Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia and fastener company YKK have tied up with Italian innovation-driven chemical group ERCA SpA, to deploy Revecol LV-TS, a sustainable, innovative chemical agent in YKK’s dyeing processes at their Vietnam production sites. This replaces a commonly used dye chemical with a lower impact version.
The innovative chemical agent: Revecol LV-TS has a carbon footprint that is 72% lower than the more conventional chemical auxiliaries produced by ERCA.
- ERCA is the first company in the world to have GRS-certified chemical products, opening the door to circular chemical auxiliaries range for textiles.
- It has invested in circular practices to take waste material and use them as feedstocks to create new responsible chemical products.
- It transforms common waste material such as exhausted vegetable cooking oil, into an upcycled, certified high performance, safe textile chemical that is ZDHC, Bluesign approved and GRS certified.
The Collaboration: Driven by the goal to utilise non-extractive chemistry in their supply chain wherever possible, Patagonia teamed up with ERCA and YKK to deploy Revecol.
- Revecol is not only more sustainable, it is also more efficient, reducing the use of the dyeing auxiliary by 20–30%, thus helping to lower YKK’s overall chemical usage.
WHAT THEY SAID:
One of the most rewarding achievements is not only to see that REVECOL® can really make a difference, but that leading companies are teaming up with us to utilize it in products that bring the message of sustainability to the end consumer.
— Fabio Locatelli
Head, Textile Specialties Business Unit
ERCA
We saw an opportunity to build a partnership with an innovator, ERCA, who was pushing the boundaries of sustainability and match them with an existing partner, YKK, that consistently delivers high caliber, quality goods and services. This has proven to be a dream team. Through thoughtful consideration we designed our approach and conversion to REVECOL® LV-TS to have an outsized impact from the start. The real success is seeing this go beyond Patagonia® products and spread across supply chain partners, brands and consumers. This is one domino to fall in how we do business to save our home planet.
— Matt Swartz
Color and Material Quality Manager
Patagonia
We are thrilled to be part of this unique 3-way collaboration, exemplifying how true upcycling on a mass-production scale is made possible at the center of garment manufacturing. We look forward to the expansion of REVECOL® across the entire textile industry.
— Mike Maekawa
Sales and Business Development Manager
YKK Vietnam
