Pielleitalia

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your company and the problem it’s trying to solve?

I am the CEO of Pielleitalia, a textile company founded in 1987 in Bergamo, Italy, to produce and market high-tech fabrics. In the 90s, we extended our activities to communication and merchandising. Building on our strong heritage and expertise in the textile industry, today we also provide high added-value strategic advisory services in the areas of sustainability and circular economy to some of the most important non-textile brands in the world. We are all familiar with the tremendous impact of textile production and waste on the environment. Pielleswiss – the sister company of Pielleitalia – was created to transform our know-how into disruptive solutions for a more sustainable textile management. One of our innovations, “Re-PET into apparel”, has already received the Efficient Solution Label by the Solar Impulse Foundation, which awards efficient, clean and profitable products or technologies with a positive impact on environment and quality of life. “Re-PET into apparel” focuses on upcycling used plastic bottles into new accessories and clothing items made of recycled polyester, thus reducing waste and minimizing CO2 emissions.

Could you explain why you decided to establish a company in Switzerland?

Pielleitalia works with a number of Swiss-based clients, including Solar Impulse, H55, Omega and ABB. Throughout the years, we have come to know Switzerland quite well, and have found close affinities to the Swiss culture and entrepreneurial mindset. Switzerland therefore naturally came to mind when we were looking at establishing our first sister company abroad. Due to its penchant for sustainable innovation and technological readiness, Switzerland provides a fertile ground for taking on ambitious challenges, setting new benchmarks and preparing for the future. Together with the next generation of entrepreneurs within the Pielleitalia group, our goal is to develop sustainable innovations that are commercially scalable and readily implementable across the textile industry. There is no better place to work towards our vision than Switzerland.

What are the advantages of being based at Microcity?

As mentioned earlier, Pielleswiss was created to serve as the development arm of the group, in charge of all commercial and R&D projects. It was therefore an imperative for us to be based in a dynamic and stimulating environment such as a technology park. Microcity is indeed an interesting place to grow our business. It has a strong focus on micro-nanotechnologies, micro-manufacturing and industrialization, which is a great fit for our technological ambitions. Furthermore, as part of the Switzerland Innovation network, it is designed to foster synergies and collaborative projects amongst innovation players, many of which are located in close proximity. With Pielleswiss, we definitely want to be a part of and contribute to this powerful network of innovation.

How has GGBa supported you?

We are very happy with the support received from GGBa. They immediately understood our investment strategy and were proactive and efficient in providing us with information and a panel of solutions, which we then chose from. Neuchâtel quickly stood out as the best option, both for its strategic situation at the crossroads of French- and German-speaking Switzerland, and for the professionalism and welcoming spirit of the investment promotion staff. GGBa and the Service of the Economy of Neuchâtel also made beneficial introductions with potential partners, which have resulted in or are evolving toward promising collaborations.

What’s your vision for Pielleswiss?

Within the group, Pielleswiss will be leading the sustainability revolution by shaping the future of textile as a secondary raw material for other industrial applications. To achieve this mission, we will focus on circular economy opportunities through public-private partnerships. We believe that Switzerland is the perfect laboratory to test, apply and commercialize the innovative solutions that will be emerging from ongoing and prospective collaborations.