#Denim

2019-12-13

Monforts ‘Denimized’ customers take the lead in London

A complete Monforts ‘Denimized’ finishing range. (c) 2019 Monforts

Of the twelve participating denim mills who took part in Habitat 21 – a special Smart Creation showcase at the recent Denim Première Vision exhibition in London – no less than eleven were valued Monforts ‘Denimized’ finishing technology users.

The aim of Habitat 21 was to highlight those companies taking an eco-responsible approach to denim manufacturing via the use of recycled, organic and bio-based fibres, in combination with resource-saving dyeing and finishing technologies.

Monforts customers involved in the project were Advance Denim, Berto, Bossa, Calik, Evlox/Tavex, Kilim, Naveena, Orta Anadalou, Rajby Industries, Raymond Uco and Soorty.

Their innovations were detailed in a major presentation on trends for the Spring/Summer 2021 season by Manon Mangin of the Première Vision Fashion Team, based on three key themes – Sensation, Hybridisation and Expansion.

Habitat 21 – the special Smart Creation showcase at Denim PV. (c) 2019 Monforts

Water savings

There was plenty of sustainable innovation on show from Turkey, with Bossa, for example, unveiling the latest creations from its ongoing Reset programme – first introduced in 2006 and constantly evolving its eco-friendly options – and Calik exhibiting a denim collection made with its D-clear process, via which water is reduced by 40% in indigo dyeing and by 83% in the subsequent finishing.

Kilim is meanwhile intending to reduce water by 93% as a result of its current Cactus project, which will have a significant impact on the footprint of the 12 million metres of denim it makes annually, and in addition to resource-saving processes, Orta Anadalou is committing to complete traceability, with each of its garments now labelled with a unique QR code.

Hemp

Among innovations from Pakistan’s leading mills, Naveena made a splash with the introduction of its ‘cottonised’ hemp denim, developed in a collaboration with Kingdom Holdings – one of the largest manufacturers of hemp in China – in order to reduce the company’s reliance on cotton.

There are many challenges involved in working with hemp, Naveena says, but vertically-integrated spinning operations have enabled it to create blended yarns of cotton, hemp and Tencel containing only 49% cotton.

Both Rajby Industries and Soorty have now achieved Cradle to Cradle Gold certification for denim fabrics in their collections, as a globally recognised measure of safer, more sustainable products made for the circular economy.

To receive this certification, products are assessed for environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability categories – material health, material reuse, renewable energy

and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. The standard encourages continuous improvement over time by awarding certification on the basis of ascending levels of achievement and requiring certification renewal every two years.

Aniline free

Advance Denim has meanwhile become the first denim mill in China to launch a collection made with aniline-free indigo.

As a result of its toxicity, analine is now starting to feature on the restricted substance lists (RSL) of some of the major clothing brands and retailers.

During traditional indigo dyeing process, some aniline stays locked into the indigo pigment and is difficult to wash off the fabric, while the remainder is discharged with the wastewater. The new process being employed by Advance Denim is based on an aniline-free indigo formulation from Switzerland’s Archroma.

Italy’s Berto also introduced pre-reduced indigo dyeing in an expanded range of denims based on GOTS-certified fabrics made with organic cotton and regenerated yarns.

“Our latest collection was inspired by young people – the Z Generation that is free spirited but at the same time involved in the fight against climate change,” said Berto’s marketing manager Francesco Polato. “We are seeking to meet their needs with an extroverted collection characterised by special colours and looks, but always with a 360-degree attention to sustainability.”

Manon Mangin of the Première Vision Fashion Team outlines the<br />
trends for the Spring/Summer 2021 season at the London show. (c) 2019 Monforts — Manon Mangin of the Première Vision Fashion Team outlines the trends for the Spring/Summer 2021 season at the London show. (c) 2019 Monforts

To complete the Smart Creation showcase, India’s Raymond Uco introduced a coloured denim range comprising fabrics that are both yarn dyed and made from sustainable dyestuffs, to significantly reduce the use of chemicals, while Evlox/Tavex announced plans to introduce post-consumer recycled denim to its collections, with complete traceability of all the materials used.

Denim Première Vision took place at the Printworks in London on December 2nd and 3rd. The next edition will be held in Milan in June 2020.

Monforts ready for India’s next phase of textile growth at ITME 2026

Advanced finishing, coating and energy-efficient processing will be highlighted by Monforts at India ITME 2026, as the region’s textile manufacturers increasingly look beyond volume production towards higher-value fabrics. The German finishing machinery specialist sees considerable potential in India as investment continues in conventional apparel and home textiles alongside rapidly developing markets for technical textiles, activewear, sportswear, filtration and automotive applications.

Monforts on the move in textile growth markets

During September, specialists from Monforts will be attending events in two of the fastest growing countries for textile manufacturing – Kenya and Uzbekistan – before once again looking forward to meeting customers old and new at the 2026 Igatex exhibition which is taking place in Lahore, Pakistan, from October 15-18.

Blue Jeans Go Green celebrates 20 years of denim recycling with more than six million items collected

Cotton Incorporated is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling program. Since its launch in 2006, the initiative has collected more than six million denim items, diverted over 3,000 tons of textile waste from landfills and enabled the production of more than 12 million square feet of denim-based insulation. What began as a college campus collection drive has developed into a nationwide recycling initiative involving consumers, retailers, schools and community organisations across the United States.

Jeanologia and BCome connect factory data with Life Cycle Assessment and Digital Product Passports

A new white paper by EIM by Jeanologia and BCome demonstrates how primary environmental data from denim finishing processes can be integrated into a garment's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and prepared for use in a Digital Product Passport (DPP). A comparative case study highlights significant improvements at the production stage while also showing how these translate into the environmental performance of the finished garment.

Inside the Making connects denim and sportswear supply chains at Ecomondo 2026

Six European companies are joining forces at Ecomondo 2026 in Rimini to demonstrate how different stages of denim and sportswear production are interconnected. The new initiative, Inside the Making, highlights the importance of cooperation across the textile supply chain in addressing sustainability challenges, from reducing resource consumption to improving transparency and the reliability of environmental claims.

Stäubli to introduce new S3292 dobby for high-speed weaving at ITME India 2026

Stäubli will introduce its new S3292 dobby at ITME India 2026, taking place from December 4 to 9 at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Designed for high-speed air-jet weaving, the new machine will be among the highlights of the company's presentation, which also includes warp preparation systems, cam motions, Jacquard technologies and digital services.

DITF develops bio-based binding fibers for wood-fiber insulation materials

As part of the CelluWoodFlex project, the German Institutes of Textile- and Fiber-Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are developing bio-based cellulose ester fibers as alternative binding fibers for flexible wood fiber insulation materials. In addition to the spinning process and the production of suitable staple fibers, the institute is also investigating how wood and cellulose fibers can be separated and recycled at the end of their useful life.

Reju expands textile-to-textile recycling network with six international fabric manufacturers

Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company, is expanding its industrial network through collaborations with six fabric manufacturers in Europe and the Americas. The initiative aims to accelerate the integration of regenerated polyester into textile manufacturing and support the development of finished fabrics for commercial applications.

Magnera highlights HighPleat™ filtration media technology at FiltXPO 2026

At FiltXPO 2026, held on October 28–29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Magnera highlighted advances in air filtration media architecture, with a particular focus on its HighPleat™ platform for MERV 8–10 applications. The technology combines a lofted fiber structure with optimized pore architecture to address the challenge of balancing filtration efficiency, airflow resistance and contaminant-holding capacity.