Denim manufacturing has a reputation as being one of the apparel industry’s dirtiest businesses.
One manufacturer is tackling this problem and in doing so has elevated itself from its competitors, as well as giving brands a resource for producing more sustainable jeans.
“We are one of the few denim garment manufacturers in Southeast Asia with an in house laundry facility that also focuses on sustainability. Our laundry in our Thailand factory uses water that is recycled through a treatment system, something that you would rarely find elsewhere in the region,” said Narumol Hutasuwan at Theparerg Co., Ltd.
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to brands from all nations. Nowadays there’s added pressure to not only be more sustainable but to back that up with more transparent supply chains.
For an industry like textiles, with a very complex supply chain, that can be a big challenge.
“The garment manufacturer is at the end of the supply chain. Being a member of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® (the Trust Protocol) gives us a ‘stamp of approval’ that makes it easier for customers to understand our commitment to sustainable products, as well as providing proof that our supply chain is transparent,” she said.
Better Denim from Better Materials
As consumers become increasingly selective about the garments they purchase, it is important for brands to be able to deliver products with multiple touch points that indicate high quality.
“In terms of production, we need to get the right cotton to be able to achieve good, consistent washes. When you use good quality cotton you have a lot less headaches in controlling the outcome of the washes.
“We are one of the few Southeast Asia denim garment manufacturers with a laundry facility that uses water we recycle through a treatment system.”
“It’s not only the look of the jeans, it’s also the hand feel. With U.S. cotton we can ensure that our jeans have a really good feeling. Most cotton from the U.S. has longer staple fibers and that gives the fabric a smoother hand feel. We can provide our customers with garments where the look is right and the quality is right.”
Most of Theparerg’s customers are in the EU, however orders from Japan continue to grow.
“Our Japanese customers always do 100% QC checks for their products, regardless of the order quantity,” she said, noting the value of her company’s investment using high quality raw materials.
Adapting to a Fast Changing Market
In the old days both brands planned orders with long lead times. Today, everyone wants small orders – and they want them fast.
“Because we serve more high end customers we need to be very flexible. There’s no more six-month planning in advance. So we have to be able to adapt to the changes, usually last minute changes. We are very good at that, which is one of our competitive advantages. Our customers are very happy with our service, and that we understand them and what they require,” said Ms. Hutasuwan.
From Small Orders to Large Volumes
With factories in both Thailand and Myanmar, Theparerg can handle orders as small as 100 pieces or as large as 50,000 pieces. The company has a total monthly capacity of 120,000 pieces.
“Some of the companies may have a few brands, they may want to start a new brand but it is so hard to find anyone to produce for them. We are there for them – to support them as they grow. That is part of why the key advantage we offer is flexibility,” she said.
Theparerg is seeing rising demand for its garment production. The company is preparing to double its capacity in Myanmar to 100,000 pieces per month. This includes building a new facility that will be partially powered by solar energy.
“When the pandemic arrived, everything was put on hold. But recently, our orders are increasing, and they are increasing quite a lot actually,” said Ms. Hutasuwan.
Email. narumol@theparerg.com | Website. www.theparerg.com | Tel. +66-34-824719
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
