WAKEFIELD – How should denim be made in 2030 from an environmental and social perspective? What are the anticipated key technology breakthroughs that can make this happen? Can denim mills make a profit and be sustainable? And what’s stopping the whole denim sector from changing sooner rather than later?
These will be some of the key questions posed to panellists in a special breakout session at Planet Textiles 2019, which is being held during the giant ITMA exhibition on 22nd June in Barcelona with support from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
Speakers include: Alberto Candiani, CEO of the Italian mill Candiani Denim which calls itself the ‘greenest mill in the blue world.’ Noted for both its innovation, high quality fabrics and commitment to environmental issues, Candiani recycles 100 per cent of its waste, which goes back into new fabric.
Also speaking is Sanjeev Bahl, founder and CEO of Saitex International, a unique Vietnam-based state-of-the-art denim producer that incorporates sustainability into product design from the very start of the process. The company recycles 98 per cent of the water from wet processing, uses jet washing to minimise consumption and his solar powered facility also uses biomass such as coconut husks and wood shavings for power generation to make denim for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Target, G-Star Raw, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.
Also joining the panel are Miguel Sanchez, an independent expert who has been involved in the denim sector for 30 years at companies such as Archroma where he was involved in the development of the Advanced Denim sulphur dyeing process.
Mike Kininmonth, project manager for denim at Lenzing, the maker of Tencel, which is widely used in denim – especially for women’s wear – will also give practical advice on the implementation of new denim technology. The session will be moderated, by Andrew Olah, CEO of Olah Inc., the founder of Kingpins denim event, which takes place in Amsterdam, New York and Hong Kong – and runs the ‘Transformers’ event on sustainability.
It’s hoped that the outcomes of the discussion will provide the basis for a new, practical ‘Blueprint’ for how the denim sector should operate in the next decade ahead.
Planet Textiles 2019, which will take place on 22 June in Barcelona at the giant ITMA event, which every four years becomes the meeting point for the global textile industry. The textile industry ‘Olympics’, as it’s often known, was last held in Barcelona back in 2011 when it attracted over 100,000 visitors from 138 countries and is where the very latest advances in textile technology are revealed.
The conference will be held in the CC5 convention centre inside the Fira Barcelona near to Hall 3 and visitors will benefit from a heavily discounted 7-day access to the ITMA exhibition through a joint ticketing scheme with the ITMA organisers.
Supporters of Planet Textiles 2019 include: Sympatex, Lenzing, ZDHC, Kendor Textiles, Tox-Services, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and Fashion for Good.
