Taipei - Vertically integrated circular knitter Kingwhale has become the first mill in the Asia-Pacific region to join the RE100 global initiative, pledging to use 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2040.
The Taiwanese, which controls its entire production process from fibre spinning to knitting and garment production, says the move is its latest bid for sustainability.
RE100, led by international non-profit the Climate Group, is a global initiative to mitigate climate change by bringing together hundreds of large and ambitious businesses to switch to renewable electricity.
“The RE100 initiative was the next logical step for us,” said James Huang, president of Kingwhale. “We understand quite well that textile production can be very demanding on our natural resources, and that’s why we take sustainability very seriously.
"For years Kingwhale has set an example for our industry, showing others it’s possible to create great products while minimising waste and energy consumption, and now I hope others will join us in our commitment to 100 per cent renewable electricity.”
Kingwhale, a Bluesign system partner and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified company, previously developed a new yarn technology - LIT (Low Impact Technology) - to minimise the use of resources and reduce waste.
LIT modifies the molecular structure of polyester which means it need 60 per cent less water for dye preservation, 15 per cent less dyestuffs to achieve colour, and 22 per cent less electricity for heating and cooling.
