A precedent set to be a real game changer in the industry and mark a watershed moment between the “before” and “after”. The company in question is Lombardy-based NastriTex, a business specialized in technical textiles for cosmetic applications that has been a true pioneer in achieving compliance with cosmetic GMPs. This is the first textile company to achieve this result. Out of the numerous reasons steering them in this direction, the main driver is quality, the cornerstone of NastriTex’s philosophy.
“When we talk about quality – explains Federico Mocchetti, General Manager of NastriTex – there are multiple factors in play: efficiency, the features of our products, safety and environmental sustainability. But let’s not forget that quality also stems from the effectiveness and efficiency of internal processes, from cost analysis, from increased productivity and from waste reduction. In other words, from a business model designed to ensure customers that the standards of our goods and services will be upheld and continuously improved. In recent years, we realized that having pursued these goals, the time had come to communicate them – or rather to “certify” them – to our partners, customers and suppliers. Hence the idea to comply with GMPs: a goal achieved in part thanks to the determination and support of Elisabetta (Albizzati editor’s note) who, from the very start, believed in the project and in the importance of this certification, and has gone the extra mile, together with the rest of the team, to bring the result home.”
Why comply with GMPs?
Mocchetti goes on to say: “The aim wasn’t just to ensure we had a standard business model in place, but to complete it with requirements peculiar to the cosmetic world. And this led us to approach Intertek, a qualified authoritative body, to seek compliance with cosmetic GMPs.”
A groundbreaking project that was in danger of never getting off the ground because these rules – initially developed for pharmaceutical products – were later extended to all health-related products, like food, medical devices and makeup, but not to the textile industry to which NastriTex belongs. A formal “detail” that risked blocking the path to certification. While an integral part of the cosmetic supply chain, the company didn’t actually fall within the specific scope of Standard UNI EN ISO 22716.
NASTRITEX: WE BELONG TO THE COSMETICS SUPPLY CHAIN
“While we’re formally part of the textile industry, we’re so involved in cosmetic production, so in “contact” with the product, when it comes to dealing with our customers, the only language we know is the language of cosmetics. Our textiles have been developed for this industry and are involved in the process of compacting cosmetics. Appreciating the role we play in the supply chain and of the significant level of quality that our materials need to have when they come into contact with the finished product, our goal in achieving GMP compliance was to make life easier for our customers in terms of material safety assessment, actions to be taken in the event of changes, support, auditing, and lot traceability. GMPs are an important piece added to the complex quality puzzle.”
INDUSTRY PIONEERS
By complying with Good Manufacturing Practices, NastriTex has taken up the mantle of promoter of excellence across the whole cosmetic supply chain. GMPs are an added assurance of quality: the purpose of compliance with these rules is to provide customers with peace of mind in the knowledge that products are manufactured to be fit for their intended use. The standard calls for every aspect of the production process, every activity, every operation to be documented and for personnel to be suitably trained in cleaning and sanitizing, as well as in checking that instruments and machinery are working properly. And that’s not all. For NastriTex, achieving compliance with cosmetic GMPs is also an important point of difference in an increasingly competitive market.
As Mocchetti finishes up by saying, “The global scenario demands that companies be committed to continuous evolution and face new challenges. Our response has been uncompromising quality: helping customers every step of the way, anticipating their needs, offering premium products, and always delivering a reliable, painstaking service. The decision to comply with cosmetic GMPs ties in with this policy. We’re convinced that even a small business like ours can make a difference and our own contribution to change.”
A drop in the ocean? Maybe, but “without that drop, the ocean would be that much smaller.”