Courtaulds Hosiery Site Wins M&S Eco-factory Status

Courtaulds' West Mill hosiery plant in Belper, Derbyshire has become Marks & Spencer's first UK supplier site to gain eco-factory status.

Courtaulds has worked for the last 5 years to improve its sustainability credentials, reducing energy consumption by 50%, reducing water consumption by 20% and a 100% reduction in waste to landfill.

Courtaulds Legwear managing director Jonny Mitchell told just-style yesterday (13 October) that the process undertaken to gain M&S' eco-factory status has given it a blueprint to take to its factories around the world.

Some of the steps it has taken include an integrated building management system, policies around turning off lights, stopping air leakages through the system, voltage optimisation and lower energy lighting. The company became more efficient through using the hot effluent from dyeing to heat fresh water for the next batch.

It is also working with local schools to help try to stop skills shortages, particularly around sewing and finishing.

The hosiery firm emphasised that measures to make the factory more sustainable have meant that it has halved its electricity bill to GBP2m a year. If it hadn't undertaken these steps, the company said, it wouldn't have been able to compete with factories in the Far East.

"By employing eco-friendly processes our factory has built a more sustainable future for itself - creating a more efficient business and boosting the local community with job creation and the restoration of skilled hosiery production," added Mitchell.

The site, which employs 400 people, manufactures around a third of all M&S hosiery.