Reducing our impact on the environment is an integral part of our culture and operating practices. Our belief that sound environmental management makes for good business has stood the test of time - and we have been determined to develop our business with minimal impact on the environment.

Our approach is to integrate environmental strategy into core operations. Therefore we focus our efforts on the continuous improvement of the environmental performance of our operations, developing products with a positive environmental record, and working with our customers to ensure that these benefits are communicated to the end consumer.

• Implementation of a heat recovery system on waste water from processing plant, annual saving of 650,000 m³ of gas
  
  
• Water recycling system, through closing down one water pump annual saving of 50 kWh
  
  
• Installation of a pre-water heating system in the power station has enabled an annual saving of 1,750,000 kcal/h
  
  
• Closing down the refrigeration system compressor for 3 months (during winter) has enabled an annual saving of 800 kWh.

Directive 2003/87/EC
This scheme sets the limits of greenhouse gas emissions for companies operating in the EC. We are not only compliant with this, we are actually performing far more effectively than required. The emission limit set for Klopman for CO2 is around 55,000 tonnes/year which equates to 1.09 kg per metre of fabric. Yet in 2008 we produced less than 44,000 tonnes/year which equates to 0.89 kg/m. This is a significant improvement, and our target is to reduce emissions still further and achieve around 40,000 tonnes/year.

Minimising waste
For greater environmental safety, all liquid by-products used in the manufacturing process are neutralised before discharge into our own on-site effluent treatment plant – and wherever possible, clean water is recycled to reduce wastage. We have also installed a new state-of-the-art continuous dye range. This is bringing positive environmental benefits, with lower consumption of energy and less waste of dyestuffs.

Clean air
Advanced air extraction systems have been installed throughout our plant to constantly filter and purify the air that is expelled. This ensures that no potentially harmful substances are released into the outside environment.

• Offering innovative products that minimise harm to the natural environment.

High quality cotton raw materials
Not only does our choice of high quality cotton guarantee the quality of the product to our customer, it also reduces the need for processing to achieve finished fabrics with exceptional whiteness. This is because higher quality cotton fibres are of a higher quality of whiteness.

Öko-Tex Standard 100
Klopman was one of the first European textile manufacturers to become eligible to display the prestigious Öko-Tex Standard 100 'Confidence in Textile' label for polyester/cotton blends, which is only awarded to organisations who can demonstrate that all the materials used in their manufacturing processes are certified under the Öko-Tex standard. Click here for more information.

EU Eco-Label
Klopman was the first polyester cotton fabric manufacturer to be awarded European Eco-label accreditation. Specifically designed to encourage the production and consumption of goods and services that respect the environment, under the EU Eco-label scheme products and processes are thoroughly and independently tested according to ecological criteria which take into account all aspects of a product's life, from its production and use to its eventual disposal (cradle to grave approach). Click here for more information.

REACH Regulation (EC 1907/2006)
This deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. Its aim is to obtain complete control of the substances present on the European market, to improve the protection of human health and the environment and to ensure better cooperation between companies involved in the production chain. Klopman's commitment is to use only substances covered by REACH regulations, and we can assure customers that all articles produced and sold are fully compliant with the current REACH candidate list.

• Marketing our company, while respecting the environment

Like every major organisation, we need to produce informative literature for our marketing activity. However, out of respect for the environment we make this available in electronic form wherever possible. This not only reduces our consumption of paper, but the other environmental costs involved in printing and distribution. All paper used carries the FSC's Mixed Sources label which states that at least 50% of the virgin fibre comes from FSC certified forests with the remaining percentage from controlled sources. Also, we use only ISO 14001 accredited printers that are commited to using vegetable-based inks which are environmentally friendly and reduce air pollution by minimising toxic emissions.