Artecola adheres to green ethic
Brazilian adhesives and laminate manufacturer for the footwear industry Artecola is taking its commitment to environmental protection very seriously and, while it still achieved much improved results in 2007, some 60% of its net revenue is now derived from “eco-efficient” products.
For 2007 the company posted net revenue of $130 million, above its expectations of $119.5 million (see www.footwearbiz.com January 22, 2007), while also making a significant step towards reducing the environmental impact of its products.
Among its eco-efficient products is the RX range of toe caps and counters which are said to “significantly reduce” the generation of waste from the shoemaking process. Made of 100% recyclable materials, the counters and toe caps are delivered already cut to size in order to reduce the volume of waste from off-cuts.
Another environmentally-friendly product is the company’s range of aqueous and 100% solid hot-melt adhesives which do not use organic solvents and therefore contribute to the reduction of VOCs.
In its laminates range, the company has also recently introduced Ecofibra, a material which uses sugar cane fibres to produce polypropylene sheets, which is said to not only reduce the volume of petrochemicals required but also to remove some 200 tons of waste sugar cane fibre every year.
