WE ARE ZRCL and project partners bring textile production back to Switzerland

(CONNECT) WE ARE ZRCL, the manufacturer of sustainable textiles with transparent supply chains that is headquartered in the canton of Schwyz, has presented the supply chain for its Swiss Edition t-shirts during an internal Sounding Board event. This pilot project demonstrates that all stages of the value chain can be processed in Switzerland and implemented commercially. “After all, if I want to manufacture and sell my products in Switzerland, I’d rather not have to rely on foundations and subsidies”, as CEO and founder Kilian Wiget explains, adding that: “We wanted to prove that it is possible to produce and market textiles entirely in Switzerland even while complying with the highest standards of sustainability and recyclability”.

Because, as he says, it is not possible for one person or one company alone to save the world, WE ARE ZRCL consciously sought to bring partners on board to support this mission. The company received approval for a project within the framework of the New Regional Policy (NRP). This project focuses on cross-company cooperation, sharing acquired knowledge and inspiring the industry as a whole. The Federal Council, which is the Swiss federal government is supporting this initiative as part of the NRP project alongside the cantons of Aargau, Thurgau, Schwyz and Zug.

In its role as a project partner, the Swiss cotton pioneer Remei is bringing organic cotton from India and Tanzania to Switzerland to be used as yarn. It will also contribute its traceability technology to the project. Isa Sallmann AG produces the high-quality fabric in Amriswil in the canton of Thurgau, while Johann Müller AG from Strengelbach in the canton of Aargau is responsible for dyeing processes. It is one of the first dyeing companies to operate in accordance with Cradle-to-Cradle Certified standards. The products are finished at the Schuler factory in Rothenthurm in the canton of Schwyz. The result is a t-shirt that is produced in Switzerland, which has now also received a Cradle-to-Cradle Bronze certification.

Many more industry representatives, including those from the Swiss Textiles industry association, ended up attending the Sounding Board event than originally expected, which was encouraging for Kilian Wiget: “We wanted to show as many people as possible what exactly we are doing here and encourage them to follow suit”. It is also possible for companies and organizations to directly get involved in ongoing projects, according to Wiget. ce/mm