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Adalberto Textile Solutions was the final stop on the last episode of ‘The Sustainability Map’, an initiative by IAPMEI in partnership with RDP (Radio Portugal). Miguel Ramôa, director of research and development, emphasised the company’s verticality and ability to offer differentiating products, ‘in line with the most sustainable practices in the world’. ‘Our immediate challenge is to become a global player and attract people who challenge the status quo,’ he said.
The company from Rebordões has 55 years of experience and is currently in its third generation. Since it was founded, it has sought to work on the impossible, ‘because there is less competition there’, and Miguel Ramôa shares that the ‘first digital printing machine was Adalberto’s’.
The company’s activity is focused on three vectors: fashion, home textiles and, more recently, technical textiles. In terms of numbers, last year they worked with ‘1,000 different bases, in other words, 1,000 different raw materials’. ‘We work with canvas, knits and non-woven fabrics,’ he said, highlighting their ability to work with noble materials such as silk. ‘These are raw materials that can cost up to €20 a metre. Those who come to Adalberto don’t come to find a price, they come for quality, differentiation and service.’
With a workforce of over 360 employees, Adalberto has allowed itself to aspire to more and more: ‘We want to supply all armies, not just the Portuguese, with our technical textiles, always based on sustainability and performance,’ he says.
In terms of figures, the company has already reached 40 per cent of electricity produced for self-consumption and guarantees the traceability of the remaining 60 per cent. ‘We have the complete LCA for all products,’ says Miguel Ramôa, going further: ‘we are preparing two processes with a negative carbon footprint and we have five technologies that are going to change the world,’ he adds. The full programme can be heard here.