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There is a new generation of products emerging within Riopele, a textile company based in Vila Nova de Famalicão with almost 100 years of existence. Indario is the new name for a project that combines the name of the dye most associated with denim color, Indigo, with Rio from Riopele. It highlights "all the most sustainable practices developed by Riopele with future generations in mind," explained Ângela Teles from the company's R&D department.
Note that Riopele has announced its commitment to becoming operationally carbon-neutral by 2027, through the implementation of a set of measures and projects that will ensure zero environmental impact for all company operations.
In practical terms, Riopele has developed a new range of value-added products that combine a set of noble raw materials such as Ecovero viscose (33%) and European Flax certified linen (67%). "We seek to move away from basic fabrics and focus on more diverse structures, with fancy yarns, flammés, appealing to the sentimental side of consumers." Riopele is investing, on the one hand, in an innovative dyeing process developed in partnership with Archroma, and on the other hand, in a careful choice of raw materials, resulting in "savings of water and energy, around 67% and 35% respectively, compared to the conventional denim procedure."
Furthermore, this new solution ensures additional comparative advantages by favoring, on the one hand, "greater flexibility" and, on the other hand, "greater security, through the use of ZDHC-certified dyes."
The new range of products, currently being presented at professional events such as Première Vision in Paris, Milano Unica in Milan, Munich Fabric Start in Munich, and Modtissimo in Porto, allows for the development of lighter everyday products as well as optimization for more technical and high value-added approaches.
At this stage, the Indario is finding better acceptance in Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland, traditionally more sensitive to sustainability issues, but a similar reaction is expected in countries like Germany and France. For this, the aesthetic component is a relevant factor. "We know well that presenting sustainable products is not enough if they are not simultaneously visually appealing and capable of exciting the customer," concluded Ângela Teles.
