20Mar2023

Eco-friendly alternative for plastic packaging: ‘sea lettuce’

Ulva lactuca, popularly known as ‘sea lettuce’, which is concentrated in the Gulf of Izmir especially at certain times of the year, has become the subject of a scientific research as a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. The project developed by the Sustainable Development Youth Leaders Training Programme (SÜGEP) Academy aims to use sea lettuce, which causes environmental pollution and odour, as raw material in the packaging sector. Young sustainability leaders trained at the SÜGEP Academy, who are working on obtaining raw materials for packaging based on the intensive use of cellulose contained in sea lettuce in the packaging sector, will start an R&D study with the samples they have collected. A prototype will be created towards the end of the summer as part of an international programme called Young Spokespersons of the Environment.

SÜGEP Academy President Umut Dilsiz said that the young people who received trainings on sustainability both tried to bring solutions to environmental problems from a sustainable perspective and addressed a problem spread throughout Izmir. Stating that the students first receive their education and then carry out field work, Dilsiz disclosed: “The project focuses on the problem of odour in the Gulf of Izmir as a result of climate change, a problem that everyone complains about. The main source of the odour is ulva lactuca, which spreads along the coastline. Although this situation seems to be an environmental problem, our students have determined that ulva lactuca can be a potential biodegradable raw material. With the multi-benefit approach, it is aimed both to clean the algae from the bay and to bring it into the economy as a raw material.”

Eco-friendly alternative for plastic packaging: ‘sea lettuce’

Europe does not want plastic packaging

Umut Dilsiz, reminding the regulation imposing the obligation to use biodegradable raw materials in import goods in line with the 2030 targets of the European Union (EU), made the following statement: “This regulation has emerged as an important barrier to be overcome for our country, which exports more than 50 percent of its exports to the European Union. The packaging preference of our business world for export-oriented goods was plastic. However, Europe does not want plastic and an alternative raw material needs to be produced. This is the focus of our project. Since sea lettuce is a completely natural substance, it also serves the zero waste mission. We are currently working to obtain an alternative raw material to plastic. When this project is finalised, both the environmental problem will be eliminated by cleaning the overpopulated ulva lactuca, which causes odour in the gulf, and the wastes obtained will be brought into the industry. And while doing so, it will not harm the environment at all.”

The post Eco-friendly alternative for plastic packaging: ‘sea lettuce’ appeared first on Textilegence Magazine and Digital Platform.

20Mar2023

IAF emphasises importance of effective enforcement in due diligence legislation

International Apparel Federation (IAF) participated extensively in the 9th OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector held at OECD Conference Centre in Paris in a hybrid format, on February 16-17. The event, which brings together brands, suppliers, NGOs, CSOs, international bodies and government representatives from around the globe, was the first event since the Covid-19 pandemic to be held in-person, and a great opportunity to reconnect with existing colleagues after several years, and force new connections and alliances. IAF, which represents mostly the interests of garment manufacturers and small and medium-sized brands at the event, expressed their support for European corporate sustainability due diligence legislation. Besides, they called for the legislation to be implemented along the lines set by the OECD’s due diligence guidance, and for effective enforcement, so as to create a level playing field.

The legislation aims to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour and to anchor human rights and environmental considerations in companies’ operations and corporate governance. The new rules will ensure that businesses address adverse impacts of their actions, including in their value chains inside and outside Europe.

IAF emphasises importance of effective enforcement in due diligence legislation

“Purchasing practices are fundamental to effective due diligence”

IAF and several of their partners in the global Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI) emphasized that purchasing practices are fundamental to effective due diligence. STTI, a coalition of 13 associations from 10 garment manufacturing countries supported by the IAF, GIZ Fabric and the Better Buying Institute was represented by Dr. Liang Xiaohui of CNTAC from China; Cem Altan, President of IAF and member of the Board of TCMA from Turkey; Faruque Hassan, President of BGMEA and IAF Board Member from Turkey; Matthijs Crietee, Secretary General of IAF; Lisa Ramershoven and Marc Beckman of GIZ Fabric; Marsha Dickson, President and Co-Founder, and Lindsay Wright, Senior Manager of Communications at Better Buying Institute.

