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             Sustainability potential                                                                                              with the goal of creating a better quality of life in the   jersey fabric. This worldwide average is unlikely to


                                                                                                                                   interest of people and the environment.
                                                                                                                                                                                     have decreased rapidly. As early as 2004 the energy
                of German technology                                                                                               A Cotton T-shirt for All                          efficiency of German machinery clearly exceeded –
                                                                                                                                                                                     as expected – the values stated in the eco study. In
                                                                                                                                   Cotton T-shirts are basic garment, worn under shirts
                                                                                                                                                                                     the balance sheet machinery of VDMA member
                                                                                                                                   in the office or as casual clothing. If every-one of the
                                                                                                                                                                                     companies consumed that time only 6.0 kWh/kg per
               A cotton T-shirt for everyone                                                                                       seven billion people on the globe bought one single   kilogram of T-shirt fabric from spinning to finishing.
                                                                                                                                   cotton T-shirt per year, 1.24 million tons of jersey
                                                                                                                                                                                     This value further moved down to 4.3 kWh/kg in 2014.
                                                                                                                                   fabric would have to be knitted worldwide. If all T-shirt
                                                                                                                                   manufacturers of the world made use of today’s    In order to assure that such a comparison of
                                                                                                                                   progress in German technology, huge saving        sustainability is comparable, all parameters,
                                                                                                                                   potentials could be obtained: Under the theme     processes and machinery technology for the
                                                                                                                                   “World population multiplied by one T-shirt per year”   manufacture of the jersey fabric had to be defined
                                                                                                                                   and “German technology, in recent years, compared   exactly. Starting point was a medium staple cotton.                                                                 enable economic handling of the most different fibre
                                                                                                                                   to machinery standard 20 years ago” engineers from   Yarn manufacture begins at the spinning preparation                                                                raw materials from virgin cotton over blends and
                                                                                                                                   Germany have calculated the possible energy saving   with fully automatic bale pluckers. The fibre material                                                             regenerates up to 100 per cent chemical fibres.
                                                                                                                                   of 19,354,000 million watts per hour and the water   is opened fully-automatically, blended and cleaned.                                                                Production reaches a rotor speed of more than
                                                                                                                                   consumption reduced by 127 Mio. m3 and searched   Carding machines, pre-drawing machines and                                                                            180,000 rpm and delivery speeds of 300 m/min. On
                                                                                                                                   for comparisons: In total 14 coal power plants with an   drawing machines follow downstream. The                                                                        such machines knitting yarns, as they are normally
                                                                                                                                   average output of 600 MW each could be completely   calculation example is based on a softly twisted yarn                                                               used for T-shirts, can be produced with very high
                                                                                                                                   turned off. And they underline an additional      with a yarn count of Ne 30, which is produced on                                                                      process efficiency. Even raw fibre qualities which
                                                                                                                                   advantage: Using German machinery technology for   open-end rotor spinning machine with a rotor speed                                                                   could cause a minor spinning stability can be
                                                                                                                                   jersey production of the global demand for cotton T-shirts,   of 150,000 rpm. The yarn produced this way is                                                             transformed into high quality yarns in a most
                                                                                                                                   the annual quantity of water that 2 million inhabitants of   wound on a package of up to 350 mm diameter                                                                economical way using the suitable spinning media
                                                                                                                                   Shanghai consume can be saved every year.         within the same process step. The yarn is knitted on                                                                  and spinning parameters. In addition, latest machine
                                                                                                                                                                                     single-jersey circular knitting machines with a                                                                       generations have a further optimised package      to reduce this consumption significantly for both
                                                                                                                                                                                     diameter of 34 inches and a machine gauge of E 28.                                                                    built-up, so that perfect dye packages – like those   dyeing and drying. One index to describe the water
                                                                                                                                                                                     With the following finishing process the knitted fabric                                                               only known from ring spun yarn up to date – can be   consumption of a discontinuous dyeing machine is
            VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und            engineering industry, are as follows:                                                                                  is dyed as desired (in this example black dyeing with                                                                 produced in one single process step. Throughout the   the liquor ratio of this machine. The figure describes
            Anlagenbau, Mechanical Engineering Industry                                                                                                                              reactive dye stuffs); at the same time its processing                                                                 last years the rotor spinning machines have been   the ratio of water and the fabric weight by which
            Association) represents more than 3,200 mostly    1. The mechanical and plant engineering industry                                                                       properties and its functional characteristics are                                                                     optimised consequently regarding quality, operator   operation of the machine is possible in theory. A ratio
            medium-sized companies in the capital goods       uses sustainable engineering to ensure that its                                                                        improved. Finishing is made on the rope, which is slit                                                                ergonomics, energy consumption and efficiency so   of 1 : 5 means that for filling of the machine with 1 kg
            industry, making it the largest industry association in   responsibility for a livable world can be fulfilled by                                                         before drying. The dyeing itself comprises the                                                                        that they offer today more and more an alternative to   of fabric, 5 litres of water are required. The less water
            Europe. Blue Competence is a sustainability initiative   focus on ecological, social and economic objectives.                                                            process steps pre-bleaching, dyeing and washing of                                                                    the conventional ring spinning machines. This is   is necessary (i.e. the smaller is the liquor ratio) the
            of VDMA. The initiative connects professional     2. To us, social responsibility means improving our                                                                    the T-shirt material. All over the world in most cases                                                                mainly due to decrease in process steps compared   higher is saving in water and energy since smaller
            associations, institutions, and companies to create   quality of life on the basis of human rights and                                                                   so-called rope dyeing machines (jet dyeing                                                                            to the ring spinning procedure, the high degree of   water volumes have to be heated. In their company
            an efficient network for sustainable productions and   compliance with laws and standards. In particular, we                                                             machines) are used. Making-up and drying are                                                                          automation, the use of spinning agents            brochures some dyeing machinery manufacturers
            products - about 400 organizations are presently   are responsible for providing the best possible working                                                               further process steps, which the fabric has to pass                                                                   corresponding to the fabric and the integrated    engage a real competition regarding the liquor ratios.
