Episode 16 | Stories Worth Telling… with Albertina Reis

In Episode 16, we spoke with Albertina Reis, Technical and Materials Director, who has been part of Riopele for 38 years.

1. In a previous interview, you said that Riopele strives to achieve the impossible. What does that mean?

We always strive to do what seems impossible, what others cannot do. Even when we face difficulties, and although the path can sometimes be challenging, we always want to go further.

Today, many of the solutions applied across different stages of Riopele’s production process were born precisely from this determination to achieve the impossible.

2. You lead Riopele’s Innovation Department. Which project has challenged you the most?

All projects are challenging, but I would highlight one that brought together two major dimensions of challenge: the Nano Smart project, in which we set out to develop smart textiles and functional finishes using nanotechnology.

This project was particularly significant for me because it was the first research and development project led by Riopele, bringing together universities and technological centres in a consortium. It was our first experience with an initiative of this scale.

In the end, we were recognised by all the teams involved for our attitude, the way we embraced the project, and the methodology we implemented internally. That was the first major challenge: preparing our teams for a new approach to research and development.

The second challenge was everything that later led to the creation of the Çeramica Clean brand, through the application of functional finishes using nanoparticles.

3. Why is what Riopele does important?

Riopele does not simply produce fabrics; we do much more than that.

It is precisely this vision that sets us apart. In addition to our industrial vertical integration, which strengthens our competitiveness, everything we do is driven by a strong sense of responsibility — industrial, environmental and social.

All of this makes Riopele a national and international reference in the textile industry.

That is why some of our customers come to us when they want to develop new projects, hoping that we can join them on that journey of evolution.

 4. What innovation would you like to be talking about five years from now?

I would like to be talking about the consolidation of a new fibre with the level of performance that polyester currently offers.

Despite the many innovations that have been developed around polyester, it continues to face challenges in terms of environmental perception, even though its performance is difficult to match.

For this reason, I would like to see new materials emerge that can achieve the same level of performance — in terms of resilience, strength, durability and dimensional stability, one of the most important parameters when we talk about performance — while also aligning with the principles of circularity.

For me, that would be one of the greatest challenges to see realised over the next five years.