HONG KONG – Epic Group, a major garment manufacturer for global brands, has announced partnership with CleanKore, a denim innovation business, to boost sustainability in denim dyeing. The partnership will scale CleanKore’s patented yarn dyeing technology which provides potential sustainability benefits for denim mills and garment manufacturers.
CleanKore technology changes the chemistry and processes used to dye yarns by keeping intact the white core of the yarn and only dyeing the surface. This cuts water, chemicals and process time in the denim garment finishing stage.
CleanKore technology also enables the reduction of wash cycles – reducing water, chemical use and process time. Products tested by Epic Group and CleanKore demonstrated up to 44 per cent water savings in garment finishing and up to 60 per cent energy savings in the fabric dyeing stage, along with the elimination of PP spray.
Through their partnership, Epic Group and CleanKore are planning to rapidly scale up the adoption of this technology in partnership with Epic Group’s customer base. In the first year, the partnership plans to reach over four million pairs of denim and is working towards a scale of 15 – 20 million pairs of denim per annum in the next three years, converting a large portion of Epic Group’s denim production to CleanKore technology.
Speaking on the partnership Darryl Costin Jr, president and CEO, CleanKore said: “As a company committed to sustainability we could not have asked for a better partner to scale our ground-breaking technology. Epic Group has a phenomenal team from top to bottom who are completely aligned with our goals. Unlike other technologies, we are thrilled to offer a much more sustainable product to consumers that is cost neutral. With Epic Group we are moving to make elimination of toxic Potassium Permanganate spray a norm in the manufacturing industry.”
Ranjan Mahtani, Chairman, Epic Group said: “As a leading global denim manufacturer committed to improving sustainability in product and process, we work with breakthrough technologies that reduce negative impacts to the planet and the people. CleanKore technology offers a fantastic value proposition of significant sustainability benefits to our associates and the environment, without increasing the cost. Sustainable products should be scalable – not niche, and we will rapidly scale up the adoption of this technology. CleanKore coupled with Epic Group’s advanced technologies such as laser and low-liquor ratio washing machines will create a new benchmark for sustainably manufactured denim.”
