Social and environmental responsibility is at the heart of Textile du Maine’s philosophy. We’re committed to constantly reevaluating and improving our social and ecological imprint.
The depth of our creative know-how is based on our capacity to adapt. Our values push us to go beyond current CSR regulations and audit requirements. It was under the impulse of one of our collaborators that we started recycling leftover materials from the production process in 2012, although we had no external obligation to do so. It is in this spirit of open-mindedness and common sense that we seek to evolve.
A Holistic Approach in Constant Evolution
Through our ongoing facility and process improvement projects, we look to optimize social and environmental impact at the same time. For example, in changing our lighting system, we set up optimal lighting comfort for each employee while decreasing energy consumption. This tour de force was accomplished by going from 100 neons to 300 variable intensity LEDs.
While working on energy efficiency, we’ve also made efforts to minimize the impact of our energy supply chain. We’ve been powered by 100% renewable energy sources for several years.
And while we’ve been recycling for quite some time, we’re always looking to improve. In partnership with several regional partners, we’ve initiated a circular economy experiment.
Thriving through Collaborative Management
Quality of life at work is a priority for Textile du Maine. The effectiveness of our production process depends on thriving collaborators. Each workstation is conceived for maximum comfort. Teamwork is based on goodwill and authenticity; it is these company values that undergird our search for perfection.
At Textile du Maine, the development of competencies is founded on ongoing knowledge sharing and regular training. Our collaborative management system favors initiative, which leads to more autonomy and creativity. The goal is to empower our collaborators by developing a high level of skill across a broad range of tools and techniques. In our apprenticeship program, we insist on mastering quality before attempting quantity, because our work is founded on excellence. And, while we diligently respect the timelines of our clients, we don’t give individual production number requirements, thus relieving pressure and freeing up energy. We believe in the potential of everyone, our goal being to transmit skills through our passion for the trade.
Goodwill is manifested when you listen to your talents and understand their needs. Having learned what is particularly important to our collaborators, two of our key focus points are optimizing career evolution paths and work-life balance.
From our CSR Charter to the
Les Ateliers Engagés Label
Several years ago, our management team set out to develop a more structured approach to CSR, seeking knowledge from internal and external sources. After having done a thorough self-evaluation of social and environmental impact in 2020, we documented our overall approach and specific objectives for 2025 in our CSR Charter. We also established a stakeholder map to better understand their different needs and impacts, as well as a buying guide to put in place a more virtuous supply chain. We understand just how important partnerships are on the road to change.
In her role as president of the Groupement de la Fabrication Française (GFF), Sylvie Chailloux, the founder and co-director of Textile du Maine, wanted to go even further. Working with twenty GFF member companies, Madame Chailloux initiated a major CSR initiative, which included a series of audits and planning sessions. The end result was the development of a French CSR label specific to clothing manufacturers, Les Ateliers Engagés (LAE), based on the international ISO 26000 standard and independently audited.
The Les Ateliers Engagés label structures its 20 requirements into six categories :
- Managerial Ambition
- Social Footprint
- Environmental Footprint
- Supply Chain Footprint
- Client Footprint
- Territorial Footprint
This very demanding CSR label does not allow for “compensation” between categories as do some other labels. You cannot compensate a score of 80% in one category with a score of 120% in another category; you must score at least 100% in each category. Textile du Maine is one of a trio of companies to first obtain the LAE label.
