Page 72 - CH 2-2023 EN

INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH
72 II / 2023
Supersoftness. Mc Three
education, and open up career opportunities for junior staff. We think longer-term, and are guided by a five-year plan. In yarn production, we are expanding automation and have con- verted our lighting over to LED. Our electric- ity increasingly comes from renewable energy sources, as we have already installed a 14,000 sqm photovoltaic system on the roofs of our factory halls, and 45,000 sqm will be added in the next few months.
Flo Van Tongel: Sustainability is an imma- nently important and extremely complex issue for us, which we view holistically. Not only do we use more recycled materials, such as rPET, we also focus on redesigning our products to make them more sustainable. On the one hand, like many other suppliers, we use yarns made from recycled PET, which we buy in. In fact, we are reducing the use of jute so we can produce more and more collections exclusively from PP, because as a “single material” product, the carpets can be easily recycled. It also makes them impervious to wetness and therefore suitable for outdoor use.
Our trump card is on-site yarn production, giv- ing us control over all production steps with zero CO2 emissions from transport from A to B. In all areas of the company, we are looking at ways to act in a more environmentally friendly way. For example, we found a new and thinner material for the packaging films so we were able to save a fair amount of plastic last year − equivalent to 50,000 lunch boxes.
Peter Desmet: We also want to push automa- tion forward in carpet production. New looms are on the wish list. In the areas of finishing and logistics in particular, the physically heavy work is to be taken over by robots to relieve the employees. Last but not least, we are invest- ing in product development, such as new yarns with which creative designs can be realised.
Carpet Home: What products, and perhaps more importantly, what services can your cus-
PHOTOS: MC THREE