Developed in partnership with Worldly, we’re thrilled to unveil Higg FEM 4.0, the industry’s most comprehensive environmental assessment tool built for – and by – our community. Today, we are celebrating this major industry milestone that brings impactful changes to our industry, such as: improved data quality, a more tailored user experience and improved assessment relevance.

The journey to Higg FEM 4.0 wasn’t possible without the community who helped to shape it. Higg FEM 4.0 was developed over the past two years through engaging with over 100 members, manufacturers, brands, and countless stakeholders to gather feedback and insights that were necessary in updating the tool. Additionally, over 400 users tested Higg FEM 4.0 on the platform, and their feedback was incorporated prior to launch.

Higg FEM 4.0 covers more environmental issues and aligns with global industry standards such as the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, Science-Based Targets initiative and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Roadmap to Zero to empower you to meet your sustainability targets. Designed to reduce the duplication of third-party assessments, Higg FEM 4.0 caters to the unique needs of brands and manufacturers alike.

Don’t just take our word for it:

Jimmy Summers, Vice President of Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability, at Elevate Textiles: “Elevate Textiles is looking forward to the release of Higg FEM 4.0. Higg FEM is an essential part of transparently sharing our verified sustainability metrics and progress with our customers. We also use Higg FEM as a foundational element of our overall sustainability program to ensure that all of our facilities around the world are meeting our expectations and improving their performance towards our facility-level and corporate goals and targets, including our Science-Based Targets for GHG reductions. We actively participated in the Higg FEM 4.0 pilot and are now prepared to ‘raise the bar’ with this more rigorous and beneficial version.”

Alan Chin, Senior Manager, Supply Chain Sustainability, at VF Corporation: “At VF, the Higg FEM assessment enables the company and our brands to measure key Scope 3 supplier-related impacts. VF teams, along with the SAC staff, engage directly with our vendor partners to assess and improve supplier carbon emissions. We are excited about the enhanced ability of the updated Higg FEM 4.0 to deliver actionable data and insights, enabling VF to support impact reductions across our global supply chain.”

Higg FEM 4.0 isn’t just another industry tool – it’s a testament to what we can do together to build a more sustainable future.

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A&E Gütermann welcomes seven new trainees and students at the headquarters in Gutach.

The new training year started on 1 September. Seven trainees and students began their professional careers in the fields of industrial clerk, warehouse clerk and dual study programs in business administration and human resources management.

A&E Gütermann is a manufacturer of premium sewing threads. With first-class sewing threads, we serve industries worldwide such as apparel, shoes, home textiles, technical textiles, automotive and hobby sewing. The topic of training is of great importance in the company – it is an important investment in the future of young people and the company.

The new colleagues were welcomed by Managing Directors Jürgen Drescher, Lars Becker, Jasmin Flesch, Dieter Ohnemus and Jonas Müller.

The first days and weeks are used to get to know and settle in at the company. Seminars and team events help our new junior employees on their way into professional life and prepare them optimally for the tasks ahead. During their training, they work in various departments, such as Sales, Human Resources, Financial Accounting, Marketing or IT. They also get to production and the production processes. They are supported in all areas by committed training officers.

We wish everyone a good start at A&E Gütermann and every success in their training and studies!

In addition to training and studies, A&E Gütermann offers various opportunities to get to know the company and apprenticeships. We are a partner for mandatory (BORS/BOGY) or voluntary internships.
Our student program includes study-related internships or student traineeships. After completing a pre-study internship, there is the option of writing a bachelor’s or master’s thesis with the support of our specialist units.

More information on apprenticeships and career opportunities at A&E Gütermann can be found at (German): https://schueler-studenten-guetermann.career.softgarden.de/

Our trainees offer exciting insights into their everyday training at A&E Gütermann on their trainee Instagram channel (German): https://www.instagram.com/guetermann_ausbildung/

On 6 October 2021, A&E Gütermann received an award from the state of Baden-Württemberg for successful energy saving. The company has been striving to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of its manufacturing processes for many years. An important element for this was the implementation of an energy-saving analysis as part of the “Efficiency campaign in the Emmendingen district”.

Over the past few months, the entire district of Emmendingen has been the focus for the largest efficiency campaign to date by KEFF SO (Southern Upper Rhine regional competence centre for energy efficiency), which was carried out together with the district’s climate protection management. The aim of the campaign: Climate protection! In concrete terms, the district wants to support companies in making themselves fit for the future, saving energy and at the same time reducing operating costs.

