Circularity in the Textile Industry Is Not Something You Do Overnight
WHITEWEAR Collaborates Closely with Knowledge Institutions to Develop Optimal Solutions for Customers

If you’ve ever been hospitalized, you’re probably familiar with the terrycloth gown. It's not beautiful—but it's durable, hard-wearing, and quick to wash. Terrycloth has a long lifespan, especially if you work on optimizing it in several areas. And that’s exactly what they do at WHITEWEAR. From an office in the heart of Herning, a dedicated team gathers a wealth of knowledge on sustainability and circularity in textiles so that the healthcare sector can get linen and clothing for staff and patients.

WHITEWEAR was founded in 2011 by Per Hundal, and later, Jörg Westerhoff bought into the business. Both have a background in the textile industry and are, together with project manager Marie Carlsen, the core of the company.

“We didn’t think about circularity in the beginning. But gradually, some of the public laundries we collaborate with started bringing it up, and we became aware that something was coming. We thought it was exciting, and that we needed to work on it,” says Per Hundal about the background for hiring Marie Carlsen a few years ago to focus entirely on areas such as sustainability, circularity, and social responsibility. WHITEWEAR saw that they had to be part of this from the start. They were ready to go all-in—and they still are.

Long-Term Product Development

When WHITEWEAR delivers to private and public laundries, it's based on a won tender where sizes, measurements, weight, etc. are defined. The terms are unique because the orders are large. A tender can have a contract period of, for example, eight years for staff clothing.

This means that sustainable results cannot be achieved overnight. It's a long-term effort to develop products that customers may not seriously demand for several years.

“It’s a strange tension because we can’t push anything to customers with such specific requirements. But we’ve decided to do it anyway by telling them about what’s coming. We pass on our knowledge of legislation and market changes, so customers can rely on the fact that we not only know about the products but also share with them what’s going on,” explains Marie Carlsen, with Jörg Westerhoff adding:

“Customer feedback is that we’re ahead of the curve. That’s partly because we’re very focused on building good relationships. When you deliver to the public sector, you must develop in collaboration. It’s necessary to build both trust and high quality.”

New Terrycloth with Recycled Polyester

But what does circularity look like in practice at WHITEWEAR? For example, it's about diving into the possibilities of terrycloth and developing an alternative that provides even more benefits.

“Terrycloth is incredibly versatile and can be used for a wide range of purposes. We’ve developed a thinner terrycloth where we’ve adjusted the amount of polyester and added recycled polyester. This increases both durability and washing and drying performance. The thinner and lighter a product is, the more water, washing, and drying time can be saved—and the resources used in that process. At the same time, our new product uses only half the cotton compared to a shirt, and this matters for biodiversity,” explains Marie Carlsen.

The process has required a lot of testing to determine how much recycled polyester can be included in the fabric without compromising the comfort and function of the garment. Terrycloth is great because small holes and wear aren’t as noticeable.

The next circular step is to recycle the clothes. But recycling used clothing is tricky. The quality of the used items varies greatly, and buttons and colored threads need to be removed before a uniform fiber mass can be created, which is then added to new cotton.

In collaboration with textile material expert Poul-Erik Jørgensen from VIA University College, the results of the product development have been analyzed—just one of several examples of the knowledge partnerships WHITEWEAR has become a part of in recent years, alongside the Danish Technological Institute, the Think Tank Textile Revolution, and Sustainable Herning.

“We’ve gained knowledge about the product itself but also, very much, about business aspects. We’ve had to realize which direction we need to go. For example, at the Textile Symbiosis Herning, where we worked with our business model. A consultant guided us through the entire value chain, and it really made us understand our opportunities within circular business models,” says Per Hundal.

When talking to the textile trio, it's clear they are deeply focused on gathering and applying knowledge about the textiles of the future because they genuinely believe this is the right path to take.

“It’s a long and exciting journey, and along the way, we keep a close eye on the EU Green Deal legislation. We’re very aware that everything we do MUST align with the legislation that the EU is currently rolling out,” says Marie Carlsen.

Expensive but Meaningful

Although WHITEWEAR has large customers and substantial orders, it is still a smaller company. So, how is it to develop an area where the rewards won’t materialize for several years—but where a significant portion of the staff resources and development funds are already being invested?

“We see a budding success because laundry customers are open to our work. They test new products and listen to our knowledge. We must remember that if a region has a good experience with something, many others will get wiser. We deliver a lot of clothes that can have another life afterward, and that’s very meaningful for us,” says Marie Carlsen, pointing out that social responsibility can also be strengthened when companies begin to work on their processes. This can lead to more interesting jobs for employees across the value chain.

What large companies must deliver in 2024, smaller companies will have to meet as suppliers. So everyone will get busy.

“Money should follow the green transition, but that's not how it works in practice. Even though we come up with new ideas, the buyers may still have the same budget. We don’t know if they’ll continue buying what they usually buy because they can get more items. Recycled textiles may become cheaper in the long run, but for a few years, it’s more expensive because it has to be developed. I don’t think the politicians understand how poorly the law impacts things. The green transition will initially cost companies, and this is especially difficult for smaller businesses. Next year, for example, we will need half a million just to get started on a project that won’t generate revenue for the next 4-5 years,” says Per Hundal, who believes that there is a lack of funding options that don’t just focus on technology development.

“We don’t have the technology in-house, but we’re still working hard on it. But we don’t stand still, even though there is a lack of financial backing. We keep pushing forward because the more we work on it, the more exciting it becomes. The effort is necessary, and it drives us forward.”

Learn from Mistakes – and Move On

Their open approach to obtaining and applying new knowledge means that WHITEWEAR has gained a lot of experience with circularity.

“We’re moving in a direction without a roadmap. Sometimes it goes awry, but we’re not a company that dwells on mistakes. We might acknowledge that something is frustrating, but we learn from it and move on,” says Jörg Westerhoff, advising other companies to get started:

“You need to look at your business because soon, things will move fast. Be open and curious, even though the green transition is both long-term and complicated to work with. For example, our experience with external consultants was tough. We had to swallow a few things and get over the fact that it was so challenging and expensive,” he explains.

WHITEWEAR says that it’s a strength for development that they have short and fast decision-making processes.

“It’s good that we’re so impatient. We sleep on it for a bit, and then we make a decision knowing that you can’t win every time. We’re agile and try to learn as much as possible—even from our mistakes.”

About WHITEWEAR

WHITEWEAR works with certifications, heart projects, and research projects. The company has defined several areas that it focuses on:

Artiklen er skrevet af Birgitte Iversen, RETNING