On March 8, the 2018 AITEX Business Awards for Innovation and Sustainability were presented at the headquarters of AITEX. 22 companies in the Valencian textile sector attended this first call.
The president of AITEX, Rafael Pascual, opened the day and reminded the audience that the objective of the AITEX Business Awards is to recognise the innovative and sustainable work of companies in the sector. In this edition, two awards were given: the AITEX Innovation Award and the AITEX Sustainability Award. There is a first prize of €10,000 and a second prize of €5,000 in each.
In the first edition of the Business Awards, five companies received awards from the jury composed of: Julia Company Sanus, General Director of IVACE; José Vicente Serna Revert, Secretary General of ATEVAL; Carlos Roa Carrión, CDTI textile project evaluator; Rafael Balart Gimeno, Polytechnic University of Valencia – Alcoy Campus, and Pablo Díaz García, Polytechnic University of Valencia – Alcoy Campus.
The evaluation criteria are the value proposal, its quality, the innovation and results, its socio-economic impact and other relevant aspects such as employability, corporate commitment, collaboration, etc. as well as its environmental impact, in the case of the Sustainability Award.
The winners were:
2018 BUSINESS AWARDS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Francisco Jover, S.A., second prize in the sustainability category. Currently the company is opening new technical markets, and one of its main objectives is to respect the environment to the fullest. The company has always been committed to maximum output with minimum environmental impact. The company currently produces 73.3% of the energy it consumes, both electric and thermal. This investment is always in continuous improvement by implementing new methods, improving equipment and reducing consumption.
Hilaturas Ferre, S.A., first prize in the sustainability category. The company’s core activity is the mechanical recycling of textile waste and other materials. Their project stems from the company’s earliest days since it has always specialised in recycled materials. The Recover Project works in two areas, introducing circularity to textile companies that were unaware of its possibilities, and secondly its innovative marketing plan for the product.
2018 BUSINESS AWARDS FOR INNOVATION
Protect textil 1980, S.L., second prize in the innovation category. At Protect textile, they insist that to be able to distinguish themselves as a textile manufacturer, they must innovate and invest in product development. The project is for a fabric with specific coatings that can shield from radiation emitted by the readers that goods pass through in logistics systems where boxes contain various articles. The product indicates to the reader what the box contains and the number of units.
Tejidos Royo, S.L., second prize in the innovation category. The project Dry Indigo concerns dyeing denim fabric without water in a more sustainable process that consumes less energy and water, to be more competitive in the global market. The method saves between 70-80% of energy, 100% of water consumption, 
and the process is much faster, dyeing more metres in less time.
MLS textiles 1992, S.L., first prize in the innovation category. The company manufactures hosiery and first-layer sports clothing. The garments are made using a different weaving system and are very lightweight delicate fabrics. The project is the development of a textile product with the same characteristics of its other products: comfort, breathability, antibacterial, easy drying and lightweight but with the ability to support weight. This innovative product meets the needs of its customers and gives the company the corporate image of being at the forefront of the market.
Rafael Pascual closed the awards by thanking all the companies for their participation, and revealed that 2019 edition of the AITEX Business Awards, will be open to companies across Spain.
