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Picture on top: Engel Sports | German Ecodesign Award
Everything we do, use and consume has an impact on the environment. Even the healthiest of activities – doing sports - can be questioned from this aspect. A large industry has evolved around sportswear, aiming at making physical exercise easy and enjoyable for us. Here is the story of the textile company ENGEL in Germany.
The German textile company Engel has been making undergarments and clothing for over 85 years. The Engel GmbH was founded in 1982, and since produces underwear for all age groups. After the owners Lore and Herbert Weindel left the company, their daughter Gabriele Kolompar took over and today, alongside underwear, the business has produced another brand, Engel Sports, and manufactures sportswear.
"In terms of technical production, our two brands are inseparable,” Gabriele Kolompar explains.
Engel has regional partners as well as partners in Argentina. This is where the company obtains its merino wool from. Shifting the production towards natural textiles is a change that was already initiated by Kolompar’s parents when they were still running the company.
Photo by Mark Fletcher-Brown on Unsplash
Newly developed manufacturing techniques make it possible for wool yarns to be produced in a chlorine-free and chemical-free way, as well as making textiles suitable for machine washing. UV radiation is absorbed and the textiles have temperature regulating properties. Also, the garments have an antibacterial effect, the wool making it difficult for bacteria to settle and thereby leading to a reduction of body odours. Distribution runs online through small specialized stores.
The company’s social standards exceed the ILO (International Labour Organisation) requirements.
Suppliers are checked annually to verify that fair wages are being paid to workers, that training is provided and retirement provisions are supported. As the garments are produced regionally, environmental harm from pollution caused by transport is at a minimum. Efforts are made to keep waste in material low and the electricity needed for production is purchased from regional suppliers. Jobs are created and raw materials come from sustainable sources such as controlled organic stock farming. FSC-certified paper is used for product packaging. None of this can be taken for granted in times of a globalized economy. There is always a way of producing goods cheaper and in larger quantities. However, as Gabriele Kolompar emphasizes, it’s not in line with the company’s philosophy.
Since 1996, the company's collections have been awarded the IVN (International Association of Natural Textile Industry) Best Certificate, and the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certificate since 2007 – Gabriele Kolompar played a major role in implementing the latter. In the meantime, GOTS has become a unified and internationally established label for ecological textiles. The label requires products to be made up of at least 90 percent natural fibers, of which at least 70 percent have to be sourced from either plants harvested from controlled organic agriculture or animals from organic stock farming.
Most of Engel’s partners produce within the region, employing about 100 people in total.
... “Social criteria are very important to us and of course, because of the strict rules that are in place here, it is easier to monitor these criteria in Germany than in other countries. But during annual inspections carried out by independent certifiers, we are able to check whether working conditions meet our standards. Leave, training opportunities, Christmas bonuses, wages and salaries which enable people to secure their livelihood and the livelihood of their families as well as providing for old age – this, to me, is part of sustainability”. ...
The company’s trademark is functional sportswear that is sustainable on all counts.
... “We want to make products that benefit the current generation and won’t harm future generations. And for me, an aspect of sustainability is managing a company in a way that it can exist for a long time. So it’s not about annual growth, but about keeping the company healthy and making sure that it is able to develop continuously.”. ...
picture: Engel Sports / German Ecodesign Award
Engel Sports was the first brand in the sports segment to set itself these high ethical standards and to look at the entire manufacturing cycle of a textile.
70 percent pure new merino wool, 28 percent silk, 2 percent elastane – the result of which is a very light fabric.
... “Many years ago I was in Argentina and asked the breeders whether they could supply me with an extreme-ly fine yarn from organic stock farming. It then took them a year and a half – but it was worth the wait. You have to go where your material is sourced, look around, talk to the people on site and keep to the standards you set for yourself. I still feel bitter about the fact that, as we are dependent on a certain fibre length for our products, we are unable to source non-violent silk at this point.” ...
Another disappointment for Gabriele Kolompar is that the garments cannot yet be recycled, as the fabric contains two percent elastane.
... “We are looking for technical solutions and are on the right path for ultimately recycling our products in-house. It is definitely feasible.” ...
© Global Organic Textile Standard
When asked why the company doesn’t use synthetic fibers, as they are less costly compared to natural fibers from organic stock farming, the entrepreneur answers:
...“Synthetic fibers have the disadvantage of needing a lot of energy for production. Even recyclable plastic has to be produced in the first place and ultimately, it still has to be disposed at great expense in some way. We choose to rely on renewable resources and set high standards for stock farming. This is our approach.” ...
In 2015, Engel received the German Ecodesign Award for its products and its commitment to sustainability.
... “Back then, many partners and costumers congratulated us. They felt as a part of it and were happy that we’d received the award together. And I felt the same way, because we were able to achieve this great result only with the cooperation and the efforts of many people, and I was very happy about the acknowledgment. The prize was like the cherry on top of the encouragement we received for manufacturing our products in the way that we do.” ...
picture: Engel Sports / German Ecodesign Award
WHO AND WHAT?
Textile company Engel GmbH, brand Engel Sports. Founded 1982, based in Pfullingen (Baden-Württemberg), Germany, has been manufacturing underwear and clothes more than 90 years.
THE INITIAL PROBLEM
The production of functional clothing is connected to big environmental issues. The conventional wool-production does not agree with animal welfare and uses aggressive bleaching chemicals that harm the environment.
THE MOTTO
Everything for a good cause
THE IDEA
Functional sportswear, that is sustainable, in the value chain and in its entire life cycle. High ethical and social standards in raw material procurement, production and service.
picture: CobocTHE BENEFITS
Sportswear that meets the demands of sustainability, which is increasingly important to many people. High skin-compatibility and durability of the products.
THE HISTORY
Founded in 1927, as a production company for lingerie and clothing, the company has remained a family business. 1982, Engel GmbH was re-founded by Lore and Herbert Weindel, and 1989, the company was taken over and continued by their daughter, Gabriele Kolompar.
THE AWARD
In 2015, the Engel Sports brand of Engel GmbH received the German Ecodesign Award in the product category. The jury wrote: “Creating functional sportswear with merino wool — Engel Sports shows that it’s possible! Here, instead of synthetic fibres, a fine blend of wool and silk provides insulation and absorbs moisture without feeling clammy. The sourcing of the wool is strictly controlled and rigorous consideration is given to animal welfare. Finally, a super-ecological alternative for the sportswear segment!”
A FEW NUMBERS
53 employees in the company, around 100 people in small, medium-sized businesses in the region work for Engel GmbH. In 2019, the turnover was around 10 million euros. Engel Sports is the company’s smaller brand. In total, the company offers around 350 products in up to eight sizes.
THE FUTURE
Developing technical solutions to recycle products and process them into new products.