#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2024-11-14

YKK unveils innovative zipper to boost garment recycling

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroaki Otani; hereafter, YKK) has developed NATULON Plus® with Recycled PET Open Parts, as part of its efforts to promote garment recycling. This innovative product will be showcased at the Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, Oregon, USA, from November 19 to November 21, 2024.

In the fashion industry there is an increasing demand for products that are designed to be easily recyclable at the end of their lifecycle. YKK is pleased to announce the new NATULON Plus® with Recycled PET Open Parts, a zipper maximizing the use of PET materials, which was conceived as a more easily recyclable YKK® product. The chain and the open parts are made of recycled PET, and the PET materials for the injection molding of the open parts were developed by YKK in-house. The slider is made of metal for ease of sorting and durability. This product simplifies the garment processing stage of textile recycling by reducing the need to remove the zipper.

Product Introduction: NATULON Plus® with Recycled PET Open Parts

Terry Tsukumo, Vice President, Product Strategy Division, Global Sales Headquarters, YKK Corporation, comments:“A large amount of apparel products is thrown away each year. We need to extend the service life of products while simultaneously designing them to be easily recyclable after use. We believe that incorporating YKK’s NATULON Plus® with recycled PET open parts into garments will simplify the garment processing stage and enable more of them to be recycled along with the garments. YKK has previously developed products that help to enable a circular economy such as VISLON® NATULON® made with ECONYL® Regenerated Nylon, a recyclable product which is intended for nylon garments, as well as revived replacement elements for VISLON® zippers which can replace broken elements to keep garments functioning longer. YKK will continue enhancing its products designed for circularity such as those that are easily recyclable and repairable, while aggressively working to tackle environmental problems in the apparel industry across the entire supply chain.”

Other products that aim to bring about a circular economy

+ VISLON® NATULON® made with ECONYL® Regenerated Nylon

Made of ECONYL® regenerated nylon, this zipper for nylon garments has been developed so that it can be recycled back into raw materials after use.

+ ADVANCEN® Made with ECONYL® Regenerated Nylon

This snap button is made of a single plastic material, using more than 98% recycled nylon ECONYL®.

+ Revived Replacement Elements for VISLON® zippers

This allows users to replace only the damaged element, without replacing the entire zipper.

+ DynaPel®

This zipper features a water-repellent function that does not rely on polyurethane (PU) films or coatings, which are often incompatible with many recycling systems.

+ TouchLink®

The zipper slider is equipped with an NFC chip, allowing customers and recyclers to easily access detailed information about the product with TouchLink® technology. This includes production date and location, material composition, care instructions, repair information, and more.

YKK to exhibit at Textile Exchange Conference 2025 in Lisbon

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) will exhibit at the Textile Exchange Conference 2025 in Portugal, held from Monday, October 13 to Friday, October 17, to showcase its products and initiatives that contribute to the realization of a circular economy in the fashion industry.

Providing zippers dyed with ECO-DYE® technology for the World Expo

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) will provide zippers to the University of Fukui’s Fukumira Design Factory for its booth at the “Science: Connecting You to the Future” exhibit (sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), which will take place at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan from August 14 (Thursday) to August 19 (Tuesday).

ISPO 2025: Dynamism, innovation, and strong impulses through close industry dialogue

Sports are becoming increasingly diverse and blending with many new areas. As a result, the sports industry is growing larger, customer demand is changing, and its fields of application are becoming more varied. New technologies, data-driven business models, sustainability, and international networking are shaping the market. In this dynamic environment, ISPO exhibitors demonstrate how change can be actively shaped.

A+A 2025: innovations and know-how for tomorrow’s world of work

A+A 2025 has kicked off and is making Düsseldorf the centre of the international OSH world once again. Under the guiding theme “People matter” the world-leading trade fair for safety, security and health at work brings together over 2,340 exhibitors from 70 countries on 88,500 sqm net exhibition space in 13 exhibition halls making it the meeting point for the international expert community for the future of work again.

MUNICH FABRIC START: Strategic repositioning of the show’s summer term to late July 2026

MUNICH FABRIC START Exhibitions GmbH is reacting to the development of fashion cycles and is repositioning its summer trade show six weeks earlier starting in 2026. With the new scheduling, MUNICH FABRIC START confirms its role as the clear start of the season and creates two optimally coordinated presentation platforms per season.

Knitex Industries Ltd. (Mondol Group) invests in advanced Mahlo technology

Bangladesh’s Knittex Industries Ltd. is known for its commitment to top-quality knitwear and responsible produc-tion. To further enhance fabric quality, the company has invested in a Mahlo Orthopac RVMC-15 weft straightener. Installed by Tootal Quality Resources, the system ensures perfect fabric alignment and supports Knittex’s goal of continuous improvement.

Room for more: experience brand diversity at Heimtextil 2026

Interior designers are planners, craftspeople, consultants and designers all at once. Many of them work alone or in small teams - under high time pressure, with a clear goal: to design rooms that are harmonious down to the last detail. This makes it all the more important to have offerings that provide guidance, open up new perspectives and support the development of holistic solutions. Heimtextil 2026, taking place from 13 to 16 January in Frankfurt, offers exactly that: a newly structured hall concept that enables targeted comparisons, saves time and provides valuable inspiration for consulting practice.

EFI and Fiery, LLC, reach agreement on Fiery acquisition of Inèdit software

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (EFI™) today announced that it has signed an agreement for Fiery, LLC, to acquire all interests in Inèdit Software, the leading RIP and color management software company serving all brands of digital textile printers worldwide. Inèdit’s software products, including neoStampa, neoTextil and neoCatalog, serve the digital textile and specialty printing markets, and will enable Fiery to broaden its suite of solutions targeted at those markets. EFI Reggiani will continue its strong working relationship with Inèdit as an OEM partner.