Interview with BekaertDeslee on circularity challenges and the role of digital tools
January 15th, 2023BekaertDeslee, founded in 1892, is a textile manufacturing company specialising in mattress fabrics. They are the global leader in their field, with production facilities in all major markets. We spoke with sustainability manager Charles Christiaens about their challenges, ambitions, and preparation for new EU regulations. The textile industry is the fourth most polluting industry in the world, and mattresses are landfilled over 90% of the time. As Charles explains: making a sustainability shift in a market that isn't ready for these changes is, well, unsustainable.
Circularity as the biggest lever
Mattress fabrics are composed of hard-to-separate materials — composite textiles with cotton, polyester, and elastane, plus moisture-rejecting coatings. This makes recycling extremely difficult today. But BekaertDeslee is working with recycling companies and researchers to prepare products for end-of-life recycling, anticipating that technology will evolve significantly within the 8-10 year mattress lifespan.
CSRD: a serious challenge
BekaertDeslee did a dry run for the upcoming European CSRD. Charles's key takeaway: companies need to take these reports as seriously as financial reporting. An auditor will challenge every evolution in your numbers, and you need data systems with feedback loops — manual input doesn't cut it. Still, Charles believes the regulations are necessary: if nobody's watching, nothing will change.
Where digital innovation helps
Data capturing and measuring impact remains challenging. BekaertDeslee has a well-integrated SAP that helps, but some data still needs manual processing. AI-driven software can help with predictive reporting, filtering and merging data, and bringing the cost of sustainability reporting down. As Charles puts it: new technology will need to enable automating more of these processes.
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