Sustainability Report 2023-24 - Flipbook - Page 3
Requirements and expectations for sustainable development
Dear customer, shareholder, employee, business partner and
other interested parties
Gabriel’s mission states that Gabriel develops its services
to be used in fields of application where product features,
design and logistics have to meet invariable requirements,
and where quality and environmental management must be
documented.
To meet the sustainability requirements, new needs and expectations from customers and other stakeholders must continually be fulfilled. During the financial year, Gabriel focused
in particular on the EU textile strategy, implementation of new
regulatory requirements including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), life cycle assessments
(LCA), and circular economy. This is achieved by realising
Gabriel’s sustainability strategy, which specifies seven focus
areas and associated strategic goals. The sustainability strategy is well implemented and the strategic goal achievement
is satisfactory. The necessary internal resources and competences are adequate to maintain our position as market leader.
Many customers have received detailed environmental data and information in support of their LCA work.
The process is implemented using Gabriel’s own staff with
in-depth knowledge of products and how these are produced. This ensures high-quality LCAs and active application of knowledge to improve the entire product life cycle.
In the coming year, more LCA reports and externally verified
environmental product declarations (EPD) will be available
on the company’s website and collaboration with customers
and suppliers will be continued.
The transition to a circular economy requires major changes.
This includes known efforts such as waste minimisation and
recycling of materials but also many other aspects. Gabriel
has contributed to a procurement guide that suggests considerations for the selection and use of upholstered furniture based on circular economy. It describes ways of minimising resource consumption by extending the lifetimes of
Anders Hedegaard Petersen
CEO
Claus Møller
CCO
furniture through correct maintenance and, not least, it provides advice on choosing the best furniture fabric. Gabriel has
and follows a policy of not destroying fabric and semi-finished
goods that are discontinued from the company's collection. In
addition, Gabriel uses raw materials of natural origin or recycled materials. The proportion of recycled polyester in the
total polyester consumption increased from 26% in 2022/23
to 34% in 2023/24.
During the year, Gabriel launched six new fabrics containing fibres from recycled textile waste, from recycled plastic
bottles or from wool, which Gabriel recommends as nature’s
best upholstery fabric material. Product sustainability properties are documented through the EU Ecolabel (82% of the
global standard collection) and the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD
100 health label (100% of the global standard collection).
Gabriel's products also meet Gabriel’s extensive, strict quality
and environmental requirements to ensure responsible use
of chemicals and dyes, high quality and long lifetimes.
The extensive certifications of management systems according the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management standards were
retained during the year. For the fifth year in a row, Gabriel
is CO2e-neutral for scope 1 and 2 according to the international Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. The Group's own production of solar energy, as well as in Gabriel's partly owned
dyehouse, increased by 57% as a result of investments, totalling 1,287 MWh.
In 2024/25 focus will be on mapping indirect climate impacts
along the supply chain (scope 3) and preparing an action plan
for reducing climate impacts and achieving new strategic sustainability goals by 2030.
With this report, Gabriel wants to provide an overall description of relevant sustainability aspects from a current and a
strategic perspective.
Happy reading!
Kurt Nedergaard
Director of CSR & Quality
Rikke Lyhne Jensen
Sustainability Manager
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