All uniforms are not created equally. Many simply offer standard functions such as basic stain and water repellency, antimicrobial finishes and perhaps some flame-retardant properties.
However for the wearer to get maximum benefit from their uniform, further customization is required.
“We customize the functions of our uniforms for each customer. For example, our chef uniforms are specifically designed so that ingredients used in a kitchen – like sauce, food or whatever, will not stick to the fabric. We want to protect chefs when they are cooking and help them stay clean and fresh. We also make uniforms for other industries such as healthcare, where doctors have their own unique requirements based on their work environment,” said Yuttana Silpsarnvitch at J.M. Apparel Co., Ltd.
The company has a design and technical team to develop garments that specifically meet the requirements based on the functions of each customer.
In addition to uniforms, the company also produces t-shirts and polos with advanced functional properties including anti-bacterial, water resistant and UV protection.
J.M. Apparel produces about one million t-shirts and polos each month, and about 100,000 uniforms for many industries.
The Right Materials that Get The Job Done
Uniforms and other high performance garments typically use fabrics that are cotton blends. As many brands and manufacturers have found, the quality of the cotton can make a big difference in the quality of the final garment.
“We choose to use U.S. cotton because the quality is very stable compared with cotton from other sources. In many cases, our customers nominate us to use U.S. cotton,” said Mr. Silpsarnvitch.
“Also, we can see that the demand for sustainable garments is becoming very strong. We must be able to show the customer that we are using sustainable materials, and U.S. cotton uses very sustainable farming practices.”
J.M. Apparel has further invested in sustainable manufacturing by joining the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® (the Trust Protocol).
“We have a design and technical team that customizes the functional properties of our uniforms for each customer to ensure top performance.”
“We joined the Trust Protocol because more customers are asking for detailed information about their supply chains. We are a garment manufacturer so we are at the end of the whole supply chain. Behind us is the yarn and the fabric.
“We want our customers to be able to trust that the garments they buy from us are backed by a transparent supply chain. We felt that becoming a Trust Protocol member was the best way to ensure this.
“As a Trust Protocol member, I can provide them with the data they need – including for the materials we use,” said Mr. Silpsarnvitch.
Growing Opportunities to Export
Currently most of J.M. Apparel’s products are sold in the domestic market, with about 20 percent being exported. However as the global demand for high quality, sustainable apparel continues to grow, the company is seeing more opportunities to develop new markets.
“We also have production capacity in Vietnam, Cambodia, and in Laos so we can easily expand and meet international brands’ requirements,” said Mr. Silpsarnvitch.
There will always be a demand for apparel, but to be the best choice for brands manufacturers need to meet a growing list of criteria that ranges from good quality and flexibility to product development and sustainability.
“We cannot compete with the low cost nations on price. So we have to do something new and add more value to our products,” he said.
Email. yuttanamail@gmail.com | www.bluebearuniform.com | Tel. +66-5-693-4165
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/about/
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
