Why green fiber is favored by famous brands

The fashion of the ready-to-wear industry, which is now so gorgeous, can only be more energetic and more vital if it is truly integrated into it. The “green” connotation of the garment industry depends to a large extent on the support of the green fiber materials in the upstream sector. In this context, green development has become one of the most important directions in the chemical fiber industry. In this process, the active development of the “green fiber” mark certification has become an important starting point. Since the launch of this work, a green wave of research and development and production of green fiber and application of green fiber has been launched in the textile industry chain.

The awareness of the application of environmentally friendly materials in downstream enterprises is gradually awakening

Green fibers contain three major categories, namely recycled chemical fibers (recycled fibers), bio-based chemical fibers, and stock-based chemical fibers. The process of research and development and production of green fiber is an important embodiment of the practice of green development in the chemical fiber industry. From the perspective of the whole industry chain, the value of green fiber will ultimately be reflected in the wide application of downstream weaving and terminal brands.

A group of internationally renowned brands have already taken the lead in this regard. International sports brands such as Nike and Adidas have always had a special liking for the recycling of chemical fibers in green fibers. They are increasingly bringing products such as sports shoes and sportswear made from recycled polyester fibers to the market. Moreover, the retail price of such products is generally higher than that of products made from virgin fibers.

Nike's previously published 2016/2017 Financial Year Sustainability Business Report shows that in FY2017, 75% of Nike's footwear and apparel products use recyclable materials, mainly recycled polyester. Nike's FlyKnit series uppers are made from recycled polyester.

Not only sports brands, but also global fast fashion brands represented by ZARA and H&M are increasingly focusing on the selection of green raw materials in the upstream of the supply chain. According to H&M's previously set goals, it is expected that by 2030, the raw materials used by the brand will be 100% recycled or sustainable. A person in charge of ZARA brand Shanghai Branch also told reporters that there were some information asymmetry between retailers and raw material suppliers, but now, brands are facing a long supply chain, hoping to Well-established upstream companies strengthen their docking, and the procurement of green materials is an important part of them, in order to build a responsible brand value chain system.

In China, some retail brands with strong social responsibility awareness have begun to try to do so. Headquartered in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, 361 Degrees (China) Co., Ltd. is one of the leading sports goods retailers in China. In 2017, its turnover was 5.158 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.7%, gross profit was 2.156 billion yuan, and gross profit margin was approximately 41.8%. Among them, clothing sales accounted for about 38.5% of its total turnover. In order to enhance the product innovation ability, in the past few years, the 361 degree clothing category has made great efforts in the process, technology content, function and quality, and began to try to adopt environmentally friendly fabrics, and many characteristics of environmentally friendly fabrics are given by green fibers. of.

Tian Youru, Director of Materials Planning and Development of 361 Degrees (China) Co., Ltd. told reporters that sports brands are currently paying more attention to the use of environmentally friendly materials. In recent years, 361 degrees gradually began to use colored liquid to regenerate fiber and bio-based fibers. At present, 361 degrees is considering how to form a closed loop from the "raw material - weaving - dyeing finishing - garment manufacturing" links, integrate resources and industrial chain, and truly achieve green environmental protection.

However, Tian Youru pointed out some practical problems that need to be improved. For example, 361 degrees found in the use of environmentally friendly materials, environmental dye dyeing is low temperature dyeing, but there will be some problems in the post-processing, which limits the use of this material. As far as the raw liquid coloring fiber is concerned, there is a quantitative problem in the proofing stage; in terms of hand feeling, the fabric made from the raw liquid colored fiber still has a certain difference from the conventional dyed fabric.

"If these problems can be effectively solved, the application of green materials will be more downstream," said Tian Youru.

Lufeng Weaving & Dyeing Co., Ltd. is one of the well-known shirt fabric manufacturers in China, mainly engaged in high-grade shirt fabrics. The company's design director Zhong Weihao said that the company is currently providing green services to consumers through a four-in-one model of suppliers, manufacturers, brands and sales teams. Ecology, environmental protection and health are not only the advocacy of the country, but also the needs of downstream customers. At present, the company is developing raw liquid coloring fabrics and recycled polyester fabrics to meet the needs of customers. In practical applications, Zhong Weihao also raised the same problem as Tian Youru. “The company also has quantitative problems in the process of using raw liquid coloring fibers. Next, we hope that through various efforts, the market for green and environmentally friendly products will be further expanded.” Zhong Weihao said.

Strengthening the guidance of the domestic public concept is critical

Whether the clothing and apparel products that use green fiber can be accepted by the market, the consumers have the final say. Previously, due to multiple factors, domestic consumers have some misunderstandings about the recycling of chemical fiber products in green fiber. As for the value and significance of the purchase of clothing and home textile products using green materials, it is even more unclear. .

Zhao Qingzhang, consultant of China Textile Science Research Institute Co., Ltd., said: "Recycled fiber is mainly used as a filler. It has been synonymous with low-end products for a long time, but now, the recycled fiber industry is no longer the case."

This means that, next, we must work hard to expand the application and sales market of green fiber in the terminal fields such as domestic clothing and home textiles. How to gather more powers, so that the public can have more understanding of green fiber and better understand the purchase of green. The meaning of fiber products is critical.

According to Zhao Qingzhang, nowadays, the recycled fiber of the original fiber can be made. From the production point of view, the recycled fiber needs to be processed at a high temperature of several hours and 300 degrees Celsius. The bacteria can be completely eliminated, and the unsafe factors existing in the waste bottle pieces and the waste textiles are not brought into the fiber at all. In addition, recycled fiber producers are constantly upgrading their equipment, which also makes products of higher quality, safer and greener.

