The negative impact of the textile industry on the environment and the implementation of sustainable practices in the HoReCa sector are the main themes of the event "EcoTexHoReCa: Expo and Conference for Sustainable Textiles in the Hospitality Industry," organised between October 15-17 at Tusnad Bai, Covasna County, by the Regional Cluster "Transylvania Textiles & Fashion" in partnership with the Department for Sustainable Development of the Romanian Government.
During this event, which brings together mainly professionals from the hospitality and textile industries, along with as specialists in sustainability, a series of innovative solutions for reducing textile waste and for a more efficient management of resources in this sector were presented on Wednesday, with a focus on the reuse of textiles and the promotion of the circular economy.
The organisers mounted an exhibition held in two of the rooms of the Ozone Hotel in Tusnad Bai, fully equipped with reused textiles, such as bed linen, curtains, bathrobes, towels, thus offering concrete examples of good practices in the sustainable use of materials.
"I think it is a very important event, considering that the hospitality industry is a fairly large consumer of textiles. And we thought of doing this event, to see how we can reuse the textiles used from the hospitality industry and, at the same time, how we can, for example, use natural materials in arranging hotel rooms. And, precisely because of that, we mounted this exhibition in two rooms. In one room there are reused textiles, combined with new textiles and the other room is equipped with natural textiles, linen, cotton, wool, that is, natural materials that have much better properties, are much healthier, more durable and their life cycle is much longer. With the reuse of textiles, we can extend the life cycle of the product, which is, in fact, the basis of the circular economy (...) So, we come up with ideas, we have solutions, but we also want to see the opinion of HoReCa specialists (...) It would be great if hotels and guesthouses took up this method," says Chair of the Transylvania Textile & Fashion Regional Cluster Eva Gaszpor.
Coordinator of the Department for Sustainable Development Borbely Laszlo, who attended the event, said tthat the textile industry is one of the biggest polluters and believes that any initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions should be encouraged.
"The danger is that ten percent of emissions come from these textile industries and unfortunately contribute to the global warming. There is a lot of talk globally about fast fashion, which means 'I throw away, I don't reuse' (...) Those who were before us, you know very well - everyone has relatives or had grandparents - they lived sustainably, they used everything in the household, they didn't throw away. It was from generation to generation not to waste, not only the poorest, but also those who were wealthier (...) Let's go back to the roots, let's see how we can become more sustainable and where there are local initiatives that can be a kind of ferment," said Borbely Laszlo.
Chairman of the Employers' Organisation of Spa Tourism in Romania Nicu Radulescu said that the subjects during this event are important both from the perspective of the positive impact they could have on the environment, and from the perspective of the financial benefits that the recovery and reuse of textiles from hotel rooms, spas and clinics could bring to HoReCa business people.
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