Category Archives: Knitting / Apparel — Sponsored by OEKO-TEX®

NEW YORK — September 27, 2023 — DyeCoo’s waterless dyeing technology, operated by CleanDye’s factory in Vietnam, generated 58 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional textile dyeing vendors, an independent lifecycle assessment (LCA) commissioned by Adidas shows.

The LCA was commissioned as part of a program with Adidas to identify and certify low carbon textile coloration technologies.

As brands like Adidas reshape the apparel industry to address climate concerns, technologies such as DyeCoo’s supercritical CO2 dyeing that reduce both carbon emissions and water pollution are essential for sustainable fashion. Based on these results, Adidas will be incorporating CO2 dyeing into its supply chain.

The LCA was conducted by Sphera, a third-party consultant with a proven track record of producing reliable sustainability reports across several industries. Sphera compared CleanDye and DyeCoo’s waterless dyeing process to three of Adidas’ conventional fabric vendors and found that CleanDye and DyeCoo generated a 58 percent smaller carbon footprint versus conventional fabric dyeing technology.

This report coincides with increasing interest in DyeCoo’s technology from firms all over the world, including manufacturers in Turkey, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, and Central America and large international brands and retailers that seek to reduce their carbon footprint over the coming years. DyeCoo received enthusiastic feedback at ITMA — the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibition, which was held in Italy in June. During the exhibition, DyeCoo introduced a range of new CO₂ dyeing solutions, including a smaller fully electric CO₂ dyeing machine suitable for sampling and small-scale production, as well as an advanced lab system for R&D purposes.

“We are thrilled about this report — and that CO₂ dyeing is gaining momentum in textile manufacturing,” said Kasper Nossent, commercial director at DyeCoo. “We look forward to expanding our technology beyond our current customers to other factories around the world in collaboration with our brand partners.”

Besides the significant sustainable impact, DyeCoo’s CO₂ dyeing technology also provides a full color gamut and a very high batch-to-batch consistency in bulk production, without compromising on quality and cost.

Simon Weston, CleanDye’s chief executive officer, said, “The LCA is also a testament to our Vietnam facility, where we use DyeCoo technology to deliver high-quality, sustainably manufactured fabric at competitive prices.”

CleanDye has already produced fabrics for brands such as Decathlon, Tom Tailor, s.Oliver, Marco Polo, and Bonprix, and many other global apparel and footwear brands are in discussions to incorporate DyeCoo and CleanDye into their supply chains.

“After analyzing the LCA, CleanDye has made further improvements to our process, and we are confident that our carbon emissions are even lower than the already impressive LCA figures,” added Weston.

“We already knew that CO₂ dyeing technology dramatically reduces water pollution from textile manufacturing,” said Kenneth Katz, managing director & head of Asia at TAU Investment Management, a New York- and Hong Kong-based private equity firm that holds a controlling interest in CleanDye and a significant interest in DyeCoo. “Innovation like this is critical. Twenty percent of industrial water waste comes from textile dyeing. But this report is especially exciting since it demonstrates that DyeCoo’s patented technology and CleanDye’s purpose-built dyeing facility in Vietnam also dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

“We look forward to expanding the impact of DyeCoo and CleanDye’s innovation in the sustainable transformation of the fashion industry,” Katz said.

Posted: September 28, 2023

Source: CleanDye Vietnam Company Limited

NEW YORK — September 27, 2023 — DyeCoo’s waterless dyeing technology, operated by CleanDye’s factory in Vietnam, generated 58 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional textile dyeing vendors, an independent lifecycle assessment (LCA) commissioned by Adidas shows.

The LCA was commissioned as part of a program with Adidas to identify and certify low carbon textile coloration technologies.

As brands like Adidas reshape the apparel industry to address climate concerns, technologies such as DyeCoo’s supercritical CO2 dyeing that reduce both carbon emissions and water pollution are essential for sustainable fashion. Based on these results, Adidas will be incorporating CO2 dyeing into its supply chain.

The LCA was conducted by Sphera, a third-party consultant with a proven track record of producing reliable sustainability reports across several industries. Sphera compared CleanDye and DyeCoo’s waterless dyeing process to three of Adidas’ conventional fabric vendors and found that CleanDye and DyeCoo generated a 58 percent smaller carbon footprint versus conventional fabric dyeing technology.

This report coincides with increasing interest in DyeCoo’s technology from firms all over the world, including manufacturers in Turkey, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, and Central America and large international brands and retailers that seek to reduce their carbon footprint over the coming years. DyeCoo received enthusiastic feedback at ITMA — the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibition, which was held in Italy in June. During the exhibition, DyeCoo introduced a range of new CO₂ dyeing solutions, including a smaller fully electric CO₂ dyeing machine suitable for sampling and small-scale production, as well as an advanced lab system for R&D purposes.

“We are thrilled about this report — and that CO₂ dyeing is gaining momentum in textile manufacturing,” said Kasper Nossent, commercial director at DyeCoo. “We look forward to expanding our technology beyond our current customers to other factories around the world in collaboration with our brand partners.”

Besides the significant sustainable impact, DyeCoo’s CO₂ dyeing technology also provides a full color gamut and a very high batch-to-batch consistency in bulk production, without compromising on quality and cost.

