SNCF reinvents the flax industry in France

It's a world first. CEPOVETT Safety has launched a new PPE collection with models designed and developed specifically for the SNCF, based on a new linen technology applied to the PPE professional clothing sector. This development of technical textiles required almost five years of research and development to replace the raw material cotton from Asia with French linen. Nearly 280,000 items of protective clothing are produced every year, providing better thermoregulation and sweat management for SNCF teams. This new technology provides full traceability, right back to the production field, and guarantees quality throughout the value chain, as well as a form of sovereignty over textile production.

The SNCF and CEPOVETT called on the Normandy-based agricultural cooperative Terre de Lin, the world's leading producer, specialising in growing and processing flax, and the Vosges-based company Tenthorey, the French weaver in charge of weaving. With this collection, SNCF is reaffirming its twofold commitment to industrial relocation, by favouring local purchasing, and to reducing the water and carbon footprints of its PPE clothing.