Cotton knits have always been a popular category, with demand continuing to grow as consumers look for apparel that is both smart and comfortable.
One of the best mills for cotton knits is I.D. Knitting Co. Ltd, which can produce almost any kind of cotton knit a brand could want – from traditional circular knits to jersey interlock, french terry, stretch terry and double jacquards.
“We invested in about 47 machines that enable us to manufacture this wide range of cotton knits,” said Tanapol Kiatsaveekul. The company started out manufacturing knitwear for children but expanded into adult garments.
The ability to do a wide variety of products differentiates I.D. Knitting from other mills.
“I believe joining U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol will increase opportunities and enhance trust from customers.”
“We have a good relationship with the suppliers so I can find any kind of material or any special finishing that customers want from the dyeing to the printing. If you see anything fashionable, or that’s hard to do – we will try to do it for you,” he said.
The company is able to small orders with the minimum MOQ being one roll (20 kg) or about 60-70 adult polos.
I.D. Knitting can not only manufacture even challenging types of knits, they also invest in making sure that their products are high quality.
Why Materials Really Matter
To make a good quality product, the kind that stands out to consumers as offering added value, you need to start with the best raw materials.
“We use U.S. cotton yarn because the quality is the best. Every time I order I know that the quality will be consistent and there will be no contamination. I don’t have to worry when we do the dyeing process if the color will be even.
“Other cotton yarns might be cheaper, but they cost me a lot of time when I have to solve production problems,” said Mr. Kiatsaveekul.
“Especially our babywear customers like the fact that we use U.S. cotton yarn. They said that when they use other suppliers they have issues with heaviness or evenness of the fabric. Also, the U.S. cotton yarn is less hairy so the fabric will have smoother surface,” he added.
Another advantage that I.D. Knitting has is that it sources over 95 percent of its yarn from domestic spinners. This gives the company a more flexible and reliable supply chain, which then benefits its customers.
Quality Backed by Transparency
Having a more transparent supply chain has gone from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘need to have’. To ensure that they could offer their customers the transparency they need, I.D. Knitting joined the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® (the Trust Protocol).
“I believe joining U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol will increase opportunities and enhance trust from customers,” said Mr. Kiatsaveekul.
What’s Next?
Recently I.D. Knitting has identified an opportunity to parlay its expertise at manufacturing high quality cotton knitwear into medical grade workwear.
The company is working on developing materials made with cotton yarn that have antibacterial properties and that can withstand washing at very high temperatures.
“I’m trying to use the knowledge I have of circular knitting and just invest in some new machines. Later, if the business goes well, I might consider adding woven products as well.
“I am also thinking of developing workwear and uniforms for other industries, such as food services,” he said.
Regardless of the products or categories, one that will stay the same is I.D. Knitting’s commitment to quality
Email. tanapol.k@idknitting.com
Tel. (662) 024-8982-3 | www.idknitting.com
Certified Sustainable
The Trust Protocol is aligned with existing sustainability programs including the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. It brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production, and drives continuous improvement in six key sustainability metrics – land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy efficiency. The Trust Protocol is designed from the ground up to address the unique regulatory and larger farm growing environment in the United States.
How the Trust Protocol Works
The Protocol Consumption Management Solution (PCMS) starts at the gin when the participating producer’s cotton is ginned and each unique Permanent Bale Identification number (PBI) is attached. At this point we know the exact gin weight and can create an exact amount of Protocol Cotton Consumption Units, where one Protocol Cotton Consumption Unit is created for each kilogram of Protocol Verified Cotton. This important step provides absolute authentication of U.S. cotton origin, verifying against the USDA database.
Supply Chain Transparency
The PCMS harnesses blockchain technology through a powerful combination of the Trust Protocol platform and TextileGenesis™ system to deliver full supply chain transparency by recording and verifying the movement of U.S. cotton along the entire supply chain. This creates article-specific transparency for finished products that was not previously accessible to brands and retailers.
Trusted Third Party Certification
The Trust Protocol incorporates a comprehensive program of verification against Trust Protocol benchmarks, in the form of both second-party and independent third-party audits of grower performance through Control Union Certifications—the latter through allocated on-site visits.
Control Union Certifications has certified over 150 industry standards programs worldwide, including working as a key partner in the early development and piloting phases of Impact Claim Verification Protocol.
Learn More https://trustuscotton.org
The COTTON USA Advantage
- Family growers who are committed to working their fields sustainably and leaving them better for future generations.
- A long history of innovative harvesting and ginning technologies resulting in higher-quality cotton.
- One of the highest rates of adoption in the world for Precision Agriculture, which minimizes water and pesticide usage.
- U.S. farmers operate under voluminous, stringent, and enforceable regulations.
- A commitment to transparent partnership that is unmatched anywhere.
- One of the most comprehensive systems for monitoring and measuring all the key metrics involved in sustainability.
U.S. Cotton Facts
- 2/3 of U.S. cotton land uses only rain water
- U.S. cotton water use efficiency has improved by 79% over the past 35 years
- Cotton is carbon footprint neutral, meaning the plants remove more greenhouse gasses than production produces.
Sustainability Goals
The U.S. cotton industry is building upon the strong environmental gains already achieved over the past 35 years. The aim is to help members meet their current needs while making the world a better place for future generations.
Specific goals include:
- Reducing by 13 percent the amount of land needed to produce a pound of cotton fiber
- Reducing soil loss by 50 percent, in balance with new soil formation
- Increasing water use efficiency (more fiber per gallon) by 18 percent
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 39 percent
- Increasing soil carbon in fields by 30 percent
- Reducing energy to produce seed cotton and ginned lint by 15 percent
Learn More www.cotton.org
