Roel Cremers

EMMA, DenimX, Eurocarbon collaboration | Roel Cremers

A sustaineble economy means a world without waste. It means reusing raw materials and investing together for future generations. That's why DenimX, Eurocarbon, Paperwise, and EMMA are working on a joint, sustainable product: sustaineble shoelaces for EMMA Safety Footwear safety shoes. Roel Cremers, Brand Manager at EMMA Safety Footwear, tells us about this unique product, their collaboration, and the future of our world.

EMMA has been taking social responsibility seriously for 90 years. Not only for people, but also for the planet. That means that sustainability is a priority on the agenda. Sustainable relationships with employees and sustainable production for a better world. "We're a sustainable company across the entire chain. That means we only do business with companies that take care of their people, too. Eurocarbon is a great example of that. There's a reason EMMA has such a long-standing relationship with them. They regularly work with people who otherwise struggle to access labour market, such as inmates. That's how we approach social responsibility together", says Roel.

But the collaboration goes beyond that. EMMA recently launched a new product with Eurocarbon and a third partner, DenimX. Together, they're developing shoelaces produced entirely sustainably from denim waste streams. "DenimX are based in Maastricht and they collect fibres from old jeans. Eurocarbon, in Sittard, then turns them into new laces, and we eventually put those laces in our safety shoes. So they have the raw materials and technology, we have the market."

These three Limburg companies are committed to reusing raw materials together, because "on your own, you'll never make it", says Roel. Sustaineble shoelaces are widely used these days by safety shoe manufacturers, but the laces EMMA's using are unique in the market. "It's great to have another sustaineble product. Our laces were already sustaineble, made from old PET bottles. That's nothing new. We've been doing that for years and that's become a common trend with safety shoes. But with these denim laces, we've shown that you have to keep moving forward on circular entrepreneurship and always stay innovative. That's actually why we're doing this.”

He also believes that circular entrepreneurship is extremely important for current and future generations: "I have three children and I would be delighted if they could continue to skate on natural ice in the winter. Climate change is a hot topic, and not one you can turn a blind eye to, he says. "We're very selfish. We keep buying, but the mountain of waste is piling up. Mother Earth has had to give up something for every product, but we often don't realise that," he says.

According to Roel we're also far too dependent on raw materials from other continents. "The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that this can cause problems in the supply chain. So it's a good thing to be able to produce locally here, as we do with this trifecta." According to Roel it is still quite small scale, but they're proving to other entrepreneurs that it's possible. "So our advice is just get started. There will be some ups and downs, but if all you do is talk, nothing ever happens." Fortunately, these three partners have really been able to align their goals, and they hope to motivate other entrepreneurs to get started. Because only together can we create a better world.