“Green fiber products are trustworthy, consumers can completely dispel the concerns about the quality and safety of recycled fiber products, and they can buy products with green fiber logos safely. Those products that have obtained the green fiber mark certification are more expensive than the original polyester. High, many internationally renowned brands are customers of China's reclaimed fiber enterprises, which shows that the quality of China's recycled fiber enterprises is critical. Moreover, the certification process of green fiber marks is very strict, including raw material procurement, process flow and other aspects, This can guarantee the quality of recycled fiber." Zhao Qingzhang stressed.

As Zhao Qingzhang said, the foreign consumer market has long been ahead of this. In this regard, Yu Xinjian, chief engineer of Zhejiang Jiaren New Materials Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Jiaren New Materials”), who has long been in contact with well-known foreign sports brand customers, is deeply touched. When talking about the question of why the new materials of the beautiful people will have such a strong momentum to continue to grow, he replied: "Our company has cooperated with many internationally renowned sports brands for many years. In cooperation with customers, we found that the brands themselves A sustainable development plan has been developed. They hope to increase the amount of polyester fiber without increasing the carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, the purchase of recycled fiber and raw liquid colored fiber is gradually increased. The demand of downstream customers is increasing. The confidence of the new materials continues to expand and develop, and where does the confidence of these foreign sports brands come from? Of course, their consumers' recognition and purchasing power for green textiles."

However, the awareness of consumers in the domestic market is also changing. On the one hand, with the general improvement of the consumption concept, domestic consumers are paying more and more attention to the green ecological series products. On the other hand, in the big wave of green development, more public organizations and platforms have begun to focus their attention on the emerging materials industry with green and environmental value, and began to increase their attention to the industry. guide. For example, on the evening of June 4 this year, CCTV 2 sets of "Economic Information Networking" column broadcasted a special report on "Difficult to Recycle Old Clothes", which is undoubtedly a very good "science".

Moreover, some domestic brands themselves are also strengthening the guiding of consumers' ideas. "Many consumers do not realize that environmental protection has something to do with themselves in the process of purchasing clothing. Therefore, 361 degrees hope to continue to increase guidance to consumers." Tian Youru said.

Green fiber is related to the sustainable development of the textile industry

The certification of the green fiber mark was guided by the Consumer Products Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the China Chemical Fiber Industry Association. At present, a total of 21 companies in China have obtained green fiber mark certification.

He Yanli, vice president of China Chemical Fiber Industry Association, pointed out that chemical fiber currently accounts for 80% of China's total textile fiber processing, with an annual processing capacity of about 50 million tons, while China's chemical fiber production accounts for about 70% of the world's total chemical fiber production. The volume of China's chemical fiber industry is so large, and its green development is directly related to the sustainable development of the textile industry and even the national economy. Moreover, among chemical fiber products, petroleum-based products account for about 90%, while petroleum is a non-renewable resource, and petroleum-based chemical fiber products are not easily degraded in nature. Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problem of green and sustainable development of the chemical fiber industry. The green fiber mark certification is to promote the green development of the chemical fiber industry.

Zhejiang Jinxia New Material Technology Co., Ltd., which has been focusing on making raw liquid coloring fibers, has passed the first batch of certification. Shen Dongmei, director of the company's administrative department, said that the company has been making coloring fibers for nearly 20 years. The products are widely used and the customers are relatively high-end. At present, the demand for green fibers in fabrics and home textile enterprises is relatively large. The oil used by the company is environmentally friendly, and the production process also emphasizes environmental protection. It has formed a certain green manufacturing plan and constantly improves the certification system. In 2018, the company focused on the integration of design, production process, marketing and other aspects.

“Our company has tried its best to expand the promotion of green fiber among downstream customers, and asked the salesperson to communicate with customers on this one to explain to customers. At present, some customers even propose the concept of green fiber customization. Next, the company hopes to influence more. Many downstream customers make them pay more attention to green fiber.” Shen Dongmei said.

The new material of the beauty is made from waste textiles. Through the complete decomposition of “chemical method”, the raw materials are reduced into new polyester fibers, and the pigments, colors and impurities can be removed in the process. The quality of the recycled polyester products produced is comparable to that of the original polyester. . Yu Xinjian pointed out that the certification of green fiber marks is an honor and a better spur to the enterprise. Next, from production to the back-end industry chain, the company will cooperate extensively with downstream brands to better reflect green from the perspective of environmental protection, production and industrial chain. In the production process, the company will increase technological innovation and expand production capacity this year, and will also focus on the introduction of environmentally friendly, non-twisted catalysts for recycled polyester products.

Tin Fu Long Fiber Technology Yangzhou Co., Ltd. has recycled fiber production line 17, with an annual capacity of about 200,000 tons, the production of renewable colored polyester staple fiber also received a green fiber certification mark. Chen Jian, deputy general manager of the company, said: "We have found that the demand for recycled fiber by downstream customers has increased year by year. Previously, there was some misunderstanding of recycled fiber in the society, but the company implemented strict and higher standards and developed high standards. High-quality products have gained more recognition through continuous breakthroughs and customer advancement."

So, what is the next key development direction for green fiber mark certification work and certification companies? In this regard, He Yanli said: "We must formulate relevant standards for green fiber as a basis for evaluating whether a company's products can be added to certification; companies that produce green fiber should continuously improve processes and technologies to make products more abundant, energy-saving and consumption-reducing. The level should be higher; the dissemination and promotion of green fiber should be increased, so that a wider group of people in the society as well as upstream and downstream enterprises should better understand and recognize green fiber; continue to strengthen the team of certified enterprises and expand the scale of certified enterprises. And actively promote downstream brands such as home textiles and clothing to use green fiber hangtags."