Two companies in Palmela give new life to Sata pilot uniforms

Skypro and HygiCo began working together about a year ago and developed Reuse, a specialized clothing reuse process that, according to the companies, can save up to 90% of the textile's carbon footprint.

Skypro specializes in uniforms and footwear, having its origins in aviation, supplying TAP. However, it has diversified its offering and now has contracts with, for example, the Swedish police. HygiCo, meanwhile, focuses on sanitizing workwear.

HygiCo's facilities in Palmela, in the Setúbal district, resemble a sterile laboratory, dominated by white tones and stainless steel. There are one-way lines, similar to those in the food industry, through which textiles pass and are decontaminated in a process described as unique by the company's CEO, Carlos Teixeira.

These lines contain decontamination chambers that, in addition to decontaminating the uniforms, do the same in the air, so that the items are not contaminated by the environment.

Manufacturing a pilot's blazer produces around 24 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and, in contrast, the reuse process produces only 1.5 kg of CO2, the CEO of Skypro, a company that sells technical uniforms, explained to Lusa.

Of 5,000 blazers, 1,750 can be reused, "which means, in terms of carbon footprint, a thousand trees," explained Jorge Pinto.

The CEO of Skypro, which had a turnover of around nine million euros in 2024 and employs 34 people, also said that the reuse process is "much cheaper than making a blazer again, and the savings can be around 60%".

Skypro's client list also includes Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates, and the company even has an office in Dubai.

Jorge Pinto says his company is the "Nike of the aviation industry," referring to the sports brand, as both sell apparel and footwear. However, he admits to diversifying his clients to avoid relying solely on this sector.

HygiCo, headquartered in Palmela and with a hub under construction in Greater Porto, as well as a unit in Leiria, serves several sectors, including pharmaceuticals, biomedical, food and aviation, as the CEO explained to Lusa.

Carlos Teixeira states that the company provides "specialized sanitation" for these sectors which, "in accordance with the most demanding international standards and regulations, require specific sanitation requirements and, therefore, microbiological control of the parts."

As the textile industry is one of the most polluting, the manager then proposed to make a "contribution to environmental objectives": "Instead of buying new items, which would otherwise be thrown away, with all the implications that this entails [...] through this recovery and reuse, we can make a huge contribution to environmental objectives."

In addition to sanitizing, HygiCo -- still a startup -- also does textile recovery work, including washing, sewing, and finishing, as well as "all the logistics of collecting, distributing, and delivering the clothing," concludes Carlos Teixeira.

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