In recent times, recycling of products has become a buzzword in the textile industry. This has come about due to the increasing awareness from the consumers, towards buying recycled products to protect the environment. Teijin Fibres Ltd., Japan is one of the torch bearers of this movement.
Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in five main fields: synthetic fibers; films and plastics; pharmaceuticals and home health care; trading and retail; and IT and new products and the group had consolidated sales of US $9.4 billion in fiscal 2008 and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide.
Polyester fibers have evolved as the Teijin Group's core business, in line with growth in the global market. Teijin Fibers Limited is the Teijin Group's polyester fiber operation and conducts R&D, manufacturing and marketing of materials and textiles made from polymer and polyester fibers.
The Teijin Group began dealing with global environmental issues relatively early and formulated the "Teijin Group Global Environmental Charter" in 1992 and also appointed a Chief Social Responsibility Officer (CSRO) in 2002, since when it began making rapid strides in issues related to environmental concerns.
To get a better understanding of the environmental and sustainability measures undertaken by Teijin Fibres, Fibre2fashion spoke to a spokesperson of Teijin Fibres to let us and our reader know about the endeavours initiated by the company relating to these main issues currently concerning the textile sector.
We began by asking him about 'Eco Circle', to which he said, “It is an environmentally friendly closed-loop recycling system for used polyester products. The system employs the world's first chemical recycling technology developed by Teijin Fibers and with this technology, polyester is chemically decomposed at the molecular level and converted into new polyester raw materials”.
“Teijin cooperates with registered companies that share a commitment to promoting progressive environmental activities through the development and manufacture of products made from recyclable materials, as well as collection and recycling of these products at the end of their useful lives”, he added by saying.
Next we asked him to reveal the advantages of 'Eco Circle', to which explained by saying, “Reclaimed polyester materials through 'Eco Circle' offers purity that is comparable to those derived from petroleum, with no qualitative deterioration. The repeatable recyclability leads to oil resource conservation and waste volume reduction, compared to developing polyester materials from petroleum, this system reduces energy consumption by 84% and carbon dioxide emissions by 77%”.
Finally we probed him by asking him to tell us the evolution of 'Eco Circle', to which he replied by saying, “While the original focus of 'Eco Circle' was on recycling company and school uniforms and interior materials, the initiative was expanded through collaborations in 2005 with Patagonia Inc., a leading U.S. outdoor gear manufacturer, and fashion wear manufacturers in 2006”.
“Products within the scope of 'Eco Circle' now include eco bags, which were first introduced in 2006 and since its launch in 2002, 'Eco Circle' has been participated by over 100 companies worldwide, mostly apparel and sportswear manufacturers. Overseas members have also increased and now include major manufacturers such as Patagonia Inc., Quiksilver in France and Swany America”, he concluded by saying.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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