Mill Memo: Inside Brazil Manufacturers’ Eco Efforts

Mill Memo: Inside Brazil Manufacturers’ Eco Efforts

Denim mills are cleaning up jean production, and one of their moves is evolving raw material choices. Wood-based TENCEL™ fibers offer a lower impact alternative that comes with the added benefit of improved softness and durability.

Here, executives from Canatiba and Vicunha discuss how they are using TENCEL™ Lyocell and their climate action strategies.

CANATIBA

Brazil

Fabio Covolan, marketing director

Carved in Blue: Could you give an overview of your latest collections that include TENCEL™ fibers including REFIBRA™ technology?

Canatiba: We have several developments using TENCEL™ and LENZING™ Viscose fibers for the new collection launching in May.

Fabrics in different weights, several blends (cotton, polyester fiber, linen), rigid bases and bases with elastane and/or T400 for the Denim line and also for the Moda line of special fabrics are all in progress at the factory—we should finish next month.

Carved in Blue: Are you currently incorporating TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology or matte TENCEL™ into your denim?

Canatiba: We are going to launch matte TENCEL™ Lyocell—fabric name Ryan Matte PFD. We already have the samples ready and now we will make them available to the entire market. We are working on our indigo developments using matte TENCEL™.

About TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology, besides the two fabrics that we are currently selling, we are developing five new fabrics, one of them being 6 oz. and the other four around 8 oz. weight.

Carved in Blue: What top three things is your mill doing to combat climate change?

Canatiba: Firstly, 90 percent reduction in the use of fossil fuels. We changed the fuel of the boilers, which were from BPF oil to natural gas, which reduced the emission of particulate materials, the emission of sulfur and other polluting gases. In 2009, the fossil fuel boilers were replaced by biomass boilers, which is characterized as a renewable and clean energy, not emitting sulfur dioxide and a low emission of carbon dioxide, which are part of the greenhouse gases. The ash from the burning of biomass is less aggressive to the environment.

Secondly, we reuse thermal energy. We installed heat exchangers for the recovery of thermal energy with the effluent from the treatment station. With heat exchangers, this thermal energy from the effluent is used to heat the water entering the process, reusing this energy and consequently reducing steam consumption.

Lastly, we are reusing boiler gases. The boiler emission gas is reused to neutralize our effluent, consequently reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

VICUNHA

Brazil

Renata Guarniero, marketing manager

Carved in Blue: Could you give an overview of your latest collections that include TENCEL™ fibers including REFIBRA™ technology?

Renata: In our latest collection, we present three articles with TENCEL™ fibers, with light and heavier weights, providing a wide range of final products to our clients’ consumers. We were able to guarantee a variety of foundations, as TENCEL™ fibers provide lightness and a distinctive touch and shine, which allows us to respond to the latest style demands on the market. The products are the following.

Zara, a light denim, is ideal for shirting, which guarantees flowing pieces. This has a composition of 65 percent cotton and 35 percent lyocell, with a 5.2 oz weight and 2×1 Z twill construction.

Rotterdam is a well-marked twill, with a refined touch in casual tailoring. Rotterdam’s composition is 55 percent cotton, 44 percent modal and 1 percent elastane; it is 8.2 oz weight and has 3×1 S twill construction.

Finally, San Andres has a light denim color with a rustic look, thanks to its linen and modal construction, and is ideal for comfortable pieces. Its composition is 80 percent cotton, 6 percent linen and 14 percent modal, with a 4.8 oz, weight.

Carved in Blue: Are you currently incorporating TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology or matte TENCEL™ into your denim?

Renata: We are in the process of studying and developing these fibers, and soon we will have news!

Carved in Blue: What top three things is your mill doing to combat climate change?

Renata: Vicunha’s concern with products and processes that respect the limits of the environment is growing, and we have several initiatives in our manufacturing units to continuously reduce the impact of our activities on the environment, leading and promoting sustainable initiatives in our chain. Some examples are the following.

For almost 30 years, we have been recovering all waste from our own spinning, warping, indigo and weaving. Everything is cut and shredded internally to be transformed back into fiber, which is reinserted into the process along with virgin cotton, grown in compliance with the requirements and good practices of social and environmental responsibility, giving rise to recycled yarn. This practice also cuts down on parts of the process that would generate steam.

We are also pioneers in recovering caustic soda in the denim finishing process and, as a result, we no longer send 30 tons of soda to the effluent treatment station every month, and 600,000 liters of water are recovered. All steam generated for Vicunha’s production processes comes from boilers that use only renewable biomass, eucalyptus, bamboo and cashew nut shells—which we were even pioneers in this—instead of fossil fuels, and all CO2 generated in the burning is reused in the sewage treatment, avoiding emission.

We use renewable biomass as fuel to supply the boilers, which results in 10,500 tons less emission of pollutants per month.

We recently launched our new hemp article, made from a blend of cotton and hemp. Hemp is an extremely sustainable fiber, as it has a high yield—that is, it requires less water and less land to plant. It is also a renewable resource; its growth is fast and it can be cultivated in various types of soil and climatic conditions. In addition, the plant is naturally resistant to most insects and diseases, and provides its own nutrients to the soil, making it super sustainable, without the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers to grow. Environmentally, hemp is a safer crop to grow, purifying the soil as it grows. Another advantage of hemp is that it can clean the atmosphere and even reverse damage caused to the environment, as the plant consumes more carbon dioxide—one of the main greenhouse gases—than other types of trees, contributing to the fight against global warming.