Garmon Chemicals, international supplier of textile chemicals and auxiliaries, has announced its’ new set of initiatives towards making the fashion industry more environmentally responsible and transparent. The new goals for the company, which was purchased in January 2018 by the US-based Kemin Industries group, is to implement a multiple initiatives including product innovations, workshops and new certifications.

“We firmly believe in developing sustainable chemistry” says Donald Mulazzani, Marketing and Business Development Director at Garmon Chemicals in a statement. “Not only in terms of product, but also as evidence of our responsible approach on several levels. In this way, we want to contribute to disseminating what will need to be the best practices in the future, for the whole industry.”

Three main innovations spearheading the sustainability campaign for Garmon include: A partnership with Alliance for Responsible Denim, internationally recognized standard certifications on sustainability and quality, and finally the “Stretch Care” collection which features a number of eco-compatible solutions, specific for the finishing of stretch fabrics.

Alliance for Responsible Denim partnership

Garmon Chemicals joined ADR in June, which brings brands together to decrease the ecological impact in the production of denim, in a workshop held this summer in London. Titled, “Doctor Visits,” the workshop was presented to six denim brands and focused on best practices for sustainable denim manufacturing. The six brands each brought the finishing process used for their never out of stock collections and received recommendations for innovative alternatives in sustainability from Garmon.

According to the company, the goal was to show the brands new possibilities to migrate towards more responsible finishing, improving their recipes as well. This was a way to reaffirm how eco-friendly innovations can also increase finished product quality.

The new ISO certifications: increasingly high standards

Garmon Chemicals has been awarded two certifications for compliance with ISO international standards in terms of safety, reliability and quality. Reference is made here to ISO 9001:2015, a certification which sets international criteria for quality management systems, and to ISO 14001:2015, a certification acknowledging worldwide compliance with all requirements for an environmental management system. This certification, in particular, helps organizations improve their environmental impact through a more efficient use of resources and reduction of production waste.

3. “Stretch Care” collection

Introduced at the April 2018 Kingpins exhibition in Amsterdam, the new “Stretch Care” collection is a line of products completely dedicated to enhancing the qualities and performance of stretch fabrics. The specially selected chemicals developed for the line, along with sustainable raw materials are suited for eco-compatible treatments and optimize the production process with less waste output.

A newly developed chemical titled Geopower NPS eliminates the use of pumice stone in certain denim washes in the collection. This compound provides the same result as pumice stone while reducing environmental impact from extracting, and travel of stone. Additionally developed is Avol Oxy White, a bleaching agent designed to achieve localized effects on denim and is ecologically advanced with environmental impact reduced to a minimum.

Founded in 1982 Garmon Chemicals, is an international provider of chemical auxiliaries, R&D, and marketing for garment processing. Today, Garmon’s focus has turned its attention to sustainability in the textile industry.

Photos: Courtesy of Garmon Chemicals