ETSA News

TenCate hosts ETSA PPE Working Group in Nijverdal

The ETSA PPE  Working Group chaired by Sven Holst and hosted by TenCate Protective Fabrics for this meeting, convened for a productive two-day meeting in Nijverdal in mid-November. The event underscored the critical importance of sustainability, innovation, and regulatory compliance in the PPE and workwear sectors. Sven Holst, in his opening remarks, expressed gratitude to TenCate for their exceptional hosting and commended their dedication to advancing the industry. ETSA Secretary General Elena Lai echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of collaboration to address evolving industry challenges. 

TenCate's leadership, including Wouter van den Brink, Marcel Jansen, and Martine de Kok, provided comprehensive insights into their sustainable practices and strategic vision.  The group also had a tour of the TenCate facilities, seeing firsthand how innovation is put into practice. Pictures of the event as well as select presentations will be made avalible to the group in due course. 

The meeting also featured thought-provoking updates on European regulatory frameworks, including the Waste Framework Directive and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements. Wolfgang Quednau presented technical insights into PFAS regulations and chemical repellency standards, while external speakers such as Maxime Fougere from Resortecs shared solutions for automated textile disassembly, Arthur Linssen from FTN discussed the Dutch EPR and Emillia Gaada presented the CIRPASS-2 project & lighthouse pilot on workwear. These presentations and the contact details of the speakers were made avalible to the working group members, however if you have further questions on these topics please reach out to ETSA Secretariat. 

The meeting concluded with several actions which will be undertaken from the ETSA Side, including an A+A pilot, a sub group and discerning the best ways to educate end-users. Our chairman's leadership and TenCate's outstanding contributions were instrumental in making this meeting a resounding success, setting a clear path forward for innovation and sustainability in PPE and workwear.