In Response To The Environmental Storm In The Clothing Industry, Lycra Has Already Prepared The Plan.

New product launches and promotions are boosting consumer behavior. When consumption is considered to be clothes purchased just now, how many of them are left behind at last? The fate of old clothes left behind is often resale or discarded. Research shows that consumers buy more clothes than before, but the average wear time is significantly shortened. In 2014, the average consumer bought more than 60% of clothing in 2011, but only half of it was retained.
In addition to the personal problems of consumers, the impact of deeper levels of human survival is rarely mentioned. The way consumers take care of clothes and how long they wear have a profound impact on the earth. The more serious situation in the future may be: thirty years later, with the growth of the middle class, it is estimated that the demand for raw materials for clothing will be 3 times that of the present. This will naturally create enormous pressure on the earth's limited water, energy and land resources.
For textile and apparel industries, environmental pollution is a big problem, and sustainable development is a big issue. A recent report by the US media Refinery 29 shows that 2/3's respondents mentioned sustainability as one of the three major problems affecting the world today. More than 50% of respondents said they wanted to improve their environmental footprint in the textile and clothing waste sector.
The major fashion brands are fighting for younger strategies. But to truly establish and maintain consumer loyalty, brands need to do more than just launch clothing products that meet the target customers' needs. They also need to communicate with consumers in the fashion and origin of clothing, so as to achieve the desired value. The annual report from BoF and McKinsey pointed out that about 42% of the post-90s said they wanted to know the raw materials and production methods used in the products, and then decide whether to buy them. The LYCRA Company, a leading supplier of fiber and technology solutions in the global apparel and personal care industry, established the Planet Agenda (earth agenda) as early as 2008. It aims to protect various resources by providing insight, delivery of technology, technology and value-added products, so as to promote the sustainable development of the apparel industry.
Lycra is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, which produces innovative fibers and provides advanced technology solutions for apparel and personal care industries, and provides special chemicals for spandex and polyurethane value chains. It focuses on value-added products for customers, and develops innovative solutions to meet the demands of consumers for comfort and durability. The company has many leading consumer and industry brands, including LYCRA LYCRA (Lycra), LYCRA HyFit, L T400 LYCRA, L by LYCRA, COOLMAX COOLMAX, THERMOLITE, ELASPAN, COOLMAX, COOLMAX, L, and LYCRA. Product innovation, technology expertise and marketing capabilities make it a good reputation in the industry.
The company continues to promote the "earth agenda" development platform, which is not only the specific area of deep tillage business, but also the embodiment of corporate social responsibility. In general, the company is concerned about environmental safety and environmental protection in the face of neighbors, environment and community needs. On the other hand, it comes from the requirements of production, and promotes sustainable projects to help companies save energy and reduce emissions. Lycra now has more than 100 production bases in the world with more than 10% energy consumption, and two factories can achieve 20% savings in energy consumption and water consumption.
The "earth agenda" systematically implements this urgent industry responsibility from three aspects of corporate responsibility, production excellence and product sustainability. Jean Hegedus, director of sustainable development at Lycra, said: "we will provide all kinds of sustainable solutions through these three pillars, with emphasis on reducing waste, and using chemical materials safely and transparently to enhance the service life and sustainable utilization of resources."
Specifically, in terms of "corporate responsibility", the company conducts business in accordance with the law and abide by professional ethics, and strives to maintain a high level of health and safety records at all production bases. For example, in 2018, the recorded injury rate of Lycra was 10 times lower than that of the manufacturing industry.
The "production excellence" aspect refers to further intensifying and upgrading the manufacturing process. From the three aspects of energy saving, water saving and waste reduction, we look for various ways to protect resources and eliminate rubbish and reduce the environmental footprint of production. Last year LYCRA landfill (Lycra), which was sent to landfills, has less than 1% of its fiber waste, which is one of the company's strong practices. The company has also expanded to specific products to reduce waste. Many products have been strictly screened by third parties, innovative products have been extended to dress time, new technology has been developed, resources have been reduced, and even easy rinse finishing agents have been launched.
In addition, as part of the "earth agenda" project, the company launched this year's brand new LYCRA (Lycra) EcoMade fiber, which is used to recycle parts that have not yet entered the circulation field and have not been used. After LYCRA collection (Lycra) fiber waste is collected in the manufacturing plant, the new fiber polymer is mixed with a specific concentration to produce regenerated products. At present, the EcoMade product range covers brands including LYCRA (Lycra), COOLMAX and THERMOLITE.
Lycra, in keeping with the current highly efficient production process and strict environmental appeal, does not let go of surplus production materials, and innovates technology to transform them into high value-added products. It is like recycling waste PET plastic bottles to make polyester fibers and applies them to the products of COOLMAX EcoMade EcoMade and THERMOLITE EcoMade. The company also announced plans to convert most of the COOLMAX and THERMOLITE products into recyclable components by the end of 2021.
In implementing the sustainable development agenda of the earth, the company has always pursued its own innovation tradition. At present, all Lycra's LYCRA (Lycra) fiber production base has also passed the OEKO-TEX certification standard 100. Earlier this year, LYCRA textile (Lycra) 166L fiber for textiles was awarded the gold grade material health certification issued by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute.
"In the future, we will continue to make progress in product R & D and innovation. Our goal is to develop a breakthrough solution to add value to our customers. " Julien Born, President of Costa apparel business, said.