The latter is highly important because without investments it is not possible to systematically manage a sustainable project. This is why Grassi 1925 invests about 5% of its profits every year in Research and Development and also to develop sustainable projects and innovations.
Environmental sustainability
When speaking of sustainability, there are three different yet closely-related aspects that always need to be evaluated: product/process sustainability, environmental sustainability and economic sustainability.
Certifications: product and process sustainability
Some of the certifications obtained in recent years involve the environmental aspect more directly. One of these includes STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® that ensures high product safety for consumers and raises companies’ awareness of the responsible use of chemicals. In 2016, we also obtained the STeP by OEKO-TEX® certification which instead ensures a more sustainable production starting from the spinning process to the finished product, right through to the logistics phase and human resources.
We can also mention ISO 14001 and ISO 14021 certifications for environmental management systems, their promotion and communication.
In addition to these, we can include the CRADLE TO CRADLE (Gold) certification because it involves the study and use of materials that have zero environmental impact.
Year after year, we have increased the number of certifications obtained because we think this is a tangible expression of our way of doing business, because not only “what we do” is important but also “how we do it”!
Environmental sustainability projects
When we design and produce a garment, we also take into consideration its end of life. In relation to very technical garments, it may be difficult to use recyclable fabrics and accessories, because they must be able to guarantee high standards in terms of safety and protection. In Grassi 1925 we have tried to overcome this problem by means of two projects.
The first is the GR10K start-up, which creates garments for the fashion industry by reusing deadstock fabrics.
The second project was set-up with Humana People to People Italia, a humanitarian organisation that collects and redistributes unsold garments left in our warehouse. In addition to this, we are also involved in an organic agricultural project in third world countries, together with Humana: this too is ethical and social sustainability.
In addition to these projects, environmental sustainability also means to us the 6,450,000 kW of energy produced thanks to the photovoltaic panels that entirely cover the roof of our company in Lonate Pozzolo and those installed in the fields in Romania, the images of which can be seen below.
