A Japanese government-sponsored initiative known as Cool Biz has encouraged companies to allow employees to dress more casually, including shedding the traditional suit coat and tie, in an effort to save energy for the past several summers.
This year, however, in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster and resulting decline in electrical power production, an updated version of the energy initiative, called Setsuden (power-conserving) Biz, encouraged office people to replace their business attire with genuine loose-fitting, built-for-comfort casual clothing. The program is said to have helped stimulate the Japanese apparel and retail markets.
A wide variety of special materials were used to produce extra-comfortable clothing, including sweat-absorption, quick-drying and heat-shielding materials for innerwear, sportswear, uniforms and fashion wear this summer. Teijin Fibers Limited, the Teijin group's polyester fiber company, was proud to do its part by offering functional materials with special properties.
These included textiles made of fibers that expand when moist and contract when dry, helping to increase ventilation and disperse steam, and curtain materials with heat-shielding properties.
The need to conserve energy will remain high in Japan during cooler times of the year. Teijin Fibers is already working to help save energy further, this time with heat-retentive, thermal-insulating and wind-blocking materials for clothing.
The following is a list of innovative energy-saving products that Teijin Fibers is supplying for this year's autumn and winter season lineups: Heat-retentive material incorporating Teijin's unique polymer technology to absorb infrared radiation from the sun and convert it into thermal energy.
Heat-retentive material coated with a special agent to absorb infrared sunlight and then convert it efficiently into thermal energy.
Comfortable, lightweight thermal-insulating material made from hollow, thin-walled threads that trap large quantities of dead (non-flowing) air to keep body heat from escaping.
Densely knitted wind-blocking fabric made with a special fiber and unconventional knit construction to greatly reduce airflow.
Based on continuing interest to save energy in Japan, including by individuals, Teijin Fibers is projecting sales of the above and other functional fiber materials and products to grow approximately 10% in the 2011 autumn and winter seasons.
Based in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in eight main fields: aramid fibers, carbon fibers & composites, polyester fibers, plastics, films, medical & pharmaceuticals, fiber products marketing and IT businesses.
Teijin Limited, the holding company for the Teijin Group, is listed on the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges. The group, comprising 150 companies and 17,542 employees worldwide, had consolidated sales of JPY 815.7 billion (USD 10.6 billion) and total assets of JPY 761.5 billion (USD 9.9 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011.
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