How We Contribute to the Cotton Industry’s Sustainability

The Cotton industry’s sustainability is measured by environmental, social, and economic factors. Prilla proudly takes part in all three facets of sustainability to ensure we take part in authentically ethical practices.

Prilla Environmental Footprint Icon

Environmental Footprint

We Source Green

At the core of what we do, Prilla always keeps ethical practices and conservation top of mind, when sourcing our raw materials, including cotton lint and yarns. As a member of the Better Cotton Initiative since 2015, we stringently adhere to the seven better cotton principles.

Waste Management

Reuse

Virgin cotton lint is used in our ring and rotor spinning processes, some of our open end yarns are manufactured from a virgin/waste mix - the waste used in this process is generated from our internal processes. During the carding and combing process a lot of short fiber that is not suitable for ring spinning and is therefore extracted through our air filtration system and regathered at our waste plant, added into our open end mix and reused. All the waste generated from the ring spinning line is reused on the open end line. None of the material is wasted.

 

Repurpose

Some of the waste that can’t be reused, that we call hard waste (a small percentage of yarn that can’t be used due to various factors), is sold to other professional recycling companies and used for various repurpose application for example underlays i.e. felt for carpeting, sound acoustic felt etc.

 

Recycle

Some process related waste streams that are unable to be reused internally are channelled into furniture and upholstery manufacturers for stuffing.

Our cotton arrives at our factory in large bales, most of which are covered in low density polyethylene and wire. The plastic is gathered, removed and sold to a recycling company that manufactures various recycled items including garden furniture. The wire from the bales are also recycled and used for palisade fencing as reinforcing.
Micro dust generated during the manufacturing process is removed by waste management experts, EnviroServ and disposed of. Other materials that make up our waste, including some of the recycled cotton we are unable to use, are also utilised by furniture companies for upholstery and stuffing.

Energy Conservation

Throughout our premises we make use of motion detection LED lighting to reduce consumption of electricity and we are currently exploring introducing Photovoltaic Panels.

We also make use of smart metering to monitor consumption and variations. This metering enables us to manage and update the reticulation network, which is being modernised to reduce energy wastage. Our warehouse has zero gas emissions because all our Forklifts are battery operated.

Prilla Goscor Forklift
Prilla Energy Conservation Solar Panels
Water Conservation

During the dyeing process, many textile mills consume a considerable amount of water, which does not contribute to the sustainability of the environment. Prilla is a“dry mill”, which means no effluent or water is used during our manufacturing process.

The only water used in our plant is for ablution facilities and we are currently investigating rain water harvesting to further our efforts.

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Social Footprint

At Prilla we care about our people. Our staff are our biggest asset and therefore we ensure that they receive all the support they need to stay healthy. We employ a full time occupational nurse on our premises and we have a dedicated medical doctor that does regular visits to help us care for our staff. We also host regular health and wellness days to assist and guide our staff to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Training and skills development is important to us at Prilla and we employ two full time facilitators to oversee our skills development and learnership programme. Our programme teaches students the different skills and techniques required to manufacture yarn.

We also believe in making an impact in our local community and therefore host regular inspirational talks at our local schools as part of our social responsibility initiative.

Prilla Economic Footprint Icon

Economic Footprint

We support the economic development of our internal suppliers. On premises, we have a catering company that we support financially along with day to day operational requirements and ongoing training to assist this entrepreneur to continue to grow her business. We have also partnered and host a SMMEE transport service that operates from our premises, free of charge. These initiatives empower our staff and community.

To date, Prilla also supports approximately 1000 individual subsistence farmers. We believe in empowering and uplifting communities by supporting small businesses. Locally we purchase from two cotton gins, namely The Makhathini Gin, based near the Swaziland and Mozambique border near Jozini, and the Limpopo Valley Gin, based in Mpumalanga.
 
The Makhatini Gin does not only have their own commercial farm but also support over 600 individual farmers who sell to them daily. The Limpopo Valley Gin supports over 400 individual farmers.
 
The small farmer gets remuneration from these local gins that afford them to grow a new crop, and so the cycle can be repeated and in turn encourage others to plant more cotton.
 
We are B-BBEE Compliant
 
The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment program aims to transform SA’s economy by enhancing economic participation.

Prilla Cotton Farm
Prilla Soil In Hands
We are
BCI Certified
BCI is the world’s largest cotton sustainability program, empowering cotton communities while restoring the environment.
Prilla CottonSA Logo Gray
We are a Member of
Cotton SA
Cotton SA supports all players on the cotton value chain, contributing to economic growth through education and collaboration.
Prilla IDC Logo Gray
We Partner with the
Louis Dreyfus Company
LDC collaborate with businesses from various agricultural sectors to facilitate the sustainable purchasing and security of goods
Prilla SABS Logo Gray
We are
ISO Certified
ISO is an initiative that connects industry experts and develops innovative and solution-based international sustainability standards.
Prilla Belcoro Logo Gray
We adhere to Belcoro®
Quality Standards
Prilla’s production facility can offer Belcoro® Yarns to the market on request.
Prilla IDC Logo Gray
We are a 100% owned
subsidiary of the IDC.
We are a 100% owned subsidiary
of the Industrial Development Coporation (IDC).

Additional Resources

SABS Certificate
B-BBEE Certificate
Belcoro Certificate
KZN CTC Membership Certificate
Cotton SA Registration Certificate

Belcoro Yarn Test Reports
20 Tex – License No: 01-00-956/11.22
22 Tex – License No: 01-00-957/11.22
25 Tex – License No: 01-00-958/11.22