Matthijs Crietee also participated in a panel hosted simultaneously by The Industry We Want (TIWW) and by another STTI participant, VITAS in Vietnam, who participated remotely, from Hanoi. It was moderated by Alexander Kohnstamm, the Executive Director of the Fair Wear Foundation. Other participants in the Paris panel were Anosha Wahidi, Head of Division of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Joy Roeterdink, Head of Corporate Sustainability of Suit Supply. The panel participants agreed that although due diligence legislation potentially holds advantages for manufacturers, including better enforcement of improved purchasing practices, the road leading there is full of pitfalls. Matthijs Crietee pointed out that ironically, the way due diligence is implemented in a supply chain can lead to bad purchasing practices in itself and said that Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence is inherently a risk sharing exercise and not a risk transfer exercise.”

The days when brands could blame a supplier whenever something goes wrong were coming to an end

Dr. Liang Xiaohui participated in a panel on looking at how brands and suppliers could best collaborate on sharing the costs and responsibilities of due diligence more fairly, which also included Michael Bride of PVH, Anant Ahuja of Shahi Exports, and Sarah Dadush of the Responsible Contracting Project at Rutgers Law School. Dr. Liang talked about STTI’s origins within the STAR Network, IAF and the Covid-Pandemic, and the coming together of manufacturer associations from different sourcing countries to create a collaborative solution. Sarah Dadush highlighted contracts that acknowledge the impact of purchasing practices on human rights outcomes, and commit buyers to supporting their suppliers’ own HRDD performance. And Michael Bride called on brands to accept that the days when they could point to and blame a supplier whenever something goes wrong were coming to an end, and for the whole industry to adjust its mindset to the increasing regulation heading its way.

In the statement made by the IAF, the following were included: “As always, as much can be learned from who was not present at the Forum, as from who was. Several senior sustainability executives from a small number of forward-thinking brands were there, but their colleagues from other departments, or from C-suite and senior leadership, were conspicuously missing. Also, given the importance of the topic for them, more manufacturers should have been present. Improving purchasing practices requires work that stretches across companies and across supply chains and it is a challenge for all ‘Paris regulars’ to see this reflected in the 2024 Forum’s attendance.”

The post IAF emphasises importance of effective enforcement in due diligence legislation appeared first on Textilegence Magazine and Digital Platform.

15Mar2023

Cone Denim increases its transparency with Oritain

Cone Denim, the world’s first denim mill to use a special method to truly verify the origin of its fabric, extends its partnership of around four-year with Oritain for traceability. Cone Denim and Oritain use cutting-edge forensic science to detect naturally occurring trace elements and isotopes that are intrinsic properties of the fabric that can be verified back to its source. Through the extended partnership, Cone Denim continues to assure its customers that denim fabric produced by the company is authentic, true to source and in compliance with their cotton sourcing policies.

Cone Denim President Steve Maggard said that at Cone Denim, they have always operated on trust and they value providing their customers with traceability and documented transparency throughout the supply chain. Maggard disclosed: “Extending our partnership with Oritain allows us to continue our ongoing efforts to combine sustainable innovation with documentable, industry-leading traceability for cotton origin.”

Cone Denim increases its transparency with Oritain

Oritain fingerprint on Cone Denim products

The partnership solidifies the use of Oritain’s forensic traceability throughout the entire fashion industry. To achieve the level of traceability that the denim industry is demanding for its consumers, Oritain’s method applies forensic science to detect trace elements and isotopes in the denim itself. Soil composition and other environmental factors give the denim an inherent ‘fingerprint’ unique to the location in which the cotton is sourced, called an Oritain Origin Fingerprint. This Origin Fingerprint cannot be tampered with, replicated, or destroyed and enables Cone Denim to verify the origin of the cotton used in their denim. Denim can be tested at any stage on its journey from farm to shop floor, giving buyers assurance that the product has not been substituted along the way.

CEO of Oritain Grant Cochrane stated that continued industry pressures have caused companies to make a commitment to more sustainable practices and provide full transparency of their supply chains. Saying: “Cone Denim’s commitment to the Oritain program is leading the way in the denim industry and further demonstrates the world-leading mindset that Oritain endeavours to collaborate with,” Cochrane added the following: “Sustainability and innovation have long been part of the fabric at Cone Denim. Now it’s quite literally woven into their denim, too.”

Oritain has been working with a range of international companies since 2008, verifying products and increasing accountability throughout supply chains across the food, fashion, fibre, and pharmaceutical sectors. The forensic science company also partners with Cotton USA and multiple retail brands to independently verify their cotton and raw materials.

The post Cone Denim increases its transparency with Oritain appeared first on Textilegence Magazine and Digital Platform.

