Sustainability articles | TenCate Protective Fabrics

Growing Ecogreen

Written by Martine Kok | Jun 1, 2023 10:00:00 AM

As awareness and demand for sustainable practices increase across industries, our EU-market Ecogreen family of products has set a new standard for combining environmental responsibility with uncompromised quality in protective apparel.

Our Ecogreen line is not only specifically designed to lessen the environmental impact but also to deliver enhanced levels of performance—specifically around comfort and durability. When it comes to protective textiles, we believe the transition to sustainable solutions will only be successful if those products offer added value as people are generally unwilling to pay more for equivalent performance. The Ecogreen family of products is the result of collaborative efforts with our supply chain partners, including industrial laundries, garment makers, and end users. The synergy created around these products has affirmed sustainability as a foundational component of our partnerships and continues to inform our product development strategies for the road ahead.

In 2023, our teams observed a notable expansion in our Ecogreen customer base with a diverse array of partners opting for more sustainable solutions. This shift underscores a broader industry trend toward environmental responsibility and reflects a growing consumer and corporate demand for products that support a sustainable future.

Three standout stories from 2023 highlight the growing acceptance and implementation of our Ecogreen line.

  1. Garment maker Sarco and hospital UZ Ghent collaboration – One of the largest university hospitals in Belgium, UZ Ghent, adopted Tecawork® Ecogreen for its 4,000 healthcare workers. This represents another shift toward sustainable workwear in the healthcare industry, setting a precedent for other institutions.


  2. Sustainability transition for garment manufacturer Van Heurck – Renowned garment maker, Van Heurck, in Belgium made a significant shift by transitioning from the standard Tecapro® line to the Tecapro® Ecogreen fabric. This move established the Ecogreen fabric as Van Heurck’s new standard offering, illustrating its further commitment to choosing sustainable fabrics for its garments. In 2023, Van Heurck celebrated first successes with renewals of their sustainable collections within the utilities, maintenance, and construction sectors.

  3. Expansion into industrial laundries – In 2023, the Tecapro® Ecogreen fabric was added to the CWS collection. This marks a major step forward with a prominent industrial laundry based in Germany that distributes throughout Europe. The launch of a new collection with Elis, another leading industrial laundry, extended the reach of FR-treated cotton fabric, Tecasafe® Ecogreen, across the European continent as well. These initiatives are simply part of the next chapter of TenCate Protective Fabrics’ commitment to expanding our sustainable product offerings and supporting partners in the journey toward greener operations. As we continue to innovate and lead in the protective fabric industry, the Ecogreen line is poised to become an essential component of industrystandard protective gear that champions sustainability while delivering leading levels of performance and comfort