Sustainability at ELAS

When you do business with ELAS, you help us to make a difference to the environment.
For a number of years now, ELAS has been committed to a more sustainable production process, including minimising our energy and resource consumption. But we would also like to be involved in influencing the market and helping our customers to make sustainable choices, which is why we are providing the opportunity to choose sustainable raw materials for all of our products wherever possible and where it makes sense to do so. We will also continue to strive towards the fulfilment of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Energy

We have replaced all our light sources with LED lighting and have post-insulated large numbers of our buildings. This has given us some significant savings in energy consumption, and since we started our initiative we have seen annual energy savings corresponding to 22.5 tonnes of CO2

Resources

Our employees are focused on optimising the production process so that we achieve the best possible utilisation of our capacity.

Our products

ELAS wishes to add momentum to the green transition, and we therefore give our customers the opportunity to choose sustainable alternatives for all our products wherever possible.

Energy

We have replaced all our light sources with LED lighting and have post-insulated large numbers of our buildings. This has given us some significant savings in energy consumption, and since we started our initiative we have seen annual energy savings corresponding to 22.5 tonnes of CO2*

*According to Energinet, 1 kWh is the equivalent of 0.15 kg of CO2 emissions.

When we make our energy consumption more efficient, we are working towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 7.3:

7.3

By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

ELAS has also made the decision to only use green energy moving forward, and have therefore purchased guarantees of origin (GOs) for 100% of our electricity consumption for the next three years in both Denmark and Latvia (also called RECS certificates – see more on these: https://www.energidanmark.dk/elforbrug/certifikater/recs-beviser/. ELAS is now CO2-neutral for our total energy consumption. The certificates document that an amount of green energy equivalent to our consumption is produced. Through our certification, we also support the establishment of new plants for the production of renewable energy.

When we make the decision to use green energy, we are working towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 7.2:

7.2

By 2030, substantially increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Resources

Our employees are focused on optimising the production process so that we achieve the best possible utilisation of our capacity. This means that, today, we can be proud of having minimised our waste to under 3%, which in our industry is about as low as it’s possible to achieve.

The employees have also taken considerable responsibility for sorting all the waste from our production process that that we continue to strive towards sorting out all materials that can be reused or recycled.

We will continue to minimise the share of unsorted residual waste, and it is our ambition that the share of our waste that is recycled or reused will continue to increase year after year.

When we reuse or recycle a greater share of our resources, we are working towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 12.5:

12.5

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

Our products

ELAS wishes to add momentum to the green transition, and we therefore give our customers the opportunity to choose sustainable alternatives for all our products wherever possible.

OEKO-TEX:

Our products consist of over 80% OEKO-TEX-certified raw ingredients.
Our products are certified according to OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100. If a product carries the STANDARD 100 mark, this is your guarantee that everything in it, for example fabric, yarn,
elastic or dye, has been tested for harmful chemicals, and that the product does not constitute a danger to human health. STANDARD 100 is a certification that places bigger demands on materials than the current legislation. It does not necessarily mean that a product is organic however, but we also offer organic textiles.
When we commit to the environmental certification of our products, we are working towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goals 3.9 and 12.4:

3.9

By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

12.4

By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

Recycled polyester rPET:

As a customer, you have the opportunity to replace new, oil-based polyester with recycled polyester. Polyester is made from the plastic material PET, and recycled polyester is called rPET (where r = recycled). The quality is precisely the same for the two types, but for each kg of new PET that is replaced by one kg of rPET, you save the atmosphere from 2.5 kg of CO2 emissions.*
If you order your products with recycled polyester, ELAS can therefore calculate how much CO2 you as a customer will save from being released into the atmosphere for everything, depending on the amount of materials included in your specific order.

* This figure is based among other factors on DTU calculations and is widely used as an average figure by the plastic industry’s interest organisation in Denmark.

When we use recycled materials in our production process, we are working towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 12.5:

12.5

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

GOTS-certified organic cotton:

We also give our customers the opportunity to use GOTS-certified, organic cotton as an alternative to conventionally cultivated cotton. GOTS stands for the ‘Global Organic Textile Standard’ and is a standard for organic fibres that are recognised throughout the world. If you choose organic cotton, you are helping to limit the use of pesticides in the countries where the cotton is produced. This leaves the planet in a healthier state for future generations, ensures greater biodiversity and does not pollute the aquatic environment with pesticide residues. GOTS also guarantees a high standard of protection of working environments and workers’ rights.

When we use organically produced products in our production process, we are working towards the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goals 2.4, 6.3 and 8.8:

2.4

By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

6.3

By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

8.8

Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.

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67 års erfaring

32 mio. meter om året

ELAS DK

ELAS A/S’ factory and head office are situated in Herning. Here the running meters of woven, crocheted, and braided elastic, laces and rigid tapes are developed and produced.

ELAS BALTIC

The subsidiary SIA ELAS Baltic is situated in Latvia. Here we process the running meters further. It will typically be sewing, ultrasonic welding, and packing operations.

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