Examples of sustainability in the textile industry are all around us nowadays, and for buyers at next month’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, no matter where they are throughout the fair, they will also be within easy reach of sustainable products, solutions and resources. The centre of sustainability at the fair is the All About Sustainability zone (hall 5.2), but eco-friendly products and companies can also be found in Beyond Denim (7.2), Functional Lab (5.2), SalonEurope (6.2) and Accessories Vision (4.2) to name just a few.

Last edition’s All About Sustainability zone

For instance, in Beyond Denim, Orta Anadolu, Kipas Denim and Soorty Enterprises will all introduce their own eco-friendly denim production processes. And in the Functional Lab, many exhibitors offer both innovative and sustainable products such as The Chemours Company’s durable water repellent which contains 63% renewably sourced content, and Singtex with their insulation foam and membrane made from coffee oil extracted from used coffee grounds – just two of the many sustainable products on offer.

New products and technology on display in All About Sustainability

As a hub of innovation for the global apparel fabrics and accessories industry, buyers will be spoilt for choice with the number of new products and technologies on offer this edition, with the All About Sustainability area being no exception.

One such example is the new Recycolor-branded, GRS-certified recycled cotton developed by Japanese firm Yagi & Co Ltd, a manufacturer of recycled cotton yarn, knitting & weaving fabrics and denim products. Recycolor cotton is made from old clothing and scraps from garment factories, which are sorted by colour and fed into stripping machines that break the fabric down into their original fibres. As these fibres are usually too short to spin, they are then mixed with virgin cotton and undergo a special spinning technique to create a yarn up to commercial standards.

Newtech Textile

New to the fair this edition is Chinese company Newtech Textile, who will showcase their patented Cooltrans transfer printing and dyeing technology, an eco-friendly alternative to digital inkjet printing. Compared to conventional printing technologies, Cooltrans reduces water and dye consumption by 40% and 67% respectively, while 92% of water can be reused.

It also reduces energy usage by up to 65% thanks to a cooler transfer temperature, and features rates of 95% for dye transfer and 95% for dye-fixing. In addition to the environmental aspects of the technology, it also offers higher colour yields and more delicate printing on the transfer paper or file than direct textile inkjet printing.

Oeko-Tex and debut Ecocert Pavilions provide extensive range of eco-friendly products

Returning to the fair again in All About Sustainability is the Oeko-Tex by Testex Pavilion, which will feature 10 Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex-certified companies and customers of Testex. The pavilion’s product range includes knitted and woven fabrics made of natural fibres, chemical fibres, and mixed and microfibre functional fabrics, as well as accessories such as embroidery thread, labels, RFID tags and more.

Included in the pavilion is new member Sateri, a global leader in viscose rayon, as well as Malaysia’s Penfabric, a member of the Toray Group, which is also Step certified, while its semi-finished products are Made in Green by Oeko-Tex labelled. Furthermore, the Made in Green/Step by Oeko-Tex Shop will feature 17 Step-certified companies showcasing their textiles made in environmentally friendly facilities and safe and socially responsible workplaces.

Ecocert Pavilion

Featuring for the first time in All About Sustainability is the Ecocert Pavilion, organised by this inspection and certification body for organic agricultural products. Two of the members of the pavilion include Shaoxing Ecou Textile which specialises in organic cotton & linen, bamboo, Tencel, Modal and hemp fabrics, while Chifeng Dongrong Cashmere Development will showcase a wide range of sustainable cashmere products.

Sustainable Fashion Educator Pack by Redress informs industry on vital sustainability topics

The average company is aware of only about 7% of what actually takes place in their own supply chain. Around 80% of a product’s environmental impact is locked in at design stage. 9.4 billion tonnes of textile waste is either landfilled or incinerated each year in the EU.

These are just some of the issues raised in the Sustainable Fashion Educator Pack developed by Redress, a Hong Kong based environmental NGO. This pack provides tools and resources to enable educators to introduce the topics of A Garment’s Lifecycle, Zero-waste, Up-cycling and Reconstruction to fashion students and the industry, and will be introduced by Redress founder Christina Dean in two sessions held during the fair.

Further opportunities to learn more about sustainability in the textile industry are provided through three panel discussions:

Sustainable Fast Fashion (Forum Space, hall 5.2): moderated by Redress, and panellists include the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and DuPont

Sustainable Denim: a holistic approach (Beyond Denim Forum, hall 7.2): moderated by Archroma, and panellists include Advance Denim and others

Organic Cotton Trends & Certification (Forum Space, hall 5.2): moderated by Beijing ECOCERT Certification, and panellist include GOTS, Chifeng Dongrong Cashmere Development and Shaoxing ECOU Textile

Three other textile fairs take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Cente

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, three other textile fairs take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center from 11 – 13 October:

Yarn Expo Autumn (hall 5.1), CHIC (halls 2 & 3) and PH Value (hall 3).