Bold, curious, and courageous... B_ the change you want to see.
A few months ago, Belgotex partnered with GIfA Gauteng Institute for Architecture to host South African architects who participated in the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
The panelists and guests were welcomed by the Belgotex Joburg team at their showroom to engage with the projects presented at the Biennale, where Belgotex sponsored the Drawing Memory into Being exhibition by @lemonpebble_design and @office247_architecture. The entire event significantly celebrated Africa and the diaspora who are making waves of change around the world. This was therefore a great opportunity to discuss what it means to be an agent of change, and specifically, what Belgotex is doing to be an agent of change within its sphere of influence.
The following thoughts were presented by Belgotex Head of National Specifications, Charleen Sorour at the event. She has been with us for 14 years and leads both inside and field sales teams within the project space. They capture our actions toward positive change in three key aspects of our business ecosystem...planet, people, and product. This supports our philosophy, which is that when our people grow, our business grows, and that in turn helps our products, planet, and people thrive too!
Starting with the planet, what does it mean for Belgotex to be an agent of change in the sustainability sector?
Well, we all have the agency to act or intervene in a system to bring about change. As a local flooring manufacturer, Belgotex is no different, but it can leave a bigger footprint. So sustainability isn’t just a line in our business strategy… sustainability IS our business strategy!
Terri Clapperton , explains that one of our values is “We Tread Softly”, which speaks to our role as environmental stewards, social custodians, and good corporate citizens. We have added 2 words to this value i.e., “We Tread Softly…but Boldly", because the agency we have is now coupled with urgency to change the way we think, design, consume, and live. The stakes are high, and change takes courage – especially when things are uncertain and complex.
For example, in our business ecosystem, we use circularity and efficiency to be more sustainable at every stage of our business so that you can tread softly with Belgotex, but boldly too!
When it comes to people, we value the role each individual plays within our business and beyond. That is why one of the Belgotex shareholders is The Go Group NPC , a team of people who work both inside and outside of our value chain on economic and social development.
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Bronwen Bainbridge shares that TGG programs are designed using an Occupational Intelligence methodology, which encourages people to respond to situations in their lives, in an empowered way. TGG participants are skilled in the ability to run their micro-enterprises, personal budgeting, and address social challenges their families may be facing.
Together, Belgotex and TGG, are working hard on the overall health of the floorcovering industry focussing on 9 programs. For example, by developing the industry’s installer base through our Academy; diversifying our products made on home soil like the CrissCross brand of handmade rugs and accessories using Belgotex yarn; lastly, our rug conversion program allows vendors to sell a reclaimed product that is repurposed and therefore, not lost to landfills.
Tackling social dynamics and dependency requires courage and curiosity – on a grand scale. Luckily, both are core company values allowing us to be agents of positive change in South Africa!
Lastly, our products are imagined and created from the capable hands of those responsible for research and Design Engineering at Belgotex. They mix curiosity and courage with our quest to tread softly and therefore bring about many possibilities for change. But how does the team use these values to produce flooring that pushes the bar in terms of quality and also responds to trends?
Belgotex continually invests in new machine technology to create different yarn systems that help to develop innovatively designed products, with exciting texture and colour. Fabric and furniture trends offer us clues for texture and patterning, whereas future trends show Biophilia, texture, soft products, rugs, and a warmer colour tone being the major shift from the minimal cool tones of the last few years.
Vish Orie explains that our biggest drive in research is to always think of sustainability and environmental impact. We develop products that have less impact on the environment yet meet market needs and performance expectations. By researching both local and export markets, we have seen that design, texture, and colour trends are closer. Traveling, meeting customers, exhibitions, and social media, further guide us in understanding customer preferences. When it comes to colour, we focus on a 2-3 year colour life cycle, making our production more sustainable and timeless.
We believe that every step we can take to be better is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, these steps will lead to larger positive change where we all can be #bettertogether. Thank you to @gifa_jhb, @mayat_hart, Dr Sushma Patel , Kate Otten , Mphethi Morojele , Nabeel Essa, Tanzeem Razak , Craig McClenaghan , Kgaugelo Lekalakala , Sechaba Maape ,Ph.D,PrArch , for your insights and participation at this event earlier this year, and for everything you are doing to be agents of change too!