By Sauro Guerri

Prato: born sustainablePrato: born sustainablePrato: born sustainable

UNIONE INDUSTRIALE PRATESE IWTO Bruxelles2014, December 1°

The traditional production of

Prato Prato began to specialize in textiles in the 12th century,

when this manufacturing was regulated by the Wool

Merchants Guild.

A textile firm in Prato, 1912

A textile firm in

Prato, 2012

Since then Prato is renowned for the wool

fabrics obtained from the processing of short fibres (carded woollens). Short

fibres may be also obtained from textile waste or used clothes

(regenerated carded yarn, especially wool)

The textile productionMore recent developments (since the 60’s-70’s) in the Prato textile tradition are yarns for knitwear, synthetic leather, synthetic fur, furnishing fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, technical fabrics, special fabrics, and knitwear.

Now Prato produces medium-high and luxury quality textile for 3 billions Euro (2014)

Markets: Prato exports to 145 different countries of the world

Prato sells abroad for almost 60% of its textile turnover.

The significance of Prato within Italian exports is 15% circa (values)

Prato is today the largest Italian district of textile and

clothing

The textile and clothing industry in Prato is today:- more than 30,000 direct employees,- 7,500 businesses in network,- 4,500 million Euro of turnover

Prato produces also excellent textile machines for finishing, spinning and special textile

Breakdown of exports of Prato in

2013(% values)

The wool in Prato: quality and respect for the environment, guarantee of

product innovation in the production process and in the collections.

The composition of woollen textile exports

(values)

Wool is used in Prato especially in the textile production of medium to high quality, and luxury.

This group of producers paid high attention and investment in achieving the goals of:

• environmental sustainability

• research and innovation, both product and process.

In Prato, not surprisingly, are some

of the best textile testing laboratories in

the world.

The major customers of the Prato textile industry are all

the biggest fashion houses in the world

(including Italian brands)

Consumers are increasingly attentive the eco-sustainability of products and supply chains.

Prato is born "sustainable" because it recycles used textiles since the origins, in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, since half century (starting on 1965) textile companies developed a pilot project at the national level involving the Industrial Union and Consortium

“Progetto Acqua" in the management of water purification. Today the products are manufactured with a structure of water

treatment plants, which are used by industries, purified and returned to the industrial cycle:

- 12 million m3 of water is the total needs of the textile production, - 64 km of the tubes is the length of pipes that distribute recycled

water, - 5 million m3 is the amount of purified water reintroduced in

textile processes:

the contribution of recycling is 40% of the total industrial water.

The challenges of environmental sustainability:

Prato born sustainable

The challenges of environmental sustainability:

cardato regenerated“Cardato rigenerato”, the typical of the Prato district, is an environmentally friendly product by definition. This

technique allows to reuse fibres, which are therefore reintroduced in the production cycle, so materials are consumed that would have normally been discarded.These fibres have already been treated and they don’t need much industrial processing (washing, preparation for dyeing, dyeing). It permits savings in

terms of energy, water, ancillary chemicals and dyeing agents. Textile materials are

regenerated more and more times, therefore they will not increase waste.Part of regenerated materials

comes from the Prato cluster itself: so no transports and

related environmental impact.

For a simple environmental balance, if we compare the 22,000 tons per year

of textiles to be regenerated used in Prato with a virgin wool equivalent, we may calculate the following savings: - 60 million kilowatts in

energy- 500,000 cubic metres of water- 650 tons of ancillary chemicals

- 300 tons of dyeing agents- we avoid the emission into the atmosphere of 18,000 tons

of carbon dioxide and 1,000 tons of sulphur dioxide

The ecological value of the

cardato regenerated

To make an example, REMO (Recycle Movement) the assurance and control system "recycled" created by Dutchman Martin Havik - former professional cyclist - who has decided to invest in this project in Prato,

enhancing the local textile industry globally recognized for the recycling of textiles. The QR-code label REMO allows you to trace the chain of production, and guarantees the consumer the % of recycled content

(minimum 25), and the amount of water, energy, CO2 saved.One of first effects of RE-MO for Prato is an agreement (2014, May) between the International Cycling Union and RE-MO that

will enable companies Prato members of the partnership to produce the 2014-2018 uniforms that will be worn by the

commissioners, officials and delegates UCI for the next five years in all events of international cycling

The DISTRICT EMAS certification

The EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), a voluntary instrument created by the European Union, improve

environmental management and achieve at the end the EMAS certification for public and

private companies

The textile district of Prato got December

19, 2012 the recognition

DISTRICT EMAS – APO by the Committee for

the Ecolabel and Ecoaudit.

The promoters (Municipality and Province of Prato, the Industrial Union) have worked in recent

years also in the European project Imagine, which has facilitated the

acquisition Emas.