More Mills Share Why They’re Using REFIBRA™ Technology
With the success of REFIBRA™ technology by TENCEL™ ramping up among the sustainability-minded in the denim sector, Carved in Blue has set out to highlight who’s using what and why.
From mills in Turkey to Spain, China, Thailand and Pakistan, companies keen to reduce their environmental impact are turning to the REFIBRA™ technology that upcycles post-production cotton scraps from the garment sector and wood pulp sourced from certified sustainable forestry.
And many have found various blends to suit their customers’ demands. Here’s a look at how REFIBRA™ Lyocell is manifesting in denim.
Mill: Bossa
Location: Turkey
At Bossa, its REFIBRA™ fabrics are part of its forward-looking line, Future Denim.
The Turkey-based mill is blending REFIBRA™ fabric with organic or recycled cotton to make its denim.
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: “Bossa leading full integrated fabric manufacturing mill have been actively involved in the protection and preservation of the environment since its start,” the company said. “The items are made of organic/recycle cotton and post consumer recycle, REFIBRA™, Eco t400 fibers and fabrics that are dyed with SAVEBLUE technology. We save 85 percent of water with this dyeing technique as calculated by life cycle analysis.”
Mill: Atlantic Mills
Location: Thailand
Thailand’s Atlantic Mills is using REFIBRA™ fabric in its Second Life recycled collection.
The mill’s latest collection blends REFIBRA™ with 100 percent BCI cotton. Other blends in earlier collections were made with REFIBRA™ in a non-stretch and a stretch version.
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: The mill said REFIBRA™ has allowed it to develop unisex fabrics with “a true vintage character.”
Mill: Tejidos Royo
Location: Spain
At Tejidos Royo, its 2LIFE-be sustainable collection embraces REFIBRA™ fabrics.
“The origin of the 2LIFE-be sustainable concept was born with the aim of giving name to Tejidos Royo’s recycled pre- and post-consumer fabrics collection, a collection that gives fabrics a “second life,” the company noted. “2LIFE-be sustainable promotes the circularity in the textile sector, and that is why we add our articles developed with REFIBRA™to this line.
Tejidos Royo has created blends using REFIBRA™ and cotton, “giving that exotic touch that differentiates us from the rest,” the company said.
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: “Why REFIBRA™? We have been manufacturing sustainability since 1990, the year in which we started working with sustainable TENCEL™ lyocell fibers, from Lenzing. Jose Royo remembers selling fabrics with TENCEL™ in 1998 as the ‘first step towards sustainability’ of Tejidos Royo,” the company said. “Now, we bet on the most sustainable fiber in the current market. Innovative and ecological, REFIBRA™ is the first cellulose fiber made from the mixture of recycled cotton waste (post industrial waste) and wood from responsibly managed forests that offers a practical solution to promote the circular economy in the textile sector. We consider that the use of REFIBRA™ confirms, from the beginning, the greatest transparency in the textile chain and real benefits for the environment.”
Mill: Advance Denim
Location: China
For Advance Denim, REFIBRA™ fabrics are part of its Greenlet collection.
Its styles using REFIBRA™ range from 5.5 oz. 2/1 styles to 13 oz. in selvage denim.
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: “Advance is always searching out the most sustainable materials and technologies, aiming to simplify the manufacturing process while improving efficiency and minimizing our environmental impact. REFIBRA™ supports all of these sustainable goals,” the company said. “We currently have 14 styles using REFIBRA™ in our line and they have been sampled extensively by customers looking to elevate their sustainable denim, while not sacrificing soft and premium denim character.”
Mill: Candiani S.p.A.
Location: Italy
For Candiani, REFIBRA™ fabrics fall into its RE-GEN collection. Created for the Italian mill’s 80th anniversary, the fabric was originally only available as selvedge, but now it’s available in full width. Candiani also uses REFIBRA™ for other fabrics outside of the RE-GEN line.
