Textile Insight

November/December 2018 ~ Textile Insight • 11 textileinsight.com Micro-Plastic Legislation Surfaces in Connecticut Microfiber pollution has been a popular topic in the last year, and legislation that would help curb the problem is gaining trac- tion across the United States. Currently a bill is pending in California that would require a warning label on polyester clothing, alerting consumers that washing polyester contrib- utes to microfiber pollution. Meanwhile on the East Coast, the Connecticut legislature has started to weigh in on the issue. The purpose of the proposed bill is to establish consumer awareness, education and cloth- ing labeling program that is intended to reduce the amount of microfiber plastic in the state's waterways. According to information pre- sented to the Connecticut state legislature, recent scientific studies demonstrate the pres- ence of nearly 20,000 strands of plastic microfibers per square kilometer of lakes and coastal waterways, accounting for about 20 percent of waterborne plastic pollution. "We need to engage the apparel industry to help our state to develop a consumer awareness and microfiber reduction action plan," said State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr. (The two-term State Senator did not seek re-election this Fall; his predecessor had yet to be decided as of press time.) The CT bill calls for creation of a working group of represen- tatives of the clothing industry and environmental community, to develop a consumer educa- tion and awareness campaign and report its recommendations to the Environment Committee before the start of the next ses- sion in January 2019, so the General Assembly can consider a more fully-informed response. Proposed members of the working group will include rep- resentatives of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the American Apparel and Producer's Network; Fashion Group International, the National Retail Federation, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Fashion Business, Inc. The bill is supported by many of Connecticut's leading environmental advocacy orga- nizations, including The Nature Conservancy and Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and received supportive public testimony from nearly 150 activists across the state, one of the largest responses to any environmental bill before the Committee this session. l Chemours' Sustainability Goals Tie to Growth Strategy Chemours recently released its Corporate Responsibility Commitment — the com- pany's first, formal corporate responsibility program. The commitments are anchored by goals targeted for comple- tion by 2030 across eight key areas: Safety Excellence, Vibrant Communities, Vibrant Employees, Climate, Water Quality, Waste, Sustainable Offerings, and Sustainable Supply Chain. CEO Mark Vergnano, explained, "Having completed our transformation plan, we are embarking on our next chapter characterized by growth borne of meeting the demands of cus- tomers, investors, communities and employees. We will keep delivering essential, chemistry- powered solutions that enable modern life, while committing to making bigger, positive social impacts." Chemours plans to invest in its global facilities and surround- ing communities to achieve ten specific goals: • Reduce greenhouse gas emis- sion intensity by 60% • Reduce air and water process emissions of fluorinated organic chemicals by 99% or greater • Reduce landfill volume inten- sity by 70% • Improve employee, contractor, process, and distribution safety performance by at least 75% • Invest to advance STEM educa- tion, improve the environment, and make work and home safer in our communities • Globally, fill 50% of company positions with women • Within the U.S., achieve 20% ethnic diversity in our workforce • Generate 50% of revenue from solutions that contribute to the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals • Show a 15% improvement in the sustainability performance of 80% of suppliers by spend • By 2030, progress plan to become carbon positive by 2050 Chemours has several pro- grams and actions already underway, including investing $190M in water and air emis- sions management technology at its Fayetteville, NC plant and its Dordrecht plant site to achieve a significant reduction of overall emissions of organic fluorinated compounds. These actions create an industry-lead- ing emissions control model for the future. In addition, earlier this year Chemours estab- lished the Future of Chemistry Scholarship program — a com- mitment of over $400,000 to benefit students pursuing STEM fields of study after high school. "We have set very ambitious goals for ourselves to show we have both the skill and the will to be a different kind of chemis- try company," said Paul Kirsch, president of the Chemours Fluoroproducts business and executive sponsor of Chemours' CRC. "Chemours is a perfor- mance-driven company, and our Corporate Responsibility Commitment is no different. That's why we decided to put down clear markers by which to measure and report our progress. Achieving these goals means that we are moving towards being the best in the world at using chemistry to make life better for people the world over." l ISKO Expands Earth Fit Offering Turkish denim mill Isko recently introduced its largest Earth Fit collection, which now numbers 49 qualities. Each fabric is made using low impact and eco fiber options such as organic cotton, both pre- consumer recycled cotton and post-consumer recycled polyes- ter made from plastic bottles. Earth Fit is part of Isko's Responsible Innovation cate- gory — a key focus for Isko as it works to develop an "integrated field-to-fabric approach in every step of the value chain." The mill has taken steps to reduce its water, energy and chemical usage by adopting finishing technologies that minimize water consumption, developing fabric technology that require zero chemical softeners and reusing heat and steam during the production cycle. The Earth Fit collection includes sustainable articles from all of Isko's leading fabric groups, including its body-shap- ing Blueskin, comfort stretch Reform, activewear Arquas and industry-changing Jeggings categories. According to Isko, the mill is the first denim manu- facturer in the world to obtain pre-certified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCAs) of all its 25,000-plus denim fabrics, meaning Isko is transparent about the envi- ronmental impacts of all of the fabrics in the collection. l The Latest Sustainability Developments

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