#Sustainability

2020-12-03

Kemin Textile Auxiliaries becomes official bluesign® system partner

Adhering to bluesign® reinforces Kemin Textile Auxiliaries’ commitment to sustainability and provides customers further guarantee of transparent and traceable production processes

Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services, announced today that Garmon Chemicals (Garmon), Kemin’s textile auxiliaries business unit and the chemical solutions brand for the denim and fashion industry, has officially become a bluesign® system partner.

bluesign® is a leading global, independent verifier that supports the textile industry in its efforts to improve sustainable processes. Created in 2000 and supported by some of the world’s most important chemical suppliers, textile manufacturers and brands – such as NIKE® and adidas® – bluesign® has become a guarantee of responsible and transparent production processes.

To become a bluesign® system partner, a chemical company must undergo a strict onsite assessment to examine the transparency of its manufactured chemical products and their risks. To pass the assessment, the chemical company must meet strict criteria of resource efficiency, work safety and environmental and consumer protection.

Becoming a bluesign® system partner was a natural progression for Kemin Textile Auxiliaries, as Garmon is a pioneer in sustainability with a long history of developing eco-friendly and safe solutions. Garmon was one of the first chemical companies in the garment finishing industry to certify its products, offering its customers further guarantee of their superior ecological performance.

With many Garmon products already in the ZDHC Gateway, the database of safer chemicals adopted by the majority of fashion brands, and the company’s adherence to bluesign® system, Kemin Textile Auxiliaries can meet all its customers’ needs in terms of sustainability – all while maintaining the highest standards of quality and traceability to meet brand expectations.

For more information, visit http://www.garmonchemicals.com.

180 years of TESTEX: From Zurich silk testing to global certification

For 180 years, TESTEX has developed alongside the textile industry while maintaining the same underlying purpose: creating trust through independent and reliable measurement. Founded in Zurich in 1846 as the Zurich Silk Conditioning Institute, TESTEX has grown from a local institution serving the silk trade into an international Swiss testing and certification institute for textiles and leather.

Cascale launches member-led process to shape 2030 strategy

Cascale has launched a member-led process to define the industry alliance’s strategic direction for the next decade. At the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026 in Athens, CEO Ying McGuire announced that members will contribute to an industry system map that will inform Cascale’s 10-year vision, its 2030 strategy and priorities for 2027. The new strategy is scheduled to be finalized in December.

Jeanologia Sustainability Report highlights environmental impact of textile technologies

Jeanologia has published its Sustainability Report 2025, reporting a 13.64% reduction in its own carbon footprint and quantifying the environmental impact associated with the use of its technologies across the global textile industry. According to the company’s calculations, their use avoided the pollution of 21.52 million m³ of water and emissions of approximately 103,530 tonnes of CO₂ compared with conventional textile finishing processes.

Global Standards announce launch of a new textile processing standard

The 14th September 2026 marks the public launch of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS), a new standard for the processing of textiles made from fibres certified to third-party standards recognised by GRTS and covering a broad range of plant, animal, synthetic, man-made cellulosic and recycled fibres.

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC. Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

German textile industry and retailers form alliance to shape textile EPR system

Germany’s textile and fashion industry and retail sector have joined forces to establish the “Alliance for Textile Circularity” (Allianz für textile Kreisläufe). Initiated by the German Textile and Fashion Industry Association (Gesamtverband textil+mode) and the German Retail Federation (HDE), the alliance aims to contribute industry expertise to the development of Germany’s future Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for textiles and footwear.

PERFORMANCE DAYS introduces Digital Design Journey with CLO and VIZOO

PERFORMANCE DAYS will introduce a new Digital Design Journey at its upcoming edition in Munich, connecting physical fabric sourcing with 3D product development. Supported by CLO and VIZOO, the installation will demonstrate how real performance fabrics can be digitized and incorporated into virtual garment development workflows.