Circular Economy in the laundry industry: Challenges, opportunities, and Girbau’s commitment

The circular economy is emerging as a key strategy to tackle the environmental challenges of modern industries, moving away from the traditional "take, make, dispose" model. By designing products and services with resource efficiency, longevity, and reuse in mind, businesses across sectors are shifting toward a system that minimizes waste and maximizes value by putting an end to the linear economy. The laundry industry is no exception.

Understanding the Circular Economy: A global perspective

The circular economy is a model focused on sustainability, aiming to keep products, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible. This approach has gained traction due to increasing regulatory pressure, resource scarcity, and the growing awareness of the environmental footprint of various industries.

Key global statistics highlight the urgency of adopting circular practices:

• According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), textile consumption in the EU require an average of 9 m³ of water, and 391 kg of raw materials per person while generating a carbon footprint of 270 kg CO2 per capita.
• Textile fiber production has nearly doubled in the last two decades, rising from 58 million tons in 2000 to 109 million tons in 2020, and is expected to reach 145 million tons by 2030. This exponential growth underscores the urgent need for circular economy solutions.
• The European Union has set ambitious sustainability targets, including the Circular Economy Action Plan, pushing industries toward resource-efficient business models.

The laundry industry plays a significant role in this shift. As an energy and water-intensive sector, transitioning to circular principles is both an environmental responsibility and a business opportunity.

Circular Economy in the Laundry Industry

The laundry industry, both industrial and commercial, is increasingly adopting circular principles to reduce waste, optimize resources, and extend textile lifecycles. The circular economy within this sector is materializing in three key areas:

One of the major shifts in the industry is the move toward textile circularity. Industrial laundries are playing an essential role by prolonging textile lifespan and facilitating textile recycling. Advanced washing processes, such as wet cleaning (GWET), use biodegradable detergents instead of solvents, reducing fabric wear while meeting hygiene standards.

2. Equipment sustainability & energy efficiency

Circularity is not just about textiles; it extends to the machinery used in laundries. Advances in sustainable equipment include:

• Water-saving technology: Closed-loop water recovery systems can significantly reduce water consumption. Advanced treatment technologies and processes now enable laundries to recycle up to 85% of their water.
• Energy efficiency: Heat recovery systems and low-energy equipment such as our dryers improve sustainability while reducing operational costs.
• Machine longevity: Modular equipment design extends machine life, allowing repairs and upgrades rather than premature replacements.

3. Resource optimization in laundry operations

Optimizing laundry operations ensures the reduction of waste, chemicals, and emissions:

• Detergent dosing precision: Automated detergent dosing systems minimize waste while ensuring textile protection.
• RFID tracking: Many laundries now use RFID tags on textiles, optimizing inventory management, reducing textile losses, and extending usability.

Girbau’s commitment to circularity: innovation for a sustainable future

At Girbau, sustainability is not just a goal; it’s a responsibility. As a leader in professional laundry solutions, Girbau integrates circular economy principles at multiple levels:

1. Sustainable product design

Girbau prioritizes eco-design, ensuring that its machines are built with sustainability in mind:

• High-efficiency washers and dryers: Products like the double eco-design award winning washer platform Genius reduce water and energy consumption, cutting operational costs and emissions.
• Modular & repairable design: Machines are engineered to have extended lifespans with replaceable parts, reducing waste.

2. Circular initiatives for clients

Girbau helps clients integrate circularity into their laundry operations:

• Water & energy optimization: Through solutions like The Zero Platform, laundries achieve significant reductions in water and energy waste.
• Textile care solutions: Wet-cleaning technologies like GWET replace traditional dry-cleaning solvents, making textile care safer for both people and the planet.
• Lifecycle extension of textiles: Technologies that reduce fabric wear ensure that textiles last longer, contributing to textile circularity.

3. Internal circular practices at Girbau

Beyond its products, Girbau integrates Circularity into our own operations: 91% of the waste generated at our production centers by weight is recovered. Its dedication to energy, water and waste recovery and reuse is evident within the Zero Platform solutions and all the upcoming and improved new products launched, with special focus on circularity. The active capture of microplastics within the laundry processes has enabled the revalorization of such material in the award-winning FIX Project. The FIX Project is a collaboration between Elisava, Barcelona's School of Design and Engineering and Girbau LAB - Girbau's collaborative innovation platform. In exploring circular economy projects, we have also collaborated with major brands such as IKEA y Masia Maquinaria to reuse post-consumer textiles, converting them into recycled polyester that can be reused to produce new comforters and pillows.

At Girbau, we believe in leading the change by delivering solutions that enable businesses to operate more sustainably while maintaining profitability by changing to a more circular economy. Through technological innovation, efficient resource management, and circular product design, we are paving the way for a future where laundry operations have a minimal environmental impact while maximizing efficiency and longevity.