            part of Blue Competence.                          conditions for our employees, supporting their further                                                Trützschler card TC 15  for becoming a T-shirt. At the end of the finishing                                                            quality monitoring.                               It is questionable as to whether process safety and
                                                              training and lifelong learning, and creating jobs in order           Beside the consumption of electrical energy, the   process mechanical pre-water extraction, tentering                                                                                                                     care of material are sufficiently taken into consideration.
            Blue Competence Sustainability Code               to improve people’s career opportunities.                            energy required for compressed air and suction air,   and stentering machines are used to dry the fabric.                                                               The single jersey circular knitting machine uses   The German manufacturers of rope dyeing machines
            Blue Competence makes an important contribution   3. Blue Competence makes an important                                thermal energy and water consumption have been                                                                                                                          relative movement technology: Latch needle and    use realistic figures: optimum process safety and
            to improving the global climate, for instance through   contribution to improving the global climate, for              taken into consideration for the calculation of   German technology claims to be global leader with                                                                     knock-over sinker make a relative movement to each   careful material transport are ensured.
            the efficient, conservative use of renewable as well   instance through the efficient, conservative use of             sustainability. Has not been taken into consideration   regard to highly efficient productivity and outstanding                                                         other to form the loop. In this way the relative
            as non-renewable resources, by preventing waste   renewable as well as non-renewable resources, by                     the cultivation of cotton, which represents 38 per cent   quality. As the automated machines run with long                                                              movement technique has the advantage that smaller   Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, one of the
            and by reusing products and manufacturing         preventing waste and by reusing products and                         of the energy consumption and the making-up       service intervals, energy is saved in reasonable                                                                      angles for needle clearance can be used. The results   world’s leading consultancies had awarded best
            technologies. For the German mechanical           manufacturing technologies.                                          (covering 2 per cent of the overall energy balance).   amounts. For the spinning preparation and spinning,                                                              are less wrapping points of the yarn and a reduced   ratings to the German textile technology for increase
            engineering industry, responsibility toward society   4. We realize that a focus on sustainability increases           The eco study mentioned at the beginning had      German technology guarantees optimum energy                                                                           friction of the needle.                           of energy efficiency. According to Roland Berger,
            and the environment has always been a core        a company’s economic success. Our products and                       defined the energy consumption necessary for the   efficiency, e.g. with the production of more than 1200                                                                                                                 further development of German textile technology
            principle of its commercial actions. With the     services are not optimized for the short term, but are               production of a T-shirt on the basis of the machinery   kg/h (up to 2000 kg/h in some cases) in the                                                                     Textile finishing processes need much water and   should result in an about 15 per cent higher efficiency
            sustainability code, the companies belonging to the   designed for the entire lifecycle of the value chain.            standard in the 1980s and 1990s in most cases. For   blowroom, more than 175 kg/h in the card and 1000                                                                  heating energy. With latest state-of-the-art      until 2020. This product-specific comparison along
            Blue Competence initiative uphold these high social   Thus they represent the most efficient overall                   the process steps spinning preparation, yarn      m/ min delivery speed in the drafting process.                                                                        ˚technology and process management, the finishing   the overall process chain even proves that German
            and ethical standards, and see them as a          economic solution.                                                   manufacturing, fabric production and washing,                                                                                                                           process of a cotton T-shirt offers several possibilities  technology already today reaches more.
            requirement for long-term business success. The   5. We acknowledge our social responsibility and                      bleaching, dyeing and finishing the investigation lists   Modern rotor spinning plants are mainly
            key aspects of the code for German mechanical     emphasize trustworthy actions on a voluntary basis,                  an energy requirement of 19.9 kWh per kilogram of   characterised by highly-automated machines which
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