BARKER TEXTILES
Creating sustainable solutions to minimise and recycle textile waste
Finnish company Barker Textiles is taking part in 5x5 Kaunas to take a fresh look at their production processes, not only to create new product niches but also to find sustainable solutions together with designers to minimise production waste and to recycle.
Barker Textiles
Barker Textiles began in 1843 in Turku, Finland. Two decades ago the company moved to Kaunas, at that time the most important centre of the textile industry in Central Europe. Their specialisation and main product is the manufacture of plaids from natural wool and cotton in Scandinavian design. However, pollution is still one of the most sensitive issues in the textile industry: "We are not ignoring the problem, we are striving to reduce and recycle our production waste as much as possible. The only problem is that it is difficult to find producers in Lithuania who can recycle from the production of the fibre to the spinning of the yarn, so we have to do it in other countries.
Designer: Vida Straseviciute
"In my professional career, I have already studied the possibilities of sustainable development in the textile industry and the contribution that a designer can make to the development of a company in this direction. I am very happy to be joining the Barker Textiles team and to have the opportunity to put my skills into practice. Especially since wool and cotton are raw materials that I really like. It's interesting to get to know their different weaving and production processes up close and I hope to discover new opportunities,"
This product was developed within the 5X5® innovation path.
