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Likewise, Primaloft continues to emphasize its
Eco Yarn blend of 50 percent virgin Primaloft and 50
percent recycled fibers made from plastic bottles.
Continuing in the performance synthetics category,
Invista also made some noise with the introduction
of its COOLMAX EcoTech for legwear, which delivers
the same high-performance, quick-dry benefits and
comfort level as the current COOLMAX fabric with the
added boost of being made from recycled resources,
namely post-consumer PET bottles. In development
since May 2007, EcoTech fiber will be available in two
levels: Everyday and Extreme Performance.
Tests for absorbency, wicking, hand, durability
and abrasion resistance showed COOLMAX EcoTech
fibers to be equivalent to existing COOLMAX fabric
standards. EcoTech fibers also demonstrated superior
results over current COOLMAX when tested for
whiteness and piling, say Invista sources.
Performance sock companies DeFeet and Injinji are
among the earliest adopters to incorporate EcoTech
into their lines.
Elsewhere, Nüwa Textiles made its initial splash
at the OR show and is hoping the ripples grow into
a massive wave. For Nuwa, keeping plastic bottles
out of landfills and building the market for recycled
materials is just the beginning. Ultimately, the weaver
wants textile executives to reconsider their entire
production processes.
“We look to deliver design innovation and a strong
commitment to the environment that is unmatched
in textile manufacturing,” said company president
Michael Shih.
To that end, the company’s facilities employ
advanced energy production, efficient energy use,
water-conserving dyeing machinery, emissions
recycling and effluent treatment, while at the same
time delivering eco-friendly fabrics to manufacturers
worldwide. The weaving mills, which produce more
than 20 million yards of fabric each month, are ISO
9001, 14001 and 18001 certified, while Nüwa’s dyeing
and finishing plant is Oeko-Tex certified and is in the
process of certification by bluesign. In fact, a bluesign
staff member informed the company that the 101
liters of water per kilo of fabric it dyed was far below
the 150 liters used by companies employing industry
best practices.
“We are continually changing
our machines and refining our
processes, filtering our waste
and rethinking our transport,”
says Shih.
“We are continually changing our machines
and refining our processes, filtering our waste and
rethinking our transport,” says Shih.
What’s more, the company insists that all of the
factories in its supply chain recycle and reduce their
water usage, control their air emissions and implement
fair labor practices, says Shih.
Honmuye Enterprises, for example, a weaving
company in the Nüwa alliance, recycles 70 percent
of the water used by its machines, while alliance
member Sunny Dyeing and Finishing, owned by Shih’s
father, eliminates open air emissions through a new
coal gasification system and recycles water in its own
water-treatment plant.
“We are simply putting one foot in front of the
other, to create a future where pollution and waste
do not dominate, where chemistry is benign and
transparency in business is a given,” says Shih.
A similar philosophy is at work at German/
Chinese leather producer ISA Tan Tec. While much
still must be done to reduce the impact of effluents
discharged from tanneries, ISA Tan Tec is taking
steps in the right direction with news that ground
has been broken on a new “ecologically friendly
model factory” in Saigon, Vietnam. For starters, the
plant will emit 35 percent less CO2 than conventional
production facilities.
“The demand from clients such as Timberland,
New Balance, Keen, and Hush Puppies for
ecologically friendly leather is increasing rapidly,”
said Thomas Schneider, ISA Tan Tec founder and
CEO. “That’s why, in addition to our new ecological
factory in China, we’re building a second factory
where our environmental concept will be even more
thoroughly implemented.”
Within the new facility, the hot water needed for
the tanning process will be heated via solar modules,
which also serve as roofing for the company parking
lot, while ground water is pumped out by windmills.
ISA Tan Tec also makes use of excess heat generated
during production. The water heated while cooling
hydraulic machinery, for instance, is channeled into
the hot water tank. In addition, the company saves
energy by using state-of-the-art tanning drums and
infinitely variable air compressors. For its waste water
treatment, ISA Tan Tec employs solid-liquid separation
and continual waste water recycling to reduce the
quantity of waste water treated, further decreasing
energy consumption.
“This is the only factory in the industry of this
size that is pursuing such an ambitious environmental
plan,” said Schneider.
The new tannery will start operations in June
of 2009 with 280 employees expected to produce 2
million square meters of leather each year.
42 | InsideOutdoor | Fall 2008