Sustainable materials
Our goal is to minimise environmental and climate impact throughout the product's entire life cycle. To achieve this, we focus on the using more sustainable materials and technologies.
There are many factors that to consider when assessing a garment's overall environmental impact. At Tranemo, we strive to manufacture protective clothing that is optimised for industrial laundering and designed to provide the longest possible service life through smart design and carefully selected materials.
Materials and technologies
RECYCLED FIBRES
By using recycled fibres in our garments, we can help to reduce the garments environmental impact. When cotton fibres are replaced, there are significant gains in environmental impact categories that correspond to the environmental problems of cotton cultivation, such as emissions of toxins into soil and water that lead to eutrophication and toxic effects. Recycled cotton in our garments reduces the amount of cotton that needs to be grown. By using the cotton we already have in circulation, we reduce the strain on natural resources. A certain amount of new cotton is still needed to maintain the fabric's strength and ensure its service life is not negatively affected. Tranemo therefore uses a mix of recycled and new cotton.
We use recycled polyester in our quilted, non-flame-protective winter garments. The material contains around 45% recycled fibres, depending on the construction. The recycled polyester is made from post-consumer PET and is certified as recycled polyester.
SOLUTION DYEING
We strive to use solution dyeing for products that are well suited to this dyeing technique. The traditional dyeing process consists of two steps. In the first step, fibres are produced without dyeing. In the second step, colour is applied to the fibres. With solution dyeing, one step is eliminated. The technique is based on a process in which colour pigments are added to the spinning solution. This significantly reduces water use in the dyeing process, which means reduced energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. By replacing synthetic piece-dyed fabrics with solution-dyed fabrics, the total emissions can be reduced by 16 %.
PRE CONSUMER WASTE
Our goal is to move towards a circular economy by reducing waste and minimising the production of new materials. To achieve this, we collect fabric offcuts from production and return them to our weaver, who recycles our pre-consumer waste (production waste) to create new high-quality fabrics. Our Cantex 240IR fabric 932 contains 20% recycled Tera TX material and is also PFAS-free. To maintain the fabric's strength and durability, the recycled fibres are placed on the back of the fabric towards the laminate. We look forward to continuing to work towards a circular economy where we close the loop and reuse our own pre-consumer waste in new high-quality materials within our company.
Download the guide
7 steps to a more responsible purchase of protective clothing
This is what you get when you download the guide:
- Checklist with the steps that should be carried out to take environmental aspects into account when purchasing protective clothing.
- Everything from evaluating PPE suppliers to exploring PFAS needs and the possibility of extending the product’s lifespan with care and repair.
100% INHERENT FLAME PROTECTION
Tranemo manufactures flame retardant clothing with 100% inherent flame protection, which guarantees that the wearer receives a garment with lifelong protection.
The flame protection function in inherently flame-protective fabrics is already built into the chemical structure of the fibre before it is spun into a yarn. The flame protection is chemically bonded to the fibre and can neither be washed out nor worn away. This means that the wearer receives permanent flame protection throughout the entire lifetime of the garment. Other advantages, in addition to the permanent flame protection, are that the garments are light, durable and comfortable to wear. Tranemo works in close cooperation with fibre manufacturers and is always open to new innovations and more sustainable developments.
Advantages of inherent flame protection:
- Permanent flame protection that is built into the fibre
- The flame protection can neither be washed out nor worn away
- The flame protection lasts throughout the entire lifetime of the garment
- High TPP (Thermal Protective Performance)
- Very high protective properties in flame-related accidents
- Long service life
- Lightweight garments with great comfort levels
- Gentle on the wearer's skin
LIFE CIRTECHTEX PROJECT
Tranemo is one of the participants in the EU project - Implementation of processes towards a circular economy by reducing textile waste from the manufacture of personal protective equipment - LIFE22-ENV-ES-LIFE-CIRTECHTEX.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Technical textiles are crucial for keeping workers safe in high-risk industries such as foundries, the petrochemical industry, power generation and handling, or welding. These sectors need garments with a high level of protection that can prevent burns and other personal injuries (thermal, electrical or chemical). The fabrics for this personal protective equipment (PPE) must meet strict standards in order to effectively protect workers.
During the manufacture of PPE fabrics, textile waste is generated at various stages of the value chain. This waste is very valuable because it is made from high-performance technical materials, which differ from the raw materials used in fashion. While clothing has established recycling programmes and regulations at national level has its own recycling programmes (e.g. European Clothing Action Plan) and regulations (e.g. mandatory separate collection of textiles by 2025), these are lacking in the sector of technical textiles for industrial applications.
The project will apply circular economy princables specifically to technical fabrics used for PPE, an area where no similar solutions are yet available. The ambition of the project is to embrace the circular economy in order to drastically reduce the waste generation of technical textiles and recycle them into high-quality PPE fabrics. The consortium envisages a changed paradigm towards sustainability and is committed to an environmentally friendly vision within advanced market segments.
The aim of the project is to recycle textile waste from across the value chain and to incorporate at least 20% recycled material into at least 80% of the personal protective equipment manufactured. This will be achieved by developing a method for collecting and recycling both pre-consumer and post-consumer waste.