in 1861 as a cotton weaving mill Founded HUESKER stranger to transformation. The company practically had to reinvent itself in the 1970s. Since then, it has become a globally sought-after supplier of technical textiles for civil engineering, industry, and agriculture. For the past few years, it has increasingly focused on geotextiles made from recycled PET.
HUESKER Synthetic GmbH, based in Gescher, is no stranger to transformation. Founded in 1861, the company focused on weaving cotton for bed linens and clothing for over 100 years, right up until the 1970s. However, with the relocation of large parts of North Rhine-Westphalia's textile industry abroad, HUESKER also had to consider its future. And so the company shifted its focus to geosynthetics and technical textiles.
They are used in earthworks and foundation engineering, road and traffic infrastructure construction, environmental technology, and in water management and mining. Applications include drainage and filter layers, as well as the sealing of landfills and contaminated sites. Geotextiles solve a significant environmental problem: they replace layers of natural, highly limited raw materials such as gravel, crushed stone, and sand. This conserves natural resources and also saves millions of truckloads, microplastics from tire abrasion, and CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, HUESKER initiated the next phase of transformation several years ago.
“North Rhine-Westphalia is simply a great location in this respect; there are a huge number of good universities in a very small area.”
In mid-2019, the Münsterland-based company introduced an "ecoLine": geotextiles in a grid form made from recycled plastic bottles. According to the company, HUESKER is the world's first supplier of this product. The geogrid is one of the company's classic products. Years of research and development have made it possible to produce geogrids from recycled material. The PET recycling yarns consist of 100 percent old PET bottles and, according to the company, have the same quality as the original fiber, meaning they can be used in the same way. Customers who choose the "ecoLine" not only make the contribution to climate and resource protection outlined above. Because plastic is petroleum-based, the use of recycled yarns contributes to further CO2 savings and a reduction in the use of primary raw materials. However, demand is still subdued, and the recycled product is currently more expensive than the conventional version. "We would like to see ecological aspects given greater consideration in public tenders for construction projects," says Dr. F.-Hans Grandin, Chairman of the Management Board of HUESKER Synthetic GmbH: “Clients would then not be forced to necessarily take the cheapest offer, but could opt for the most climate-friendly option.”
Research and development play a fundamental role at the Münsterland-based company. Besides the "ecoLine," HUESKER is also driving other innovations. Most recently, for example, they developed "Tektoseal," large-area barrier coatings that protect water and soil from hazardous pollutants such as PFAS. To maintain its innovative edge, the company relies on numerous collaborations in North Rhine-Westphalia. "We are involved in many research projects and collaborate with students on their theses," explains Grandin. The company works very closely with RWTH Aachen University, and also maintains regular partnerships with Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Münster University of Applied Sciences, Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences Campus Bocholt, Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, the University of Siegen, and Ruhr University Bochum. At the same time, universities are an important source of skilled professionals for HUESKER. "North Rhine-Westphalia is simply a fantastic location in this respect; there are a huge number of excellent universities in a very small area," emphasizes Grandin. The company and its partner universities also regularly benefit from state research funding, most recently in the projects "NUAGE – Sustainable and environmentally friendly active geo-composites for traffic surface drainage" and "DegraTex," which focuses on biodegradable tree protection sleeves. Given its eleven subsidiaries, the entrepreneur also appreciates the excellent transport infrastructure, including the airports in Düsseldorf and Münster/Osnabrück.
This success story of an innovative transformation was published in March 2024. No updates or reviews of the information have taken place since then.
The publication series “Transformation through Innovation” aims to illustrate how companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have been able to write successful innovation stories thanks to the framework conditions created by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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