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AMANN Group: Standards of Sustainability Around the World

Sewing thread is everywhere. It is used across a majority of industries and can be found in all manner of products – from shoes to airbags, all manner of clothing, and even military aircraft. However, each year approximately 92 million tons of textile waste is generated around the globe; of which only a small percentage is effective recycled – with the rest ending up burned or in landfills. International textile manufacturer, AMANN Group, is aware of the need for greater sustainability in this sector and is pioneering ways to effect positive change across the industry.

AMANN Group is based in Germany but maintains an international presence; the group produces sewing and embroidery thread for a wide range of uses across many sectors. Therefore, the group is all too aware of the growing expectation for sustainability throughout its customer base.

As the recipient of the environmental management certificate ISO 14001 in 2000, AMANN Group has a history of sustainably optimising its practices. The dyeing process for textiles consumes gallons of water in an unsustainable manner. Over the past five years, AMANN has saved 29% of the water it uses during dyeing by engaging with clean technologies such as ‘reverse osmosis’ by reusing its wastewater. Having confirmed the efficiency of the process, Amann is incorporating reverse osmosis into all its plants – ensuring a calibre of quality and sustainability across all its sites. 

As a global company, AMANN Group operates in many varied regions, including Romania, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. The group ensures adherence to a global standard, initiating a certification of the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) for its production of recycled threads at all its plants by investing in both technology and safety measures.

AMANN’s Bangladesh facility was the first plant to achieve GRS certification by following best practices with regards to safety, service and quality – utilising sophisticated machinery to produce sewing and embroidery thread for the fashion industry. AMANN’s decision to enter into the United Nations-led Global Compact impacts its facilities around the world committing to sustainable activities in this spirit.

With new ‘cradle-to-cradle’ product lines, AMANN Group is going one step further by offering products for a circular economy, designed to leave a positive ecological footprint. The company’s sustainable focus is maintained through training initiatives for employees and suppliers on the principles that the company commits to in order to ensure widespread adherence to these sustainable expectations.

Sustainability can often be slow to take effect in a traditional industry and, with the textile industry, there are many practices in need of change. By engaging with the concerns of consumers and by optimising its processes, AMANN Group is creating a sustainable operating standard for its worldwide facilities that could prove a blueprint for other groups in the industry to follow so as to create a sustainable future.