From Aichin's small production, we move on to Mr. Ding, whom we have also known for a long time. Similar to Claudia Lanius over 20 years ago, he has dedicated himself to hemp fiber. His GOTS-certified factory is impressive, and he plans to build a hemp museum next to the production site. After visiting the factory, it is clear that we will expand our business relationship, and the tough Chinese businessman is undoubtedly the ideal partner for us when it comes to hemp.
Arrival
From Frankfurt, we're taking a direct flight to China. Nearly nine million people live in the Olympic city of Qingdao. There, we'll be met by our long-standing production partner and friend, Aichin.
What we see of the city on this day in late October is very neat and touristy: many people with children, vibrancy, and economic prosperity are palpable in this city. Huge boats lie in the harbor – status symbols of those who are part of the boom.
We enjoy our arrival, and Aichin takes us to places where the Chinese flair of the big city, with its traditional old town, can be experienced. She shows us how people maintain their culture amidst the jumble of skyscrapers. Tai Chi is practiced in squares, and the smells and food quickly make us feel at home after the flight.
Our company is exemplary
On our first day, we visit Aichin’s small GOTS-certified production company, with which we have been working since 2008. This is already the fifth time her business has moved to a new factory building. This is partly due to Aichin renting factory premises, as she wants to remain flexible and agile. On the other hand, she is also at the mercy of the Chinese state – if the state decides to relocate the entire industry, for example for the Olympic Games, Aichin's factory must also move.
The new location is beautiful – the approximately 40 employees are beaming, music is playing, it is bright and friendly. I recognize many faces here from previous visits. As a true pioneer in many respects, Aichin has integrated anthroposophical ideas into her Chinese production. She accompanies us throughout our entire journey.
Our days are full of visits
We continue with an unannounced visit to a small knitting factory. It quickly becomes clear that we will not choose this production facility as a partner: there is no extraction system in the rooms, and therefore a lot of dust is in the air. Once again, it becomes clear how important personal visits and direct contact with the people on site are, so that one can get a picture of the facilities oneself. We experience the exact opposite of this operation in the afternoon.
We arrive at a factory village that employs a total of 22,000 people. An incredible scale. The state-owned factory produces jersey knits for well-known fast-fashion companies. State-of-the-art vacuum ventilation systems ensure dust-free halls, and we learn that gigantic quantities – approximately 100 tons – of jersey are produced daily. With our quantities and our demands for material value creation, we naturally won't be doing business here.
Strict government requirements
For us, the journey continues to Hangzhou, a city further south in China - the hub for silk. We will visit our local agent and the wet processing plant where our silk fabrics are dyed and printed.
China places very high demands on companies regarding wastewater management. We are impressed that everything is digitally recorded, measured, and transmitted: Every wet processing plant must be connected to the state control authority. Relevant values, such as the pH value of the wastewater, are not recorded weekly or daily but permanently. If a plant exceeds the prescribed guidelines, it is shut down. It is clear how much the country strives to improve its negative image as a production country.
On the way to Zhenjang with the high-speed train
As exciting as the trip is, these days are also exhausting. We travel a lot, cover long distances with different means of transport, sometimes don't know where and when we can eat something, and there are face and finger checks everywhere.
Nevertheless, the journey on the high-speed train towards Zhenjiang is very exciting. The station is more like an airport; everything is very organized: passengers only get to their respective platform fifteen minutes before departure. There is no crowding; people wait patiently in lines. The carriages are very large, and the train is so fast, so quiet, and so gliding that we don't even feel like we're on a train. We pass dozens of sparkling, tall buildings, many industrial facilities, and an incredible number of people. One huge city follows another.
Buddhist tranquility and Italian know-how
Having arrived in Zhejiang, the very next day we visit the next production partner. The large knitting factory is located somewhat off the beaten track of the mega-cities, and on the drive there we see smaller towns and temples.
A beautiful garden with water features welcomes us in the factory's front yard. What awaits us inside is truly special: planted walls, a minimalist feel-good atmosphere, large water basins, and a beautiful meeting room.
We meet Mr. Massimo, whom we had already met at the fabric fair in Munich. He welcomes us warmly and explains that "Massimo" is the Italian version of his complicated Chinese name. He worked with an Italian for ten years, who taught him a lot of know-how. Mr. Massimo is one of those people who simply impress me with their calmness and karma.
We are currently realizing how important this personal contact is. No website, no email, no video conference can replace this type of meeting. Luca and Justin, our Sales and Sales Overseas Managers – and Bella, our wonderful local contact person – play a major role in making us simply feel good.
We are the first German company to have entered into a collaboration with Mr. Massimo and his company. We are also proud that we have managed to convert our bouclé coat with this production facility to a GOTS-certified product made from controlled organic animal husbandry. We and our producers had always failed at this before, and my initial skepticism after this visit has given way to the certainty that people who love their work and treat the wool material with great appreciation work here.
In the production halls, we see impressive machinery and clever solutions in the area of material upgrading – for example, the wool here is roughened with real thistles. This brings us back to the origins of LANIUS – to the vision of a good feeling on the skin and a good conscience.
And something else leaves a lasting impression on us: a pleasant calm prevails in every production hall. This tranquility, which Mr. Massimo, who originally comes from Tibet and is a Buddhist, brings to this entire production, is simply soothing. The aisles between the individual machines are twice as wide as in other production facilities. This space gives the people who move and work there the opportunity to handle the goods carefully – all of which fills us with immense joy.
It is once again a completely contrasting image to the prejudiced view of China and has shown that it is worth searching.