Simon Weston, CleanDye’s chief executive officer, said, “The LCA is also a testament to our Vietnam facility, where we use DyeCoo technology to deliver high-quality, sustainably manufactured fabric at competitive prices.”

CleanDye has already produced fabrics for brands such as Decathlon, Tom Tailor, s.Oliver, Marco Polo, and Bonprix, and many other global apparel and footwear brands are in discussions to incorporate DyeCoo and CleanDye into their supply chains.

“After analyzing the LCA, CleanDye has made further improvements to our process, and we are confident that our carbon emissions are even lower than the already impressive LCA figures,” added Weston.

“We already knew that CO₂ dyeing technology dramatically reduces water pollution from textile manufacturing,” said Kenneth Katz, managing director & head of Asia at TAU Investment Management, a New York- and Hong Kong-based private equity firm that holds a controlling interest in CleanDye and a significant interest in DyeCoo. “Innovation like this is critical. Twenty percent of industrial water waste comes from textile dyeing. But this report is especially exciting since it demonstrates that DyeCoo’s patented technology and CleanDye’s purpose-built dyeing facility in Vietnam also dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

“We look forward to expanding the impact of DyeCoo and CleanDye’s innovation in the sustainable transformation of the fashion industry,” Katz said.

Posted: September 28, 2023

Source: CleanDye Vietnam Company Limited

NAGANO, Japan — September 28, 2023 — Founded in 2013, NOPINZ is a renowned UK-based manufacturer of clothing for cyclists and triathletes. The company’s first product was the ‘SpeedPocket’, a product that allows competitors to attach their race numbers more easily (and with ‘no pins’) while improving the all-important aerodynamics. Soon recognising the customer demand for premade attire with incorporated number pockets, the company embarked on a mission to manufacture these new product lines itself. Today, NOPINZ boasts a diverse portfolio, with 60% of its products made in-house, catering to a growing customer base across the UK and international markets.

Gearing up to grow

“We tested out a few printers, before we ultimately settled on Mimaki,” Blake Pond, the founder of NOPINZ explained. Now the company’s line-up entirely consists of Mimaki’s textile dye sublimation solutions, purchased through Mimaki Authorised Partner, Xpres. With an initial investment in two TS300P-1800 in 2016, NOPINZ later upgraded its technology capabilities with a TS55-1800 in 2022.

“During our search we prioritised the ability to produce fluorescence and accurately replicate colours. Customers often come to us with existing kit made by other manufacturers, which they want to match, so accurately replicating colour is extremely important. And even without existing kit, customers occasionally ask for specific pantone colours. When it comes to cycling kit, colour is often pivotal when considering where to buy from.”

As two flagship dye sublimation printers, both the TS300P-1800 and TS55-1800 are equipped to print on the various technical fabrics that are needed for cycling attire and faithfully reproduce colours to meet customer expectations.

NOPINZ places a strong emphasis on sustainability and is committed to minimising its environmental impact. Using a microfactory approach gives better oversight and control of the manufacturing process, including sourcing materials sustainably and locally where possible, reducing transportation, and improving access to recycling. “Our ‘zero to landfill’ policy, means that we reduce our wastage where possible and either recycle or donate excess product to charity,” Blake adds. “We hope to become a B-Corp company in the future.”

Making the production aerodynamic

With a steadily growing customer base across the UK and abroad, NOPINZ began to look for ways to finetune its processes. “Preparing orders for print was done manually and the time needed to do so had become a significant bottleneck in our production process,” Blake explained, “As we looked to scale up, we knew something needed to change. We got a recommendation for Early.Vision, which offer software solutions for the apparel industry, in May 2022 and since then, it’s been smooth sailing!”

Early.Vision supports in streamlining the design to production workflow, allowing designers to focus on design and create nesting ready files that are prepared for production automatically based on eCommerce orders. It integrated its software to work seamlessly with Mimaki’s RIP software. “We immediately saw significant improvements, in both time and cost,” explained Blake. “It used to take us 36 hours to print 150 items, we can now do the same in 90 minutes!”

Beyond the printing process itself, NOPINZ have seen other benefits to taking on Early.Vision’s technology. “While we endeavour to produce mostly in-house (about 60%), when we do need to outsource, it’s much easier to send these print runs to other locations to be made. As we look to scale up our own production, this will also be a huge help.”

High-tech, high-accuracy NOPINZ creates speed suits for some of the world’s top cycling teams, as well as competitive amateurs. “A World Tour team is like a Premier League football team, winning and losing by very fine margins. A lot of the kit we make for them is custom fitted, completely bespoke, not just in terms of the print but the whole fit of the item. We even look at minute details such as the material placement to further improve the aerodynamics. We then use 3D scanning to get the measurements of the athlete exactly right. For this, the athlete stands in a booth, and are scanned, with those precise measurements being used in the creation of the kit,” explained Blake.

Global expansion with Mimaki

As NOPINZ eyes expansion into new territories, Blake expects that Mimaki dye sublimation solutions will remain the company’s printers of choice: “We’re looking to further expand in the USA and Australia and because we want to manufacture local to the market, that means setting up microfactories in those new locations. Considering its importance to our customers, we really want to keep colours consistent no matter where they order from, so we wouldn’t consider moving away from Mimaki as our preferred supplier.”

Posted: September 28, 2023

Source: Mimaki Engineering Co. Ltd.