[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
WRAP Announces First Accredited Consultants
By Will Duncan, [TC]² and Steve Jesseph, WRAP
WRAP, the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production organization, has announced that [TC]² has become the first firm, and that Ivan Viera, Esq. has become the first accredited individual consultant, to provide training and consulting services to factories seeking certification to WRAP’s Apparel Code of Conduct and the newly released Universal Code of Ethical Conduct under its new Accredited Consultant Program.
“We’ve seen a growing need at the factory level for training of management, supervisors and employees in the areas of human resources management, health and safety, legal compliance, efficiency improvements, environmental practices and all areas related to CSR management,” said Steve Jesseph, WRAP President and CEO. “An increasing number of brands and retailers are asking factories to become certified to the WRAP standard. At the same time, we were finding that some factories were having difficulty in meeting the expectations and not for lack of trying, but for lack of information and training. While we provide orientation and basic training in the WRAP requirements, we also recognized that no one organization or group of consultants was helping factories to truly understand what was expected of them at an in-depth level and how compliance programs could improve the productivity and profitability of their business at the same time. Ivan and the staff of the [TC]² organization have a unique set of skills that, coupled with the additional information and systems approach that WRAP utilizes, allows them to provide what we believe will speed the certification process and help the factory improve their operations at the same time,” added Jesseph.
“[TC]² has been providing research and consulting services to the global apparel, soft goods and sewn products industry since our founding in 1981,” said Will Duncan, [TC]² Vice President, Industry Services. “We have been impressed with the growth and acceptance of WRAP by the sewn products industry, brands and retailers and saw our affiliation with WRAP as a logical extension and value-added service of what we’re already doing at the facility level. With our 25+ years of experience and knowledge in the global supply chain, we believe this service will be of great assistance to our client factories and help them even further improve their operations. Our initial focus will be in the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America,but we hope to grow this part of our practice aggressively over the next several years.”
Attorney Ivan Viera, former Vice President with Russell Corporation, Sara Lee Branded Apparel and counsel with Constangy, Brooks and Smith, also completed the consultant accreditation program and will be teaming with [TC]² to serve as an expert advisor on legal, human resources, employee and labor relations, and communication issues. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work throughout the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia for the past 30 years, and have developed a broad knowledge base of legal requirements and business practices in the apparel and manufacturing sectors,” said Viera. “Ivan has such a strong background as a legal advisor and human resources professional that we’re very excited about the skills he brings to our affiliation,” added Duncan.
The Industry Services Division of [TC]² provides consulting services in many areas of the industry around the globe. Often beginning with a Plant Assessment and/or a Business Process Analysis, the Industry Services team provides on-site training and development in Lean Practices and Organizational Culture, as well as Industrial Engineering. For further information on these and other valued services, please contact Will Duncan at (919) 653-3505 or use the [TC]² contact form.
Product Type and Sustainable Business Practices
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
Today, sustainability is used not only to describe a product made from a reusable or recycled material, companies are also implementing sustainable business practices as well. There are numerous sustainable practices that can benefit both the company and the environment. Even though companies are becoming more aware of the attributes sustainable practices can offer, there is little agreement on what should be done. Interestingly, product type plays an integral role in the kind of sustainable practices a company should pursue. A recent study conducted in the U.K. examined the lifecycle of a variety of products. The study details the phases in a product’s life that can lead to adverse environmental impact.
The most common strategies that have been investigated in the textile and apparel industries to reduce adverse environmental impact are:
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Improved resource usage (water and energy)
Substitution of harmful chemicals used during the production process and in fabrics themselves
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Development of environmentally sensitive production techniques, particularly for cotton
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Increased re-use of materials
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The use of materials that are more sustainable and can be reused
Today, clothing and textiles are delivered by a complex network of businesses and technologies operating across the world. In an attempt to determine the role product type plays in environmental impact, a T-shirt and carpet were examined. The following 5 phases of a textile product were analyzed:
Material – Production – Transportation – Use - Disposal
The T-shirt
There are literally billions of T-shirts sold world-wide. In the study it was assumed that T-shirts were constructed with 100% cotton yarns produced in the U.S., manufactured in China and then imported from China to the U.K. It was also assumed that a knit fabric was used and that the fabric finishing included scouring, bleaching, dying and finishing. The “use phase” or the phase in which the garment is in the possession of the consumer was defined as 25 home launderings at 60ºC, followed by tumble drying. The disposal phase was assumed to be incineration in which heat was generated.
The graph shows the energy profile for a T-shirt, illustrating the consumption of primary energy in the five major phases of its lifecycle. The total energy consumption is approximately 109MJ per T-shirt. Interestingly, the material, production and disposal stage are dwarfed by the use phase.
From the data generated in the study, it is was calculated that purchasing a 250 gram T-shirt implies purchasing 1,700 grams of fossil fuel, depositing 450 grams of waste into the landfill and emitting 4kg of CO2 into the atmosphere. The washing and drying of the T-shirt played a large role in determining these figures. In the case of a T-shirt, implementing sustainable practices in the use phase would have the greatest positive impact on the environment.
There are a number of strategies that could be pursued to reduce the energy consumption in the use phase. Reducing the number of times clothes were washed would have a significant effect. It was determined that tumble drying was responsible for about 60% of the energy use. Eliminating drying, ironing and using lower wash temperatures had the potential to significantly reduce the impact on global climate change.
Energy savings for the consumer could result in a significant annual savings. Replacing a washing machine purchased in 1995 with an energy saving model could save two thirds of the energy used and approximately twenty dollars a year. Eliminating the drying process could result in as much as a fifty dollar annual saving for an average household.
