SCANDINAVIA
From the Swedish Textile Care Association (Sveriges Tvätteriförbund) comes news of a new joint project with its Danish counterpart to develop a new quality control model. Environmental and social sustainability involve major challenges and major opportunities. As awareness of environmental and social possibilities increase, sustainable solutions become a necessity in every company's plans and management – ??as well as an important means of competition.
A Swedish and Danish partnership for cooperation and exchanges of practices aims to create a forum for knowledge sharing and comparison of current Scandinavian Quality Control models for the textile services industry. This can form the basis for progress and development of new Quality Control models that comply with different aspects of sustainability as well as European show case standards.
One very important part is social inclusion – how do we promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion, diversity, and fairness?
The two project partners, The Swedish Textile Service Association (Sveriges Tvätteriförbund) and The Washing and Textiles Service Association of Denmark (Brancheforeningen for Vask og Tekstiludlejning), will also develop supplementary educational material connected to the Scandinavian quality control models that will help organisations and their workers achieve sustainable methods.
On 29 March, the first of four physical project meetings took place in Malmö, Sweden. Various stakeholders, such as members, communications experts and third-party representatives that do the annual controls discussed how to proceed with the activities within the project.
An inspirational speech was given by Jan-Olov Kindvall, from the top Swedish football club Malmö FF, on how a leading football club works with inclusion and other key objectives.
Both The Swedish TSA as well as Danish TSA currently execute annual quality controls of their members. These ensure members hold high professional, corporate and environmental show case standards.
Throughout this cooperation, both parties aim to exchange experiences and ideas – creating new, innovative or joint curricula or courses – enterprise, industry and SMEs (including entrepreneurship) and quality assurance.
The project, which is co-funded by the European Union via Erasmus+ started on 1 January and will continue until December 2024.
The organisation
The Swedish Textile Service Association (Sveriges Tvätteriförbund) is an independent industry organization representing members in both Swedish industrial textile services and consumer laundry services. The association has a long and proud tradition. Together with its members, totaling approximately 70 textile service businesses and 60 suppliers, the association pursues an active agenda focused on the future. The association's members account for approximately 90% of the total domestic industry turnover. The Swedish Textile Service Association wants to make a difference for its members and society at large.
The Washing and Textile Services Association of Denmark (Danish: Brancheforeningen for Vask og Tekstiludlejning, BVT) is a professional interest and service organization for industrially run laundries in the private and public sectors, as well as suppliers to laundries. The Association is part of the Confederation of Danish Industry as part of the Industry Community DI Service. Part of its responsibilities include securing the members' interests in industry matters and to create and maintain a good reputation for the laundry industry.