8Mar2023

SMEs to strengthen in textile recycling with RegioGreenTex project

RegioGreenTex (Regions for Green Textiles), a quadruple-helix partnership initiative, met in Brussels to kick start a three-year project that should change the way to manage textile recycling. The project aims to provide to maintain and develop jobs in the EU textile sector, reshoring the production in Europe and making the EU textile value chain more competitive and resilient. It will also contribute to the EU Green Deal objectives of reducing carbon footprint, energy and water consumption.

Led by EURATEX, the project brings together 43 partners from 11 European regions, with 24 SMEs pioneering innovative solutions to recycle textile waste. Together the SMEs cover various value chain segments of circular textiles (sorting, recycling from material to fibre, removal of contaminants, processing of recycled fibres to new textile materials) and provide concrete solutions to EU value chain bottlenecks but also seizes upon market opportunities. The project will also promote the development of 5 regional ReHubs in some of the most important textile regions in the EU.

RegioGreenTex, aiming at mapping and reducing the difficulties, which currently exist in the implementation of a circular economy model within the textile ecosystem across the EU, is supported by the European Commission through the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument – I3. It will be coordinated by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).

SMEs to strengthen in textile recycling with RegioGreenTex project

RegioGreenTex helps SMEs to bring their project to an investment level

As part of the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF), the I3 instrument aims at supporting interregional innovation projects in their commercialisation and scale-up phases giving them the tools to bring their project to investment level. This instrument focuses on strengthening economic cohesion in the EU by helping businesses work with innovation actors in other regions.

EURATEX Director General Dirk Vantyghem made the following statement regarding the project: “RegioGreenTex will support our companies in making this transition towards a new sustainable business model. We’re happy to have 24 SMEs involved, who will directly benefit from the action. The project should also mobilise regional authorities to engage in textile waste recycling, which can give a new dynamic to the textile industry at large.”

The post SMEs to strengthen in textile recycling with RegioGreenTex project appeared first on Textilegence Magazine and Digital Platform.

22Feb2023

ARTA Tekstil structures its production processes in line with sustainability criteria

ARTA Tekstil, offering high quality woven and knitted fabrics to important fashion brands and chain stores in Türkiye and Europe, is moving forward with the aim of becoming one of the world’s top 5 non denim fabric manufacturers with its investments. The company, which also offers contract dyeing, printing and finishing services to its customers within the needs of the sector, applies a comprehensive environmental management in all production processes at the same time.

ARTA Tekstil founding partner Tamer Nalbant stated that they have continued their investments despite the energy crisis and recession concerns and said: “We have maintained our steady growth with the efficiency provided by our investments to this day. We will make our structure, which does not put the world at risk and protects the environment, even more sustainable and continue to serve by improving our production volume in 2023.”

“We will meet 100 percent of our electricity from SPP”

The company, carrying out its production by complying with national and international legislation and standards, obtains more than 40 percent of the thermal energy it uses from biomass. ARTA Tekstil, which recovers 80 percent of the caustic used with the caustic recovery system and creates a minimum level of caustic waste, achieves an energy saving of 30-35 percent by recovering the heat of the gases coming out of the boilers with the RAM machines chimney heat recovery system.

ARTA Tekstil structures its production processes in line with sustainability criteria — ARTA Tekstil founding partner Tamer Nalbant

Stating that they aim to reduce their water consumption significantly after the completion of the ongoing treatment plant investment, Tamer Nalbant added that the recently invested Solar Power Plant (SPP) will be completed in August. Nalbant said: “We will meet 100 percent of our electricity from SPP with this investment. As ARTA Tekstil, we support the 17 global goals set by the United Nations (UN) and we are committed to work in line with these goals.” The company aims to be a facility that both generates its own electricity and provides energy security with SPP.

ARTA Tekstil is expanding its export markets

ARTA Tekstil has made a name for itself in exports since 2016 in addition to its production for ready-to-wear brands in Türkiye. It delivers its products to important markets such as Spain, Tunisia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Italy, and supplies fabrics preferred by the world’s largest ready-to-wear manufacturers. ARTA Tekstil, which has consistently won the Stars of Export Gold Award every year since 2016 with its export success, aims to increase its effectiveness in the market in the coming years by entering the American market in 2023. The company aims to enter the markets of Balkan and West African countries in the coming years.

The post ARTA Tekstil structures its production processes in line with sustainability criteria appeared first on Textilegence Magazine and Digital Platform.

1 2 3 … 6 Next page

Category Archives: Green Times