ISA Sallmann AG named winner of the Thurgau Apple

The jury for the Thurgau economy incentive award has announced this year’s winner: The underwear manufacturer ISA Sallmann. The award, which comes with prize money of 10,000 Swiss francs, will be presented on May 12, 2023, to the winning company at its premises. The award is presented each year by the Thurgau Trade Association, the cantonal chamber of commerce and industry IHK Thurgau and the Cantonal Bank of Thurgau in cooperation with the cantonal government of the canton of Thurgau.

As detailed in a press release issued by IHK Thurgau, ISA Sallmann AG clearly fulfils the selection criteria: commitment to the local area, innovative power and sustainability. In addition, it sends a strong signal “to the employees when a company remains owner-managed and loyal to its location for so long”. The company was founded in Amriswil in the canton of Thurgau in 1849, and remains headquartered there to this day. Since 2022, the company has been run by the seventh generation of the Sallmann family. According to information from the company itself, it employs 50 staff in Switzerland and 150 in Portugal.

As the founder of the undershirt industry in Switzerland, ISA Sallmann exclusively produced men’s underwear up to 2006, when it first launched an underwear collection for women. According to the jury, the company is now focusing on sustainable growth, for example in the bodywear segment for women, men and children.

The jury also viewed the fact that ISA Sallmann uses sustainable materials as a positive. The finishing of these materials is carried out by a Swiss partner in compliance with the strictest legal regulations. The development, design and distribution as well as a considerable part of the cutting also take place in Switzerland: “ISA Sallmann AG bucks the trend of buying clothes from large companies that produce in low-wage countries and instead invests successfully in the local area and European supply chains”, the press release explains. mm