It is an indispensable requirement for Gabriel that there are no environmental impacts at any time in the life cycles of our products.

“We have planned a business strategy where environmental management helps to strengthen our competitiveness because it ensures that our products are competitive in terms of the environment as well as quality and price,” says environmental manager Kurt Nedergaard.

Before the environment became fashionable 
Over the past 20 years, Gabriel has participated actively in Denmark’s environmental initiatives and has expended considerable resources on the development of environmentally friendly production methods and products.

Abreast of statutory requirements
Gabriel has gained a large number of environmental certifications, in several instances the first in the sector to have done so:

• In the 1980s, Gabriel was the first Danish textile manufacturer to offer dyes without heavy metals. 
• In the 1980s, Gabriel was the first company to prohibit the use of toxic anti-moth impregnation chemicals.
• In 1996, Gabriel was the first textile company in Denmark to implement an environmental management system under EMAS/ISO 14001.* 
• In 2003, Gabriel was the first manufacturer of upholstery fabrics to be awarded the EU Flower eco-label.

Most of the company’s product range now carries the EU Flower or the Oeko-Tex health label.

These labels mean that Gabriel has discontinued the use of hazardous chemicals so that 96% of the company’s total chemical consumption fulfils the requirements for the Flower.

Quality and environmental goals

Certifications

*Facts about EMAS 
EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is the EU’s environmental management scheme, the object of which is to encourage companies and other organisations to voluntarily work in a systematic and structured manner with environmental improvements.

This system ensures that all environmental impacts and health considerations are optimised throughout the supply chain under the cradle-to-grave principle.

Visit the website of the European Commission for more information about EMAS