ISKO, a Turkish fabric producer, continues to push forward its Responsible Innovation strategy by becoming a signatory member of ZDHC foundation, as its first and only Turkish contributor. ISKO is now joining forces with other 94 ZDHC contributors, a list including brands, value chain affiliates and associates, to protect consumers, workers and the environment.

The ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme aims to advance towards zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textiles, leather and footwear value chains. Joining ZDHC, companies commit to leading the adoption and implementation of ZDHC tools, which include amongst others the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines, the ZDHC Gateway and the ZDHC MRSL.

“When it comes to fashion and denim production, ISKO is continuously taking responsibility to support the industry with best practices to lead the way in terms of sustainability, innovation and citizenship,” the company explains.

Non-stop commitment

ISKO is the only denim mill in the world to have been awarded both the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel for ISKO Earth Fit. This is a denim fabric collection made with lower impact and alternative raw material options such as organic cotton, recycled cotton and recycled polyester from PET bottles. The third collection was recently presented on the occasion of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2018.

Arquas, ISKO’s innovative fabric platform for the performance apparel market, now includes ISKO Earth Fit items, which can claim the most stringent certifications for commitment to responsible innovation.

Responsible processes

For all ISKO’s fabrics, new finishing technologies minimise water usage, saving thousands of tonnes in 2017. ISKO’s automation systems, installed in the weaving halls, can save over 1,7 million kWh of energy per year and reduce carbon emissions by over 114 tonnes. The heat and steam from the production cycle are captured and re-used, minimising energy consumption.

In 2016, over 1,100 lamps were replaced with more efficient ones, saving nearly 86,000 kWh of energy and reducing carbon emissions by about 56 tonnes/year.

Pre-certified EPDs for all products

In order to fully understand the impacts of the textiles supply chain, and where better choices can be made, ISKO has worked to obtain Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of all of its 25,000 denim products, in line with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

An LCA is a globally recognised methodology used to assess and quantify the environmental footprint of a product, considering its impacts across the entire product lifecycle from raw material to finished product. In order to ensure the validity and replicability of LCAs, publicly available and independently verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have been produced by ISKO, in line with ISO 14025.

“ISKO has become the first denim manufacturer globally to obtain precertified EPDs for all of its products, grouped into nine categories,” the company reports. “These results will be used to create the independently devised Product Category Rules (PCRs) for future denim industry EPDs.”

www.isko.com.tr