Sustainable initiatives and enhancing services are the present motto of the trimming industry. German companies like Freudenberg and Madeira and Indian companies such as Goodwear Fashions, Krish Fashion Accessories and Aero Enterprises are few such firms that are working diligently to satisfy the changing requirements of their clients.
Sustainable products are the biggest strength
All these companies have big product baskets and their core focus is on sustainable products like Freudenberg, a well-known interlining giant, launched House of Sustainability globally last year, with 7 product pillars and more than 500 innovative solutions.
Since the foundation of the company, particularly after the launch of the first values and principles in 1887, sustainability has been an integral part of Freudenberg. Freudenberg focuses its efforts towards a sustainable future on two levels: minimising its manufacturing footprint by improving its processes and equipping its plants to make production as resource efficient as possible, and maximising its handprint by offering products and solutions that help customers reduce their impact on the environment. Guided by these core principles and driven by the constant quest for increased sustainability, Freudenberg spares no efforts to initiate sustainable programmes on global and regional levels, as well as to discover innovative solutions to better the environment.
“We are encouraged by the rise in awareness of sustainable and responsible apparel purchasing and manufacturing. This global awareness has been translated to changes in the supply chain and is continually driving sustainability initiatives amongst international and domestic brands,” said B. Ramji, Head of Market Segment Shirts & Menswear, Apparel Business Unit, Freudenberg Performance Materials India.
Similarly, giants in other product segments are also working towards sustainability that reflects in their offerings.
Embroidery thread giant Madeira has added Polyneon Green, a premium embroidery thread created in response to the global demand to reduce plastic bottles. It is manufactured using recycled transparent bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The process gives post-consumer waste a second life in brilliant, shiny colours. By reusing existing materials, no new waste is created and non-renewable resources are saved.
The company’s Sensa Green is the first coloured TENCELTM Lyocell machine embroidery thread in the market, and embodies the goodness found in nature. It is manufactured with cellulose, a renewable resource obtained from trees grown in sustainably managed forests, which are transformed into biodegradable lyocell fibres.
“The textile industry has an ample opportunity to grow and expand if they adopt a pro-active and continuous growth strategy rather than an ad hoc policy (to grab orders) in a new geopolitical scenario. Madeira India has made its presence very strong in Indian sub-continent and we feel it will intensify in coming years,” said Akshay Kumar, Director-Sales, Madeira India.
The company has a complete range of embroidery threads and its main product Classic (Viscose embroidery thread) is a huge success in terms of sales despite the dominance of polyester thread in the embroidery thread segment.
The product baskets of Indian companies distinctly show how they are continuously increasing their thrust on sustainable aspects. Along with products, their manufacturing set-up even encompasses sustainability. Having Oeko-Tex, GRS certification, Goodwear Fashions offers a sustainable range of interlinings. The company’s new greenfield factory has state-of-the-art infrastructure and will reduce its water consumption to only 25 per cent per metre of interlining produced.
“Shortly with our Higg Index score, brands will further recognise our commitment to all social and environmental goals,” said Vishal Kapoor, Director of the company.
Good demand pushing to increase capacity
Growth in apparel market and supporting the same with sustainable product offerings is creating more scope for the trims companies and few of them have expanded recently or will expand in future. Developing new product range is also a supporting factor for them.
Few of the Indian companies are doing well both in domestic and overseas. Having an installed capacity of 6 million gross per month, Delhi-based Aero Enterprises, manufacturer of all types of buttons like wooden, coconut, urea, laser, sheet rod, etc., is one such example. Amit Jain, Director of the company, said, “We are also into direct export to countries like US, UK and the Middle East and the export business is doing well as we keep adding new styles as per the demand.”
The company is focusing more on lead-free buttons and recycled buttons. These kinds of buttons are more in demand.
Goodwear Fashions is utilising the maximum of its capacity and continues to evolve. Pioneering in the manufacturing of polyester bi-stretch interlinings and having the entire range from a very lightweight (30 GSM) quality to a heavy 150 (GSM) quality, the company is witnessing good demand for its entire range. Recently it has added in its offerings – a 22 GSM super lightweight range in bi-stretch, enzyme wash series in 4-way stretch range. Its special products are capable to fuse with fabrics having heavy water repellent or silicone finishes and OB free series for its entire product range.
Having a large and diversified range of trims like metal buttons, snap buttons, metal plates, pom pom balls, lace pom-pom, polyester button patches, all kinds of tapes and patches, Delhi-based Krish Fashion Accessories came up with an elastic factory in Delhi last year.
Confirming that there is a massive demand for their variety of products, Gautam Jain, Director of the company said, “Along with other product categories, denim industry is performing very well which is pushing for our metal-based products. Export-oriented kidswear is looking more for pom-pom balls and lace. Whatever clients ask, we are ready to serve them best and expansion is an ongoing process as and when required.”
