Planet
We design a high-quality product with longevity
Planet
We design a high-quality product with longevity
Longevity, premium quality
‘Our lingerie products last for years!’
Lot Van De Populiere - Product Development Manager PrimaDonna
Our products are known for their excellent fit and quality. We can guarantee that they will last for years without any loss of quality, thanks to a strict and intensive development process that takes place in our headquarters in Belgium. During the design phase, our designers work closely with a specialised technical product development team. Our products consist of more than 30 parts and premium quality is expected for every single part: for every fabric and lace, as well as every single component, small ring or strap.
Quality first. Check, check, double check!
Before going into production, the raw materials are randomly tested in the Van de Velde laboratory in Wichelen. After assembly, the finished bras and briefs are again subjected to extensive quality controls in our distribution centre in Wichelen.
The safety of our products is guaranteed by REACH & OEKO TEX® standards, which are mandatory for all purchased raw materials. This allows us to guarantee our consumers that the lingerie products are free of harmful chemicals and allergens.
About future fabrics
‘The transition to new eco-friendly yarns started’
Clio Gyde - Material Engineer Marie Jo
In our lingerie and swimwear, we mainly use synthetic fibres such as polyamide and polyester, mixed with elastic yarns. This combination has the great advantage of resulting in a great fit and ultimate comfort. It also makes our products resistant to abrasion and easy to clean. Thanks to this good shape and colour fastness, our products can be worn for a very long time and our products do not end up in the waste container easily.
In striving to reduce our carbon footprint, we also mapped the impact of these types of raw materials.
As the production of virgin synthetic yarns requires fossil fuel and higher energy consumption, we started to study first alternatives such as:
- (Pre-consumer) recycled yarns: these yarns are made from rest streams in production of the polyamide and polyester.
- Bio-based yarns: for this production a renewable biocomponent (e.g. starch) is used as an alternative for fossil fuel.
These new yarns contain the GRS label (Global Recycled Standard). This guarantees the correctness of the eco-friendly production process. Want to know more about this label?
Transition step by step
We introduced these new variants in some fabrics of recent collections. For future collections, the intention is to continue this transition as much as possible, as this would have the biggest impact on our carbon footprint (scope 3). But while taking first steps, we also learn to understand the biggest challenges in this transition, such as availability, scaling, need for new technologies.
For some specific material components (e.g. foam an elasthane cups), no fully-fledged alternatives exist today either. As these are crucial for the known fit and ultimate comfort, more extensive research is necessary before switching.
In this journey it is also important not to compromise on our USP, because the longevity of our products is still key when it comes to making sustainable choices.
Reduce, optimise packaging
‘For the purchase of new packaging or POS materials, we are much more conscious about the choice of materials’
Lander Oosterlynck - Central Buyer
Van de Velde started to eliminate the use of single-use plastic for the packaging of the final product. All branded plastic bags of the Swim collection were replaced by a box made of recycled cardboard. In one year, this saved more than 10,000 kg of plastic.
The packaging of the Color Studio line was also tackled: the plastic box was replaced with recycled cardboard. This saved more than 100,000 plastic boxes on an annual basis.
Facility management forward
‘Optimising energy and waste management has never been more crucial’
Bart Van den Abeele - Facility Manager
Some necessary steps have already been taken in recent years to improve energy and waste management.
- Extra insulation of the roofs in Schellebelle and Wichelen
- First installation of solar panels
- Adaptation of lighting and temperature control (including LED switchover)
- Management of waste flows (separation of recyclable and non-recyclable)
Recent study of our carbon footprint gave some extra insights where and how to accelerate. We are working on a reduction plan (Scope 1&2) where we strive to be emission-neutral by 2030.
For more details on our sustainable efforts, please refer to the more extensive sustainability report and the Environmental policy of Van de Velde.
