consumption.
The amount of water required for production is constantly being reduced
The most important point in the protection of clean water resources is to save water in industrial production. Durak Tekstil uses water intensively during the dyeing phase in production and has achieved a visible improvement over the years with its investments. The company used 50 liters of water for 1 kg of thread dyeing in 2015-16 and has managed to reduce this amount to around 40 liters with its investments. Focusing especially on increasing the RFT (Right First Time) ratio in the dyehouse, the company carries forward its target of regularly reducing the amount of water and chemicals used in production.
Durak Tekstil, in addition to reducing the amount of clean water used, also made the necessary environmental investments to release the water into nature after use. The company releases the wastewater to the sewers after it reaches the required pH value with the Purification Plant and continues its efforts to reuse the wastewater in the dyehouse and other production processes.
No place for dangerous substances in production!
Durak Tekstil responds to the safety demands of its customers with certificates showing that its production processes and products meet the necessary safety standards for human health and the environment. The company, which cooperates with authorized licensed companies regarding the wastes generated during and after production, successfully meets the criteria determined in the process controlled by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. Durak Tekstil’s 3-year Waste Management Plan was approved by the ministry and the company received Zero Waste Certificate in 2021. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certificate, which is of great importance in terms of product safety and consumer comfort, is among the documents presented by Durak Tekstil to its customers.
No place for dangerous substances in production!
Yiğit Durak, emphasizing that Durak Tekstil has a corporate vision focused on the environment and sustainability, noted that they have demonstrated this commitment with the international initiatives and contracts they have recently participated in. Durak stated that they obtained the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) certificate at the beginning of 2022 and explained that they documented their threads are produced from suitable recycled raw materials. He concluded his words as follows; “We have implemented the end-to-end sustainability criteria. That is why we reduce our environmental impact by using recycled polyester (rPET) in addition to using virgin raw materials. The environmental impact of this becomes more obvious when considering that approximately 30 plastic bottles are used to produce 1 kg of recycled thread. The UN Global Compact, which we joined in 2022, is the world’s largest sustainability initiative. Our roadmap for the environment and sustainability has already been prepared and we are strengthening our eco-friendly production with firm steps, and we will continue to add value to our brand with our sustainability efforts.”