California Apparel News

With the addition of a fiber reclamation line at its facility in Spartanburg, S.C., Martex Fiber Southern Corp. will see an increase in its plant capacity for fibers made from cotton and cotton/polyester textile waste.

“The expansion increased Spartanburg’s plant capacity by over 20 percent, further expanding our ability to create valuable outlets for the over 160 million pounds per year of pre- and post-consumer cotton and cotton-polyester textile waste that Martex Fiber keeps out of landfills,” said Jamie Jarrett, general manager of Martex’s fiber division.

The company is also expanding its fiber reclamation capabilities at its facility in Brownsville, Texas. The expansion project, which will be completed within the next quarter, will expand the plant’s capacity by 11 million pounds annually, the company said.

The expansion projects are part of Martex Fiber’s “No Fiber Left Behind” program, which is designed to recycle textile waste rather than sending it to a landfill.

“At Martex, we are in the double green business,” said Martex Chief Executive Officer Rick Otero. “Our focus is on expanding a business that is sustainable economically and for the environment. Every pound of cotton textile scrap that we recycle at Spartanburg helps America avoid the environmental impact of a new pound of conventional cotton. Our recycling process uses essentially no water—compared with over 1,400 [gallons per pound] for conventional cotton—no harmful pesticides and no harmful chemical dyes, with significantly less energy consumption versus new cotton. We are committed to our No Fiber Left Behind vision.”

Martex collects and recycles textile waste for use in rags, industrial uses and recycled yarn products. In addition to Spartanburg and Brownsville, the company has manufacturing facilities in Charlotte, N.C.; Lincolnton, Ga.; Honduras; and Nicaragua as well as administrative offices in Charlotte and Newtown, Penn.

The company recently named several new executives, including David J. Kennedy, who was appointed chief financial officer and chief administrative officer. He was previously a principal with Scale Finance and chief financial officer and chief operations officer with Perfect Fit Industries.

The company also promoted Kassandra Braun to director of marketing. Previously she was the director of design and color development for Martex Fiber’s Jimtex recycled cotton yarn division. Karl Kakadelis was named vice president, information and technology. He was previously head of information management for Mack Molding Co.