Eliminating the carbon print of the textile production process, while at the same time certifying the use of regenerated raw materials: this is the dual nature of the new brand, Cardato Regenerated CO2 neutral, certified by the Prato Chamber of Commerce. The Cardato Regenerated CO2 neutral brand, was created to offer market fashion leaders an eco-friendly product: one that is comfortable to wear and one that respects the environment. This is exactly what Cardato is—a versatile wool fabric that can be used in a variety of ways. Made from recycled textiles, it has a very limited impact on the environment because it balanced emissions CO2 in all phases of production.   

 

Businesses in the Prato need to guarantee the presence of regenerated materials in textiles in order to respond to the demands of clients who have become much more attentive to environmental issues. This is how the brand was born. Businesses can now demonstrate the dual nature of their production processes, both CO2 neutral and regenerated, through the involvement of a third party, the Prato Chamber of Commerce.

 

Another partner in this initiative is the Consortium for the Development and Tutelage of Cardato Textiles, which, with the help of Prima Q consultants, selected the firms that were the most suitable to experiment the new product. The validation of CO2 emissions produced in the production process of Cardato was entrusted to TUV Italia, the authoritative certification and inspection division of the German firm, TUV Sud, which worked with textiles for the first time, and particularly with Cardato from Prato.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BRAND

To use the "Cardato Regenerated CO2 neutral" brand, textiles must be:

• produced in Prato;
• produced with at least 70% of recycled material (old clothing or textile off-cuts);
• have accounted for their CO2 emissions and have purchased emission credits from the Prato Chamber of Commerce. The amount of credits purchased must correspond to business’ production volume.

TRANSPARENCY

On the site www.cardato.it will be possible to view a list of businesses that can use the new brand and a list of items that have been certified. This section ensures additional transparency to buyers.

THE 'GREEN' PRATO DISTRICT

Over the last few years, the industrial district of Prato has become more and more attentive to environmental issues and concerns. It utilizes the most up-to-date technology to recover water (one of Europe’s largest industrial aqueducts is in Prato) and has boosted its use of alternative energies in order to develop “zero impact” textile products.

All production phases are present in Prato: from the production of fibers to the final product. This allows businesses to produce textiles that have been made entirely in the Prato district. This means that textile production in Prato have a limited impact on the environment. 

SOME DATA ON CARDATO

Twenty-two thousand tons of ‘rags’ that have been produced with the Cardato technique are recycled in Prato every year. This yarn is produced with virgin fibers, obtained from recycled textiles or from new or used off-cuts.

Cardato production is characterized by the use of short and heterogeneous pieces of yarn that are mixed together to create various textile combinations.

ZERO IMPACT CARDATO: HOW IT WORKS

If a factory produces carbon dioxide and pollutes the earth's atmosphere, in theory, that factory must buy the same (or more) quantity of credits in order to offset and compensate for its carbon dioxide emissions.

These credits (which are sold by those who provide carbon credits – a bone fide "ecobroker") are used to cover the costs of tree and forest replantation (trees absorb carbon dioxide) and the costs of other eco-friendly programs. Buying carbon credits is easy and incredibly efficient. When the quantity of your carbon dioxide emissions is completely offset by the number of carbon credits you purchase, you become "carbon-neutral".

HOW TO CALCULATE CO2 EMISSIONS

What is needed is an analysis of the energy performance and capabilities of the structure and activities of a factory, and an assessment of energy consumption and the CO2 emissions that the manufacturing processes release into the atmosphere.

In order do to this, factories must gather data on their energy consumption, the use of materials, the modes of transport adopted and the number of people the employ.