Crailar Flax Inks Deal With Kowa Co.
Crailar Technologies Inc., maker of Crailar flax and bast fibers, struck a fiber-supply agreement with 118-year-old Japanese company Kowa Co.
Founded in 1984 as a cotton wholesaler, Kowa Co. has grown into a diverse multi-national corporation within the Kowa Group, which has operations in textiles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and machinery. After an evaluation of Crailar fibers, Kowa found uses for the fiber in its lifestyle divisions, including fashion, active apparel and domestic goods. The company will “begin fulfilling orders from Kowa beginning this quarter,” according to a Crailar statement. The Kowa Group follows environmental objectives outlined by the International Organization for Standardization ISO 14001, the voluntary standard established to help companies create an environmental-management system to meet environmental goals.
“We are pleased to be working with Kowa Co. as it gives Crailar a strategic opportunity to demonstrate what 118 years of experience can bring to the advancement of sustainably in textiles, fabric and apparel in one of the world’s most discerning apparel and consumer-product markets,” said Ken Barker, chief executive officer of Crailar Technologies. “Further, it provides Crailar another direct entry point into Asia that complements our current global partners, expands our footprint and points toward our long-term goal of a global supply chain.”
Previously called Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc., Crailar Technologies was founded in 1998 to provide environmentally friendly, socially responsible clothing. Strategic partnerships with Canada’s National Research Council and Alberta Innovates-Technologies Futures grew the company into a developer of renewable and environmentally sustainable resources using flax, hemp and other bast fibers. Crailar uses a natural enzymatic process to “unlock the potential of flax fiber” while minimizing the environmental impact.
Today, the company is based in Vancouver and in Portland, Ore. For more information, visit www.crailar.com.