Carpet
Unlike T-shirts, which are cut and sewn, carpets are produced by automated machinery, therefore it is less advantageous to outsource relatively low wage labor. In the study, it was assumed that the carpet was manufactured domestically, constructed with nylon yarns using a tufted construction, backed with a polypropylene primary backing and a latex secondary backing. It was also assumed that the nylon yarn and polypropylene backing came from the U.S. The use phase included vacuum cleaning. Disposal involved incineration.
The graph illustrating the energy profile for a carpet (measured per square meter) is quite different from the T-shirt. The material production phase was approximately 71% of the total energy. The high material production is partly due to the large energy consumption that is necessary to produce nylon yarns—close to 160MJ per kg compared to about 50MJ per kg for cotton. In the case of a carpet, it would make the greatest impact to implement sustainable practices in the material phase. Extending the life of the carpet, recycling the nylon or using alternative materials could improve environmental measures.
Although the T-shirt was imported from China whereas the carpet was made domestically, the energy used in the transportation phase is comparatively small. In this case changing production location would have a relatively small environmental effect globally.
The study illustrates that energy consumption will vary greatly depending on the product type. Before launching a sustainable business program it is beneficial to examine the individual lifecycle phases of a specific product.
References
Well Dressed? The present and future of clothing and textiles in the United Kingdom.
http://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/sustainability/projects/mass/UK_textiles.pdf
[TC]² Activity
The 23rd IAF World Apparel Convention
By Kim Anderson and Mike Fralix, [TC]²
The Taiwan Textile Federation hosted the 23rd IAF World Apparel Convention in Taipei, Taiwan on October 25-26, 2007. The theme for this year’s Convention was “Asia - from a global production base to an emerging consumer market.”
Dr. Mike Fralix moderated one of the four sessions presented at the Convention titled Technology Development and Its Application to Production and Marketing. The panel included Dr. Chang Kyu Park, Director, i-Fashion Technology Center, Korea; Mr. Matthew Man, Director, Schmidt Electronics Group, Hong Kong; and Dr. Frank Chen, Director, Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute Union Chemical Laboratories.
Dr. Fralix opened the panel with a presentation titled Technology Development Using Virtual Worlds. Dr. Fralix pointed out the key areas where innovation is taking place within the textile and apparel industries. He then zeroed in on the emerging technology of the virtual community. Dr. Fralix described the benefits virtual communities can offer apparel companies. He gave the audience a preview of the current state of the virtual community and then discussed future directions. The future direction involves developing high quality avatars from 3D scans. With this kind of technology, virtual visitors will have the ability to create an avatar that would be a replica of themselves. Having these capabilities would be a great improvement upon current technology where avatars may only be a vague representation of the person and often bear no resemblance. Of course, that is what many visitors to virtual communities want.
Dr. Fralix then introduced Dr. Chang Kyu Park, Director, i-Fashion Technology Center. The i-Fashion Technology Center is doing virtual research designed for the retail environment. The center has developed a way to create a virtual model of a customer which allows them to try-on nearly any combination of sizes and styles of clothes using i-Fashion’s Magic Mirror. The i-Fashion Technology Center is focusing on the concept of Mass Customization—giving the customer the ability to purchase customized clothing virtually.
The next speaker for the panel was Mr. Matthew Man, Director, Schmidt Electronics Group. Mr. Man gave an update on the company’s Magic Mirror Development. Mi-Tu, an upscale fashion label and retailer, is using the RFID-enabled mirrors and electronic displays which have been co-developed by Schmidt Electronics in cooperation with Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Institute of Textiles and Clothing. The devices enable customers to view and locate a wide selection of in-store inventory while they try on and shop for clothes. According to associates from Mi-Tu the interactive shopping system has increased sales by 30 percent.
Dr. Chen, of Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute, completed the panel discussion on technology development with a presentation about innovations in the application of special properties to fabrics in the textile and apparel industry in Taiwan. Many of the properties incorporate the use of nano-technology. Such textile treatments and finishes include wrinkle resistance, stain avoidance, odor absorption, antimicrobial properties, etc. It was clear that the capabilities of fabrics are changing and future advancements will change our current expectations regarding how clothes will be used.
Member Profile - Perry Manufacturing Company
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Perry Manufacturing Company was founded in 1950 by William K. Woltz Sr., in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Currently, the lineage continues with William K. Woltz, Jr. in the role of President and CEO. In addition to the Mount Airy location, the company has operations in three states and three foreign countries. It is a major private label resource in today's demanding apparel market.
The company produces product through a combined network of company production facilities and quality contractors throughout Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It is a diversified international manufacturer of knit and woven casual apparel for women, children and men. Perry provides retailers and consumers with a wide variety of apparel products and services to suit their individual needs. Its private label customers are found in every major channel of distribution including national chains, specialty
catalogs, mass merchandisers, department stores, specialty
stores, and Internet retailers.
Perry Manufacturing’s highly qualified team of product development experts can engineer a garment from start to finish, and are adept at meeting the most demanding criteria in both specifications and construction. Perry continues to meet and exceed its customers' requirements for timely delivery of quality products.
Important Dates
December
3-5 |
31st Miami Conference on the Caribbean Basin. Go to www.c-caa.org for details. |
4 |
Ensuring Quality Products Seminar at [TC]². For information or to register, click here. |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Lawson, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.
A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
Next Issue - Year End Summary and Holiday Greetings
View previous editions of this newsletter
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