From the Sector

Anglo Recycling Technology is on course to deliver no less than a million of its special nonwoven mats for hydroponically growing herbs to a major customer in the Middle East this year. The Growfelt-branded products arose from the discovery back in the late 1990s by Anglo Recycling’s owner Simon Macaulay, that the Sussex-based retail supplier of salads, Van Heineken Brothers (now Vitacress), used nonwoven felts on which to grow its cress.

“I drove down to see the company’s production manager, Chris Moncrieff and discovered they were indeed growing cress on felts, but they were made from virgin materials and he liked the idea of maybe using a blend of virgin fiber offcuts of cotton, wool, and polypropylene,” he explains. “That’s how Growfelt was born. For the first six years, we supplied exclusively to Vitacress and in return, they helped us to bring our factory up to food-grade standard and to set in place a testing regime for Salmonella E-Coli coliforms and listeria.”

In recent years, however, Anglo Recycling, which is based in Whitworth, near Rochdale in the UK, has significantly broadened its customer base. It now offers a core of three growing media products to meet the differing needs of customers across Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, whether for retail presentation and appearance or for water holding.

The conference on sustainability in production, trade and consumption will take a second round: On March 24, 2020, the Weser-Kurier’s conference SUSTAIN will take place in the run-up to the International Cotton Conference once more. The Bremen Cotton Exchange is again cooperating partner of this event. The theme “City and Change – the Future of the Textile Retail Trade” is on focus this year.

Shirt and trpousers or blouse and skirt – clothing is an instrument of expression, a social must and a major factor of consumption. Internet and debates on climate change have changed the indicators. On the one hand, textile online trade is booming, while local stores have come under pressure to an increasing degree and cities are on the search for new ideas. On the other hand, consumers increasingly ask for products considering aspects of fairness and ecology during production. Manufacturers and stores have to react. These subjects are on focus during the Sustain that takes place on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Bremen in the Glocke.

Exciting keynote speakers and panel guest from fashion, science and the textile industry
Sustain will feature outstanding speakers from the economy, politics and society discussing for instance the possibilities of new techniques in stationary retail trade, the compatibility of fair production with business interests of manufacturers as well as the question whether consumers are willing to pay the additional costs of sustainability. These are themes that influence the vitality of the cities just as the purchase decisions of the consumers.

Prof. Dr Niko Paech, Professor of Economics, Wolfgang Krogmann, Advisory Director Primark, Urs-Stefan Kinting, Managing Partner of the Zero Group, Model & TV Presenter Alena Gerber, Rolf Heimann, CEO Hessnatur Stiftung, Kai Falk, Managing Director Communication of the German retail association Handelsverband Deutschland and many others confirmed their participation.