NEWS

Inside the Industry

Bodidata is offering a green alternative to fast fashion with its Measure.Match.Manage size-matching solution, which helps apparel companies reduce returns and thus environmental waste while also improving wearer satisfaction. According to the company, it can help apparel brands reduce their size-related returns by over 90 percent. “As consumers become savvier about the environmental cost of fast fashion,” said Tuoc Luong, CEO of Bodidata, in a release, “they are insisting companies be more environmentally conscious. We are proud of the role we’re playing in reducing unnecessary uniform and retail apparel returns. We offer four measurement options that can be used interchangeably, ensuring the right size is shipped the first time, every time. The ‘return, destroy, reproduce’ cycle is dramatically reduced when an item fits right the first time.”

3M has launched Thinsulate Flowable Featherless Insulation. This latest textile innovation from the Minnesota-based company is a lightweight, high-loft insulation made with 80 percent recycled content and is designed to be flowable for easy processing. It is especially ideal for puffy garments and also features high wash durability, meaning it can maintain its thermal performance after laundering. “We’re focused on sustainability from the very beginning of the value chain so our materials and manufacturing practices must be responsible from the start,” said Robert Polik, senior application engineer. “We’re quite proud of the insulation’s flowability as it can be applied using a variety of filling machines. And since all apparel is designed differently, the insulation can easily be shaped to fill a garment’s unique quilting channels.”

Biolo, a flexible-packaging company, has announced that it is first to market with home and industrial compostable bags made from a revolutionary new plastic alternative. Biolo uses PHA to manufacture eco-friendly bags that biodegrade in soil, freshwater and marine environments. A handful of companies have harnessed the power of PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) to produce compostable straws, but Biolo is the first company to successfully use PHA technology to manufacture fully compostable bags. Biolo’s packaging solutions have a breadth of biodegradability that other eco-friendly packaging solutions simply do not, the company said in a release. “Biolo has developed the manufacturing processes necessary to bring companies reliable, eco-friendly packaging that provides the same experience as plastic but with none of the guilt.” Biolo has locations nationwide.

Renewcell has strengthened its commercial team with the addition of Tricia Carey, who has joined as chief commercial officer. Carey is a seasoned fashion-industry executive with more than 25 years of experience promoting circular and more-sustainable materials in the apparel industry. She has also been a catalyst for the industrywide conversation around the shift to more-climate-friendly and -resource-efficient materials as a board member at Textile Exchange and Accelerating Circularity. Prior to joining Renewcell, Carey was director of global business development at the leading Austrian fiber producer Lenzing.