The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s (EMF) Jeans Redesign program just got closer to achieving its vision of a denim industry connected on the basis of circularity.
Garmon Studio, the application lab of chemical solutions company Garmon Chemicals, joined the initiative this summer, adding to the acclaimed roster of 94-and-growing denim industry leaders committed to circular design. By aligning with the program, it joins the ranks of garment manufacturers, fabric mills, retailers and brands like Levi’s, H&M, Lee and Guess.
Launched in 2019, the Jeans Redesign program gathered together more than 40 denim experts to develop minimum requirements on garment durability, material health, recyclability and traceability based on the principles of the circular economy. The first redesigned jeans using the guidelines were completed in June 2021, and as of mid-July, more than half a million pairs of circular jeans have entered the market as a result of the initiative.
Around that same time, EMF updated the guidelines to include a mandatory recycled content requirement that reflects the industry’s growing use of post-consumer recycled content. The new requirement calls for a minimum of 5 percent recycled content on average by weight in the total fabric composition for fabric mills, or average by weight in the total textile composition of every garment for brands, retailers, and garment manufacturers. Recycled content should be validated with the Global Recycled Standard or the Recycled Claim Standard.
Joining the initiative further underscores parent company Kemin Textile Auxilliaries’ sustainability focus. The company, which owns Garmon Chemicals and Garmon Studio, has adopted industry-leading certifications such as the ZDHC program and Bluesign certification and debuted its water-saving Smart Foam technology for garment finishing.
Recently, Garmon Chemicals celebrated the opening of Garmon Studio China, the first applicative laboratory that Kemin Textile Auxiliaries has opened outside of San Marino, placed near the center of China’s denim manufacturing industry. The lab allows Garmon technicians to work with companies that previously faced language barriers or travel restrictions, and helps better develop local collections that match domestic styles and trends, ultimately helping clients efficiently develop samples.
Kemin Textile Auxilliaries’ innovations stretch beyond the fashion industry, as it supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuels and animal vaccine industries, meaning its commitment to circularity has the potential to make an even greater impact on the world.