RE-GEN is made with 50% TENCEL™ Lyocell with Refibra™ Technology and 50% recycled fibers taken from Candiani’s own waste. The fabric is also dyed in a less impactful way, using Candiani’s Indigo Juice® technology, which keeps the dye superficial on the yarn to ease the washing process and save on water and chemicals. The mill has also debuted a stretch version of this fabric that combines TENCEL™ Lyocell with Refibra™ Technology with Candiani’s custom made GRS certified stretch yarn developed in collaboration with Roica™ by Asahi Kasei.
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: “We use REFIBRA™ Lyocell for many reasons. The first being its ability to enhance different elements of a fabric such as hand feel, aesthetic and performance,” Candiani said. “But, more importantly, REFIBRA™ has a minimal impact on the environment thanks to its closed loop production process, making it a sustainable alternative to cotton.”
Mill: Dynamo
Location: Turkey
Dynamo’s aim is to develop stretch fabrics with REFIBRA™ technology contributing to sustainability while getting soft-hand touch
Blends in the line include cotton and 60 – 65 percent REFIBRA™ in black and garment dyed
Mill: Artistic Milliners
Location: Pakistan
Styles in the California Roll, Wonder Years, and Reborn incorporate REFIBRA™ in blends with cotton and spandex in 10 -12 oz.
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: Sustainability is a long-term journey for Artistic Milliners where we continuously learn and improve ourselves; that is why we focus on building a strategy where sustainability is a key element of restorative and regenerative design,” said Ebru Ozaydin, senior vice president for sales and marke ting at Artistic Milliners.
We craft our own story, piecing creativity, technology and sustainability together. Our goal is to make a difference and have an impact in everything we do for the betterment of a healthier whole. Sustainability is a long-term journey for Artistic Milliners where we continuously learn and improve ourselves; that is why we focus on building a strategy where sustainability is a key element of restorative and regenerative design. As a vertical denim company, we believe the future standard of denim making is “360 Sustainability” which aligns with the Circular Economy Framework. Advanced technologies and new generation materials help us to design smart products and process, but we never forget that it only constitutes a meaningful whole with the social and economic dimensions. Having said that, from ethical sourcing to waste management, working environment (worker health and safety) to gender equity, they complement each other and have the equal importance for Artistic Milliners. The approximate investment of the company will be $80 million by end of 2019, which proves the leadership’s commitment for a sustainable future.
Mill: DNM
Location: Egypt
At DNM, REFIBRA™ finds its way into the Egyptian mill’s “Senstainable” collection.
Blends in the line include 60 percent cotton and 40 percent REFIBRA™, plus a 50 percent cotton and 50 percent TENCEL™ Lyocell.
Why they use REFIBRA™: “DNM aims to be the preferred mill in the denim industry through a sustainable and innovative production approach,” the company noted. “And our way: Embrace circular fashion, going beyond the linear approach of manufacturing and consuming.”
Mill: Soorty
Location: Pakistan
At Soorty, its Spring/Summer 2020 High Energy concept, which was “developed to keep pace with the hectic modern world we live in,” is the one that includes REFIBRA™ fabrics.
The line was engineered for performance and movement, and the mill blended REFIBRA™ with organic cotton and recycled nylon, for power stretch, which is then dyed with its Zero Waste Water dyeing technique. Another power stretch style uses organic cotton, REFIBRA™, UMORFIL®, TENCEL™ and Elastane, to offer “a great stretch capacity with an amazing recovery, while taking good care of the wearer’s skin.”
Why they use REFIBRA™ Technology: “Soorty has a big production capacity, meaning we have a big impact on our planet and the communities we serve to. Being fully aware of this, we are committed to make our impact a positive one. This is why we choose responsible materials and manufacturing methods on our daily practices and strive to exploit the borders of innovation, design and sustainability,” the company explained. “We aim to provide our customers a wide range of denim fabrics that are not only fashionable but also sustainably produced. By offering selections that emphasizes on environmental impacts; we let our customers make decisions that are not only good but also the right ones. Hence, the use of REFIBRA™ comes more than naturally as the contributor of circular economy within production.”
This is part two in the series of mills using TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ Lyocell.