At the heart of this is the KEFF check: The KEFF experts help companies to uncover energy-saving potential and provide energy-saving tips that can be implemented right away. Buildings and technical systems as well as production processes are scrutinised using modern measuring equipment.

The Competence Centres are a project of the state of Baden-Württemberg designed to identify potential for operational energy savings and thus make a free and important contribution to achieving the country’s climate protection goals. Many companies took advantage of this offer: Almost 50 companies from the district of Emmendingen underwent a KEFF check. The analysis at Gütermann was number 650 in the region, counting the KEFF checks on the Southern Upper Rhine funded by the state since 2016. To mark the occasion, Ministerial Director Helmfried Meinl presented Managing Director Jürgen Drescher with the certificate from the Baden-Württemberg Environment Minister.

At the beginning of november major fashion brands that have signed up to the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (UNFCCC) met at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow 2021. Prior to the conference the objective was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. In line with the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Charter now pursues the declared objective of reducing emissions along the entire value chain and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Elevate Textiles already joined the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action in 2019. We are proud to be the only yarn manufacturer participating in the Charter. With the signing, Elevate Textiles wants to demonstrate its commitment to a low-carbon future for the textile industry.

The Allianz Faserbasierte Werkstoffe Baden-Württemberg e.V. (AFBW) is a cross-industry technology network, that covers the entire value chain of fiber-based materials – from manufacturers to users and research institutions.

The AFBW provides a platform for knowledge exchange and dialogue. In the E-Letter SpotON, innovations of the member companies are presented. In the current SpotON, A&E Gütermann and its commitment to sustainability are presented.

Read the spot of A&E Gütermann here: https://www.afbw.eu/aktuelles/spot-on/spoton/spoton-auf-a-e-guetermann/

It is not only private households in Germany who are suffering from the massive increase in electricity prices. German industry has the highest prices by international standards and the ever increasing energy costs are putting pressure on the economy – small and medium-sized enterprises and energy-intensive industrial companies in particular are increasingly under pressure.

A&E Gütermann with its German production site in Gutach im Breisgau is also affected. Managing Director Jürgen Drescher spoke about the topic in an interview with the Südwestrundfunk (SWR). According to Drescher, the increase in prices is expected to result in additional costs of around 900,000 to one million euros. The reasons for the high electricity prices include the massive rise in CO2 prices, the lack of network expansion and the energy revolution. The ever-increasing energy costs are having a negative effect on the economic efficiency of energy-intensive production in Germany. This is putting competitiveness at risk and is increasingly threatening Germany’s position as a production site, Jürgen Drescher explains further, addressing a core problem of the German energy policy.

Watch the interview with SWR here: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/stromknappheit-100.html

A&E Gütermann is delighted to welcome 8 new trainees to the Gutach site

The new A&E Gütermann training year began on 1 September 2021 with a total of 8 new highly motivated and curious trainees at the Gutach site.

The day began with a warm welcome by HR Manager Martina Kaltenbach, Training Manager Verena Schwär, Works Council Chairman Dieter Ohnemus, Youth Training Representative Nina Maier and then by Managing Director Jürgen Drescher. The new trainees received a warm welcome to A&E Gütermann

In the first five days, the new trainees received a comprehensive introduction programme, which took place under strict hygiene regulations.  The programme included getting to know each other, training in everyday tools and initial seminars for a successful start to the career. Despite the past year being marked by uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic, A&E Gütermann is enabling young people to complete training courses safely and with plenty of opportunities.

The new training year includes dual students for the business management industry course as well as the IHK training occupations of industrial clerks, warehouse clerk and textile laboratory assistant.

A&E Gütermann wishes all new trainees a good start and every success in their training.

Which colors will essentially dominate the spring | summer fashion 2022?

The temperatures are rising and the days are gradually getting longer – time to take a look at the spring summer 2022 color trends. The new color shade card from A&E Gütermann sets out the overriding color moods for spring and summer 2022 for those who need early color information.

The trend colors are dominated by natural colors such as bright browns and reds, warm shades of gold and yellow, and cool shades of blue and gray. The palette ranges from bright and bold colors to soft and restrained pastels – the new trend colors are versatile and create a positive mood.