Use regional wools

Traditional sheep farming countries are Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa. Sheep are sheared on the farm in the country of origin.

Raw wools/greasy wools and packed in bolts and sold to wool washing and combing companies. Washing and combing of wool is usually done in a single process in the combing works. The largest washing and combing works are located in China, India, Argentina, Uruguay, Czech Republic and Italy. These produce wool tops that are packed into bolts and delivered to spinning mills/Zwickauer Kammgarn GmbH located in Germany and the Czech Republic. The relatively long transport routes associated with this supply chain are a burden on the environment.

ZKS also uses a certain amount of regional wools from Germany, France, England and Benelux. Sheep from these regions are not traditional wool sheep. The harvested wool is relatively rough and are use for special purposes. The supply chain is transparent and sustainable.

Use of mulesing free wools

Mulesing is the removal of skin around tail of the sheep without the use of pain killers. It is commonly used in Australia as a way to prevent flystrike.

Merino sheep are bred to have extremely folded skin in order to maximise wool production. Moisture collects in these folds of skin as well as faeces and urine in the folds around the rear orifice. This thus promotes flystrike. Alternative methods are selective breeding, research into flystrike resistance, insecticides and vaccinations, i.e. biological means of combatting flies.

Flystrike is not an issue in South America. As such, wools from there are always mulesing free.

Use of organic wool

Zwickauer Kammgarn GmbH uses wools from organically controlled livestock. And we go even further. We buy exclusively GOTS-certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) combed tops to ensure comprehensive sustainable transformation from the farm to yarn.

Our dyeworks (cross-wound and combed) is also GOTS-certified and therefore exceeds the legally required standards for the wellbeing of people and the environment.

Use of organic cotton

For the further processing in the spinning mill and dyeworks, Zwickauer Kammgarn GmbH uses cotton from controlled organic farms.

Just like our wool tops, here too we process exclusively GOTS-certific (Global Organic Textile Standard) wool yarns with transformation certificates from field to yarn.

Our dyeworks (cross-wound and combed) is also GOTS-certified and therefore exceeds the legally required standards for the wellbeing of people and the environment.

GOTS certification

Global Organic Textile Standard

GOTS certification aims to guarantee the organic status of textiles and provide consumers with credible reliability that the product is what it says it is.

This leading, globally recognised standard for all stages in the processing of clothing and home textiles sets down strict environmental requirements and defines social criteria that must be observed along the entirely of the textile supply chain.

In 2020, the number of GOTS-certified companies worldwide grew 36% to 10,388. These together employ more than 3 million people in 72 countries.

Use of recycled PES

Recycled polyester is differentiated between pre-consumer waste and post-consumer waste.

Pre-consumer waste is where residual materials from fibre and filament production processes are fed back into the production process.

Post-consumer waste is where PET bottles are sorted based on condition and colour, cleaned, and then shredded (bottle flakes). These flakes are melted down and spun out again.

Both methods have the benefit of reducing waste and requiring less crude oil for new production.

Use of recycled PA

The options available to us are a mixture of more than 50% pre-consumer waste that is fed back into the production process. What remains is basically virgin PA.

Use of biodegradable PA

Modified PA66 polymer that degrades into biomass and biogas in industrial composting plants.
(ASTM D 5511)

Use of biobased and biodegradable raw materials

Most of the plastics currently used are based on crude oil. Biobased raw materials includes renewable natural raw materials. These are mostly plant-based. Industrial plants (corn, rapeseed, sunflowers, sugar beet, castor beans) are used in the production of technical oils and industrial starch for creating biobased fibres.

Wood has long been used for producing cellulose fibres. Linen, flax and hemp as well as cotton are all processed into textiles. In the aquatic sector, algae is also used.

Biobased plastics are not necessarily biodegradable.

Biodegradable plastics are made of polymers that can be broken down under certain conditions by microorganisms using enzymes (usually in industrial composting plants). This is described in more detail in various standards (EU norm EN 13432).

Use of biodegradable raw materials made from 100% renewable resources

Biodegradable plastics are usually broken down using oxidation and hydrolysis processes into water, carbon monoxide or methane and biomass. The biodegradability depends on the chemical structure. More details can be found in various standards.

Use of natural raw materials

Natural raw materials can be animal-based or plant-based. Alongside traditional sheep’s wool, other animal types of animal hair such as cashmere or angora are spun into yarn. In the plant-based sector, alongside cotton, materials such as linen, help, jute and flex have long been used.

While the production of viscose (cellulose fibres) from wood releases harmful toxins into the environment, a direct dissolving process for the production of Tencel/Lyocell that doesn’t use any toxic solvents in a closed circuit has been developed. Silk production is another process entirely using the cocoon of the silkworm.

Chlorine-free wool finishes

Conventional felt finishing of wool based on chlorine-based treatments.

With consideration for the environment and as part of our GOTS-certified dyeing and finishing processes, we use exclusively chlorine-free combed wool tops.

This ensures that our sustainably produced yarns, and the fabrics for which they are used, have optimal care properties

CO_2e-neutral

Prevent - reduce - compensate CO_2e

We look separately at each phase of the entire value chain from procurement of raw materials to our own production activities through to final delivery to customers, including all transport routes. We precisely analyse the composition of the CO_2e footprint of each product.

Our goal is, using targeted measures in the procurement and production steps, to increasingly reduce our CO_2e output.

Furthermore, we have decided to use a carbon compensation scheme for our products and processes together with ClimatePartner.

TRIWITEX^® made from 100% pure natural fibres

Our innovative TRIWITEX^® spinning method combines this with the exclusive use of natural raw materials.

The use of a very finely spun fibre yarn instead of a filament is also possible. Natural, durable, long lasting.