California Apparel News

Gardena, Calif.–based Twin Dragon Marketing Inc. has introduced several new environmental initiatives for 2017 for the company’s denim facilities in Mexico and Asia.

“After three years of development, we are proud to introduce pre-reduced liquid indigo and eco-finishing, which, when used together, has achieved an 85 percent reduction in environmentally hazardous chemical discharge, which could become the new gold standard in the denim textile industry,” said Dominic Poon, chief executive officer of Twin Dragon, in a company statement.

By using pre-reduced indigo and adding eco-finishing processes, Twin Dragon has reduced chemical and water usage compared with typical dyeing and finishing methods, Poon said, adding that the new processes have helped the company save water, minimize chemical usage and speed up the garment production process. According to the company, using eco-finishing at the Twin Dragon mill in Mexico will result in an annual savings of 40 million gallons of water. By using pre-reduced liquid indigo, the company eliminates 700,000 pounds of sodium hydrosulphite from the process.

Plus, the new methods have improved the appearance of the final product, Poon said.

“It stabilized the shade of indigo, increased the colorfastness in both dry and wet crocking, and the final denim product has a 3-D appearance,” he said.

Over the last decade, Twin Dragon has invested in several eco initiatives, including using eco-friendly fibers, such as Lenzing’s Tencel and Modal. The company developed its own trademarked Forever Black process for black jeans, which reduces the environmental impact of the traditional black dye process.