As the leading manufacturer of textile solutions in Europe and as the world market leader in knitted polyester materials for digital printing, we have a special responsibility in environmental and social issues. For this reason, we do not only focus on the highest possible quality, but also on the highest possible environmental standards.
For many years, we have been pioneering the processing of recycled yarns. Since 2018, we have been increasing our contribution as part of a self-commitment initiative: With GOING GREEN by Friedrich, we have created a concept that contains five environmental aspects of our value added chain and ensures sustainable action.
Purchase
Purchase of raw materials from countries with high ecological and social standards, primarily within the EU
Purchase of biodegradable aids
ISO-certified or GOF-certified suppliers
Short delivery routes of materials for low energy consumption / transport costs
Priority ISO 14001 certified finishers
Production
Continuously monitored production and usage of resources
Regular auditing with certification according to ISO 9001, ISO 50002
Investment in state of the art machinery
Optimization of production processes for lowest pollution and highest energy efficiency
Regular exhaust air and sewage measurements of own finishing plant
Certification of finishing plant as "Energy Conscious Company" according to the German “Spitzenausgleich-Effizienzsystemverordnung”
Products
All GOF products for digital printing are made from recyclable polyester yarns
The product range also includes acetate and viscose articles, based on renewable raw materials
Selected items available from stock
Many items certified according to Oeko-tex®, standard 100 (product class I, II, IV) = free of harmful substances
Exclusive use of REACH- / Blue-Sign certified Chemicals
Development of textiles with long life span
Use of flame retardants, which are completely halogen-free
Recycling
Recycling of production waste (confirmation available, if required)
Reuse of packaging material
Use of reusable transport frames
Energymanagement
Operate system to improve energy efficiency according to §3 SpaEfV
Certification according to EN16247-1 / ISO 50002
Use of highly efficient heat exchanger systems in finishing plan
Purchase
Purchase of raw materials from countries with high ecological and social standards, primarily within the EU
Purchase of biodegradable aids
ISO-certified or GOF-certified suppliers
Short delivery routes of materials for low energy consumption / transport costs
Priority ISO 14001 certified finishers
Production
Continuously monitored production and usage of resources
Regular auditing with certification according to ISO 9001, ISO 50002
Investment in state of the art machinery
Optimization of production processes for lowest pollution and highest energy efficiency
Regular exhaust air and sewage measurements of own finishing plant
Certification of finishing plant as "Energy Conscious Company" according to the German “Spitzenausgleich-Effizienzsystemverordnung”
Products
All GOF products for digital printing are made from recyclable polyester yarns
The product range also includes acetate and viscose articles, based on renewable raw materials
Selected items available from stock
Many items certified according to Oeko-tex®, standard 100 (product class I, II, IV) = free of harmful substances
Exclusive use of REACH- / Blue-Sign certified Chemicals
Development of textiles with long life span
Use of flame retardants, which are completely halogen-free
Recycling
Recycling of production waste (confirmation available, if required)
Reuse of packaging material
Use of reusable transport frames
Energymanagement
Operate system to improve energy efficiency according to §3 SpaEfV
Certification according to EN16247-1 / ISO 50002
Use of highly efficient heat exchanger systems in finishing plan
In addition to the numerous internal activities for the protection of resources, we also expanded our cooperation with our environmental partners.
Our commitment to environmental protection and preservation of resources has been certified several times.
Remain focused!
Our ecology concept GOING GREEN is geared towards long-term change. We know that we will only achieve our ecological goals with consistent perseverance and with your support. And so, in the exceptional year 2020, with the challenges of a global pandemic, we are sticking to our course. We continue to to re-invest some of the profits from our rPET fabric range directly into nature. In 2019, together with our environmental protection partner PLANT-MY-TREE®, we launched the afforestation program EVERY TREE COUNTS. For each roll of fabric made of recycled polyester sold, up to 2.5 square meters of forest were planted. The result is 546 young trees in Utscheid in the Eifel.
Today we can inform you that another piece of forest is being created in the southern Harz: 1,233 trees. This new "Friedrich-woodland" was made possible by our dedicated customers. This gives hope and for that we say thank you!
Discover our RETeX+ and RC products in the product finder.
For years, we have been working to minimize CO2 emissions from textile production. We want to make unavoidable, development-related CO2 emissions neutral. But this is not enough for us. Together with our certified environmental protection partner PLANT-MY-TREE, we started the afforestation project "Every tree counts!". Two things are important to us. First of all: concrete, quantifiable results and, secondly: reforestation in Germany – that is, where CO2 emissions take place. As a location we chose the town of Utscheid in the Rhineland-Palatinate state. We committed to invest some of the revenue from recycled PET yarn in the Reforestation Project. For every roll of recycled material sold, one square metre of new forest is planted in Utscheid. In 2019, 546 new trees have already been planted. We would like to multiply this number.
Many of our customers support this project by preferring to use our recycled RETeX+ fabrics. Help us by using RETeX+ fabrics. This way you can help our environment in two ways.
Discover our RETeX+ and RC products in the product finder.
With RETeX+, Georg+Otto Friedrich offers textiles made of recycled PET. PET is a valuable material because it is composed of oil or natural gas, it means it is a non-renewable raw material. Generally, it is 100 percent recyclable. However, the preparation and recovery of the materials from the composed articles is complex.
But the effort is worth it in several ways, because recycling also has a positive impact on the emission of CO2. Each tonne of recycled PET saves three tons of greenhouse gas. According to a Swiss study, this corresponds to the total emissions of an average car in one year. In addition, the production of new products from recycled PET saves around 50 percent energy. The addition of the name "RC" identifies GOF items made of recycled polyester.
Discover our RETeX+ and RC products in the product finder.
Cooperation for clean oceans
Our environmental partner SEAQUAL INITIATIVE is a community of individuals, organizations and companies to clean our oceans. They are working to recycle recovered waste. aims to clean the Mediterranean Sea of plastic waste and recycle this plastic by upcycling into new, environmentally friendly polyester fibres. Exactly the right project and the right partner for GOING GREEN by Friedrich.
Do you know that approx. 12 million tonnes of waste is dumped into our oceans every year?
A large part of it is made of plastic, which takes centuries to decompose. It poses an enormous threat to marine life. Therefore it is about time to take effective countermeasures. Therefore we have developed another highly sustainable textile: DecoTex Blue. It consists of more than 60% SEAQUAL®polyester fibres, which are made from recycled marine plastic. DecoTex Blue (Art. 7058RCO6GFS) is suitable for advertising applications, frame systems and banners and available in a width of 320 cm ex stock. Each processed role supports marine fauna and provides cleaner ocean and beaches.
We produce at three locations, exclusively in Germany. For us “Made in Germany” is more than just a hint about the location – it is a performance commitment. And we can be judged on this promise.
Uncompromising product quality requires optimal manufacturing processes. At Friedrich, a well elaborated workflow system ensures consistently reproducible quality standards. Each individual product can be tracked with a coded label, from the finishing plant to the warp knitting machine and filament. All textile-relevant tests can be carried out either in our in-house laboratory or by independent, external testing institutes. In this way, we ensure that our customers receive the highly quality, which they expect.
We focus on our core competences and work with the most capable and long term cooperation partners in every product area. High customer loyalty and long-term business relationships as well as the development of our company show us that we are on the right way.