FAQ about PORTOWEL® and the sustainable and certified home textile manufacturers in Portugal.

1. WHO IS PORTOWEL® ?

Portowel® is a B2B platform created at the end of 2015.
A partnership with the most innovative and sustainable manufacturers of home textiles in Portugal.

2. MISSION & VALUES.

Every day is a good chance for ethics with all partners: manufacturers and customers or with the planet; all are part of our commitment to future generations.

3. LOCATION.

The office is located in the village of Ponte da Barca, in Northern Portugal, close to the textile cluster of Vale do Ave.

4. ACTIVITY.

Sales, Trade agreements and Dealership contracts. Follow-up sales.

5. SAMPLES.

Can I have quality samples?
Yes, but depending on the specs of the request, Portowel® can ask the customer to support the shipping cost.

6. SAMPLING.

To develop a sample is an investment, so the customer can be asked to pay a caution/deposit. This amount may vary from 150€ to 450/500€
After the issue of the order confirmation, which must fulfil the MOQ, the Customer already knows that the caution will be deducted from the first invoice.

7. ADDED VALUE.

In addition to environmental friendliness and sustainable practices, there's an added value to every piece of textile, translated into durability, public health and home economy.

8. CERTIFICATIONS.

The commonest certificate is the Oeko Tex Standard 100 - Confidence in Textiles.

All the certificates below are available to show. Not all factories possess all the certifications.
It has been a long walk full of challenges marked by some steps:

1. Build and invest in water treatment plants for effluent decontamination. The rivers must have back the role of natural habitat for fish and plants.

2. Regarding energy needs, most factories installed photovoltaic panels on the roof of the plants. In addition to renewable and clean energy sources, this source gets down-the-mill costs and fits most of the power needs.

3. Regarding eco-friendliness, the development of fibres extracted from wood trees, bamboo, hemp, nettle, etc. and the good news is all those fibres are 100% biodegradable!

4. As far as the certifications, the surveillance of procedures, namely on three lines:

A - The culture, the harvest and the storage of the raw materials.
B - The impacts on human health, whether mill employees or consumers.
C - The trading moves:

1. Raw materials.

2. Human sources exploitation.

3. Fair commerce.

4. Recycling.