The Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF) has continued to hold its “Textile Export Promotion Project” (TEPP) to promote exports of premium textile by exporters adopting circular economy principles. Taiwan textile manufacturers are making a concerted effort to adopt a circular economy mindset. This is good news for everyone – consumers, businesses, and the planet.
As a country that cares about sustainable development, Taiwan’s Textile Industry attaches great importance to introducing advanced technology and using recycled materials to produce environmentally friendly products in a circular way.
Leading textile manufacturers, such as Kingwhale and Hermin, Libolon, Super Textile, are playing an essential role in promoting a circular economy mindset.
Taiwan Textile Federation announces the “Textile Export Promotion Project” (TEPP) to select premium textile exporters and promoting their exports.
Kingwhale — Making Taiwan Textile Industry More Sustainable
Kingwhale has set clear goals for cutting carbon emissions to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. By setting clear goals for becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Kingwhale has positively impacted the environment and contributed to a more sustainable future.
“That gives us a guideline and goal, starting from how we use our energy, source our energy,” James Huang, general manager of Kingwhale, explained while praising the stricter environmental regulations in European countries.
The textile industry is notoriously complex, and sustainable fabric production often falls by the wayside as companies prioritize profit over environmental responsibility. However, Kingwhale is working to build a circular economy within the textile industry.
The circular economy relies on waste prevention and reduction, and it aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible. This means using durable fabrics that can be easily recycled or reused in the textile industry.
It also means using metal-free sustainable dyes and finishes that won’t harm the environment. Kingwhale is working to make the textile industry more sustainable by embracing these principles. And from a business standpoint, the company’s commitment to sustainability is sure to set it apart from its competitors.
The textile industry has a significant environmental impact, from growing crops to the disposal of textile waste. In recent years, there has been an increased focus on sustainability in the textile industry, and Taiwan’s textile manufacturers have been looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint.
Kingwhale is looking into more sustainable processes and a more sustainable way of making products. To this end, the company believes that it needs to change its business model toward a circular economy.
This should be the future of the Taiwan Textile industry. A circular economy is an economic system in which waste and pollution are eliminated or reduced. Products made from recycled materials are designed to be reused or recycled at the end of their life.
Kingwhale is looking into more sustainable way of making products
HerMin — Producing Fabrics in More Sustainable Way
HerMin Textile aims to meet this demand by investing in new technologies and processes that will allow them to produce fabrics more sustainably. One example of this is the company’s recycled materials, which have helped reduce factories’ waste.
“We’re continuously trying to look into innovations, new methods of dyeing products sustainably,” Tony Chen, project manager at HerMin Textile, said, asking: “Is there any possibility of reducing chemical usage or saving energy?”
With this observation in mind, HerMin Textile is working on new methods of dyeing and printing fabric that use less water and chemicals. The Taiwan company shows its commitment to becoming more sustainable and responsible by investing in these initiatives.
“I think the future of the direction of the textile is to create innovative, comfortable fabrics, but in a sustainable way,” remarked Chen. “The main difference between Taiwan and China is the size of the market.”
“In Taiwan, we need to continue developing newer, innovative, sustainable products. And I think for Taiwan companies to do better, we need to build up our company’s brand,” he continued. To this end, a circular economy mindset is very instrumental.
A circular economy for textiles, fashion, and apparel is crucial because it aims to eliminate waste in the textiles industry, championing resource reuse and bringing clear benefits for natural resources, economic wellbeing, and the health and safety of the people who produce and dispose of our textiles.
In a circular economy, textile waste is reduced or eliminated by redesigning products to be more durable, redirecting textile waste to be reused or recycled into new products, and establishing take-back and recycling programs.
HERMIN Textile works on new methods of dyeing and printing fabric with less water and chemicals
Libolon — Bringing Taiwan’s Functional Textiles to Next Level
With a solid commitment to sustainable principles, Libolon produces recycled polyester material derived from post-consumer wastes such as plastic bottles and marine litter into mechanical recycled PET or pre-consumer wastes such as fabric wastes as well as discarded polyester fabric.
Libolon has an extensive collection of recycled polyester products in multiple categories for woven and knit fabric that adhere to the international textile standards, according to Steven Su, assistant vice president at Libolon.
Most of the world’s largest sports brands, including Patagonia, Adidas, Arc’teryx, Nike, Decathlon, and Everest, have valued the reuse of existing materials, which they see as viable alternative products other than fossil fuels materials.
Global brands aim to deliver strong ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance, motivating manufacturers like Libolon to become the primary source for textiles and development initiatives.
With this observation in mind, Libolon has developed the “Closed Loop Recycling Zero Waste System.” The process involves the conversion of old fabrics from garments and shoes, remnant fabrics and unpacked material into crushed components through a unique “multicomplex purification process” to create chips/pellets and yarn.
Once finished, the products enter the market, creating a loop matching Libolon’s goal of “Endless Regeneration.” This loop system will certainly reintroduce both products and wastes into a new industrial circuit and offer many benefits for businesses, the environment, and society.
Many of the world’s largest sports brands, such as Everest, have valued the fabrics from Libolon, which they see as a viable alternative to products made from fossil fuel materials.
Super Textile Corp. — Building Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Production
As a country that cares about sustainable development, Taiwan’s textile industry attaches great importance to introducing advanced technology and using recycled materials to produce environmentally friendly products.
Super Textile Corp. has long developed and continues to create fabrics with recycled components that reduce the impact of waste on the environment. “Our main axes of management are product differentiation, customized service, quality control and sustainable environmental protection,” Sally Lo, vice president of Super Textile, explained.
In terms of sustainable product development, the Taipei-based company has cooperated with industry and academia since 1997 to develop recycled fabrics from PET bottles.
The company has received the National Enterprise Environmental Protection Award and the Industrial Waste Reduction Award for its Pineapple Leaf Fiber Fabric.
Relying on its rich production experience, Super Textile has worked with local farmers to create a pineapple fiber made from the leaves of pineapple plants. By combining the fiber with polyester, the company has developed a lightweight, easy-to-care-for textile fabric that has an elegant appearance similar to linen.
“The pineapple is one of the most widely planted crops globally,” stressed Lo. “In the past, the leaves were treated as waste and buried directly in the files, which easily caused pollution and impacted the quality of subsequent fruit cultivation.”
The Pineapple Leaf Fiber Fabric comes in a wide range of natural colors. It is a lightweight, easy-to-care-for textile fabric with an elegant appearance similar to linen.
For more information on the above companies, visit https://export.textiles.org.tw/en
Please follow TEPP Project’s website, Facebook, Linkedin as well as on YouTube. Don’t forget to check out the latest video released by Taiwan Textile Federation ” Taiwan Textiles – Sustainability” at https://youtu.be/UCSDdGCi78g & ” Taiwan Textiles – Intelligence” at https://youtu.be/Ad7ZVRzyWb8?list=PLckepooPvc1sbKzI3Tb04-rZVoFt8EvTv
Come to see us
Visit Taiwan Select booth and let Taiwan’s textile sector bring your idea to fruition.
SaigonTEX
Date:July 27-30, 2022
Venue : SECC, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Booth No.：1J-01
Contact: Michael Chang
TEL: +886-2-23417251 Ext. 2341
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://export.textiles.org.tw/en
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