Page 16 - February-March 2021
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                         Efforts for Sustainable Denim


              Naveena denim Pakistan and UK-based



                                   Endrime in highlights




            As the supply chain needs continue to change, both   supplying the sewing threads also made from
            brands and consumers look for more sustainable   Lenzing’s lyocell, to ensure the jeans are 100%
            options without sacrificing the look. They feel that   biodegradable. Naveena denim has used REFIBRA
            consumers love their favorite pair of jeans. In this   yarns. The pioneering REFIBRA™ technology
            regard, various brands and companies are putting   involves upcycling cotton scraps from garment
            their efforts. Endrime will launch a collection of   production. REFIBRA™ is a new generation of
            exclusive new jeans resulting from the supply    ecological fabrics made of upcycled cotton scraps
            chain-wide Bast Recast project. Endrime is a     from pre & post-consumer cotton waste and Lenzing
            UK-based denim brand. The Endrime denim is based   ™ Lyocell fibers coming from wood pulp. Refibra™
            on hemp fibers supplied by Kingdom Hemp from the   fabrics are naturally soft and gentle on the skin,
            Heilongjiang region of China, blended with Refibra   breathable, and compostable.
            and Modal lyocell from Austria-headquartered                                                                                    UNIDO and Nudie jeans
            Lenzing.                                         Spain’s Jeanologica has also been involved in the
                                                             project to provide authentic period washes for the
            Similarly, Naveena denim Pakistan has blended the   denim. All of the scrap from production is retained                       recycling second quality
            three fibers and spun and woven a range of 8-12oz   and repulped into lyocell and hemp paper for the
            denim fabrics from the resulting yarns, with Crafil   hangtags and labels.                                                      or export leftover jeans
                                                                                                                                       for environmental benefits


              Apparel sector appeals to the Govt                                                                                   Second-quality jeans are those that don’t quite meet   is looking at ways to make use of second-quality


                          to ban Cotton Yarn export                                                                                quality standards – the wash may be too dark; the   jeans to maintain the highest quality of its products,
                                                                                                                                                                                     while reducing the environmental impact of the
                                                                                                                                   stitching may not be quite right, or the cut may be
                                                                                                                                   irregular. Usually they are sold for discount prices or
                                                                                                                                                                                     production process. To develop greener production
                                                                                                                                   just thrown away. They are also called as export   processes in Tunisia, Nudie Jeans has been working
             The availability of the cotton yarn in the local market is already very low which poses as a huge challenge for       leftovers. In industrial practices, such jeans become   with the United Nations Industrial Development
              the apparel sector. In these circumstances, a 35.86 recorded increase in the cotton yarn export is making a          an environmental burden as the quality control    Organization (UNIDO) as part of the European
            layer of panic go through the apparel makers. These apparel makers are already seeking a ban on cotton yarn            departments won’t let them clear for shipment. In   Union-funded SwitchMed project.
             export as this premium raw material should be utilized by Pakistan to manufacture high value added products           other words, these are now the unwanted or rejected
                                  like garments which will in turn in earning foreign exchange.                                    garments.                                         Roberta De Palma, Chief Technical Advisor at
                                                                                                                                                                                     UNIDO, said, “The current production system for
             The value added products of knitwear, bedwear, towel and readymade garments have witnessed a decline of               According to the United Nations, approximately    fashion goods uses high volumes of virgin fibers,
               26.14, 7.35, 11.36 and 0.42 percent respectively in February 2021 compared to January 2021. The rising              10,000 liters of water are required to make one single   which creates a significant pressure on valuable
              volume of export of cotton yarn had deteriorated apparel sector’s growth as the country continued to face            pair of jeans from the production of the cotton to the   resources, such as water. Exploring ways for
                       energy shortage, said Pakistan Apparel Forum chairman Muhammad Jawed Bilwani.                               delivery of the final product to the store. Water   recycling post-industrial textile waste could reduce
                                                                                                                                   scarcity has long been a challenge in Tunisia but   this dependency and support the development of a
             The government should also abolish the existing five percent customs duty on import of cotton yarn below 40           climate change, combined with rapid urbanization,   recycling infrastructure in the production countries.”
             single count. Cotton yarn prices surged 40 percent, but even at that exorbitant rate it was unavailable on the        has made the problem even more acute. With
                                                 local market, he added.                                                           demands from industry and agriculture putting     Brinkberg, the Swedish company’s environmental
                                                                                                                                   immense pressure on Tunisia’s water resources,    manager, said, “Eight thousand pairs of
             The situation has also compelled the exporters not to take new orders and for that reason such export orders          Nudie Jeans and UNIDO are hoping their project will   second-choice jeans are being used, together with
             meant for Pakistan shall be diverted to other regional countries. The dollar had depreciated against the rupee        show a way to do more with less.                  virgin denim fabric, to create 20,000 meters of new
            by seven percent, which was also a matter of concern for the exporters as the situation might lead to a liquidity                                                        fabric. From this new fabric, 15,000 pairs of new
                                                   crunch, Bilwani said.                                                           Nudie Jeans, a global leader in sustainable fashion,   jeans will be created.”

                February/March 2021                                                                                                                                                                        February/March 2021
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