More than one hundred delegates and a raft of interesting speakers gathered for the annual conference of the Swedish TSA, Sveriges Tvätteriförbund. Johnny Magnusson the president of the regional executive committee in Västra Götaland, the top regional politician in West Sweden, welcomed the delegates to the Gothenburg event, where there was exciting news of a breakthrough in textiles recycling.
Two new members of the Sveriges Tvätteriförbund board of directors were elected – Malin Schiller of Tvätteriet Alingsås (Västra Götalandsregionen) and Leif Sunesson, Textilia (DFD). Speakers included Ola Serneke, founder of Serneke, a large listed company, who gave a fascinating speech about how he started up and built one of the leading innovative construction groups in the country and his ambitions for the future.
The environmental impact and recycling of textiles are always at the forefront in the association meetings. This time speeches came from Noora Salonoja CEO, Touchpoint, Miska Paulorinne Growth and strategy, Rester and Åsa Degerman project manager, OnceMore, Södra.“Only a negligible proportion of the global production of clothing and textiles is recycled today. Virtually everything is sent to landfill or incineration. But Swedish innovation and a willingness to help mitigate climate change can now influence the game at a global level,” said Degerman. It is a major breakthrough that will enable large-scale textile recycling.
“We will soon be able to accept viscose and lyocell in addition to polycotton blends. Due to the technological change in our processes, we will be needing large volumes of textiles. We are now seeking companies with high sustainability ambitions that would like to partner with us in the delivery of textiles,” added Åsa Alvhage, sourcing raw material, OnceMore. The target for 2025 is to add 25,000 tonnes of textiles to the company’s pulp production. Daniel Kärrholt and Jan Kluge, CEO and chairman respectively of the Association (pictured) happily concluded the conference and invited all to the dinner later on in the evening. As one delegate put it: ”It was really a good programme and a superb opportunity to network.” The speakers´s gifts were generously supplied by Parotex, the expert in textile supplies for hotels and restaurants. “It was a great day because we got a chance to present at Sveriges Tvätteriförbund´s meeting. It is a very well-organised industry event with a list of speakers that were extraordinary,” said Irene Nettéus, business development education, Kiwa.
