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Textiles have to be “the first transforming sector” that relies exclusively on clean energy from renewable sources. The President of ATP says that the association is already “negotiating advantageous conditions for members” with energy suppliers.
The notion that the textile and fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world drives Portugal to already have “(…) excellent examples of Portuguese companies that work under the sustainability guise”. However, for Mário Jorge Machado, ATP’s president, more is needed: “one of the proposals [that ATP has for next year] is to convert the entire sector’s energy supply so that companies only use renewable sources”.
To reach this challenge by 2020, ATP’s president announced that the association is already in contact with energy suppliers in order to “obtain advantageous conditions for members”. Meanwhile, Mário Jorge Machado stresses that the “great advantage that we seek is not even economic: it’s sustainability. Each company will keep on purchasing energy from the suppliers that join the textile Green Deal in terms of electricity production”.
During the interview, the president also examined the future of the Portuguese textile companies when it comes to human resources. Mário Jorge Machado confessed that, alongside sustainability, and given that two thirds of the working population in the sector is between ages 45 and 65, “enticing young and qualified people will be the companies’ greatest challenge”.