Textile Insight

ccording to a recent gath- ering of denim insiders, influencers and innovators, the future is circular. How to make fiber, dye fabric, recycle waste and dispose of garments at end of life requires changing conventional concepts and denim execs at the recent Kingpins Transformers event were all in when it comes to new thinking. Presentation after presentation at the New York City summit highlighted both the biological and the technical to transform the denim industry with innovation through sustainability for a viable future. Discussions centered on cleaning up the dye process, new indigo tech, advancing conscious chemistry and designing for, and based on, nature. Execs from leading international mills, brands, fiber and chemical suppliers rallied for adopting climate strategies and understanding new technology eco-systems. Also notable was a focus on the need to educate and inspire consumers to come along for the ride. Adriana Galizjasevic, sustainability expert at G-Star denim, set the stage for the June conference with a keynote that outlined the brand's impressive eco track record over the past decade including having introduced recycled, upcycled and renewed denim garments, in addition to eliminating zippers and rivets and providing eco-finishing on buttons to ease recyclability. Last year G-Star launched its "Most Sustainable Jeans" and now offers 14 styles that conform to Gold Level Cradle-to- Cradle certification. "We introduced circularity into the denim world," stated Galizjasevic. "It's a ripple effect; once you start this process you cannot think of designing product in any other circumstances." As such, the Amsterdam-based firm will launch the first fully- sustainable, stretch denim jeans in coming months. Said Galizjasevic, "Our goals are to educate, collaborate, adapt, scale, and accelerate." G-Star collaborates with Officina 39, maker of Recycrom, a solid powder to replace traditional dyestuff. "We make color from scraps and manufacturing waste to create a very fine powder to dye fabric," explained Andrea Venier, president of the Italian textile chemical company. Considered an environmentally better choice than pigment, Recycrom can be applied to cotton, wool, nylon and all cellulosic and natural fiber blends, and will be featured in new collections from Target and Benneton. "The big picture is to make transparency, and for customers to understand sustainability," said Venier. The firm's catchy branding "recycled textiles to create color," should help effort that cause. Rethinking textile waste is also key to Lenzing's new Refibra fiber. Cotton scraps are collected and are made into a pulp. This is blended with Lenzing's wood pulp to which a solvent is added. Lenzing takes the solvent, adds a fiber identification for full transparency, and then the solvent is extruded through the spinnerets to produce the fiber. "We are giving cotton a second life," said Lenzing's Tricia Carey. The company currently has 12 programs running Refibra, with such companies as Patagonia, DL1961, and Zara. Aussie brand Country Road features Refibra in its Feel Good Jeans. Lenzing started with 20 percent Refibra content available; that number is now 30 percent. "Moving forward we look to continue to increase the percentage of recycled cotton in the blend and then expand into knitwear," said Carey. Forward-Thinking Tech & Ideas Soil health, crop rotation, cover crops, and finding ways to increase yield while conserving resources IN THE MARKET | KINGPINS TRANSFORMERS NYC A Collective Effort Denim in the 23rd Century: The 21st Century Innovations 10 • Textile Insight ~ July/August 2019 textileinsight.com Denim Doubles Down on Circularity, Collaboration & Consumer Engagement. By Emily Walzer A "It's a ripple effect; once you start this process (of circularity) you cannot think of designing product in any other circumstances." BIO-BASED FOSSIL-BASED BIODEGRADABLE NON-BIODEGRADABLE Bio-Plastics Bio-based PE PET, PA, PTT Conventional Plastics PE, PP PET Bio-Plastics PLA, PHA, PBS Starch Blends Bio-Plastics PBAT PCL Source: Miguel Sanchez Gavilam

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