Jimtex Plant Location
1022 McCormick Highway
Lincolnton, GA 30817
P.O. Box 1833
Spartanburg, SC 29304
Sales Office (215) 928-1767
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5/16/2006 - Jimtex Yarns and Martex Fiber Introduce Innovative ECO2Cotton® Brand |
CONTACT:
Stefanie Zeldin 703-255-1678
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Jimtex Yarns and Martex Fiber Introduce Innovative ECO2Cotton® BrandSupportive label launched for apparel companies and others seeking to produce and promote environmentally responsible products.
Spartanburg, SC, May , 2006 — Jimtex Yarns and Martex Fiber Southern Corporation announce the immediate availability of the new ECO2Cotton® brand.
ECO2Cotton® offers all types of companies with the opportunity to produce an environmentally responsible cotton product while also promoting their roles in reducing landfill waste and conserving water and energy.
Jimtex Yarns and Martex Fiber leaders in recycled yarn production and textile waste recovery, will educate consumers through the new ECO2Cotton® brand about the ecological benefits of the products, which are made primarily from recycled cotton t-shirts. The campaign will include hang tags and in-store brochures and displays conveying the real benefits of recycled fibers.
ECO2Cotton® brand offers attractive eco-friendly cotton fibers and yarns for the apparel and home furnishings industries as well as for a wide array of other building-related and consumer end uses.
ECO2Cotton® yarns and fibers are made from the recycling of new, pre-consumer (post-industrial) cotton knit cuttings, which have been discarded during the apparel cut and sew process. Through the ECO2Cotton® initiative these cuttings are reprocessed and blended into fiber similar to new cotton, and can be re-spun into yarns or mixed with other fibers.
“We are acutely aware of the crises facing our environment, which are impacted by a throw–away culture, dwindling supply of renewable resources and polluted water streams,” says Stefanie Zeldin, Brand Manager for ECO2Cotton®. “In bringing this innovative ECO2Cotton® brand to consumers, our company is taking a proactive role in fostering environmental responsibility throughout the marketplace.”
Zeldin added, “ECO2Cotton® is a great sustainable option for textile manufacturers, one that reduces the need to grow crops that are traditionally water and chemical intensive.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the world's largest privately financed conservation organization, cotton requires more than 2,600 gallons of water to produce one pound of cotton lint, making it the most fresh-water intensive crop in the world. This does not even take into account all the water and harsh chemicals used to dye cotton products. Within the U.S., cotton consumes 60 percent of all insecticides applied, amounting to 60 million pounds a year (Source: FAO, USDA).
“Imagine the blue t-shirt you are wearing contains only 60 percent of the cotton from which it was grown,” said Zeldin. “From the remaining cutting waste, which would normally go to the landfill, we are actually able to recycle the blue cotton, blend it with a small amount of acrylic or polyester, and then make blue yarn – no waste or harvesting or cotton dyes.”
Jimtex Yarns calls the process “eco-friendly” and “eco-nomic,” as it eliminates the need for new farmland-intensive irrigation and is also insecticide/chemical free since there is no dying involved. Even organic cotton, which does not require the same amount of pesticides, still requires considerable amounts of energy and water in the growing phase and most end products will ultimately be dyed and wet finished.
“The more consumers are aware of the impact of their shopping choices, the more they will seek out and even demand recycled and eco-friendly products,” Zeldin said. “Corporations such as Starbucks, Patagonia and Wal-Mart are already leading the way in designing products and packaging with sustainable products. Other companies are also looking at enhancing their product lines with ecologically responsible materials. ECO2Cotton® fits right in with that growing movement."
In addition to its obvious green benefits, ECO2Cotton® yarns are offered in fashion-forward solid colors as well as organic looking heathers, with hints of multiple colors. Such heathers are only achieved through the blending of pre-dyed fibers, and can not be achieved using traditional cotton dyes.
Through the support of the outdoor retail market, Jimtex Yarns is currently in the midst of programs involving socks, sweaters, t-shirts, hats, fleece and woven apparel items.
ECO2Cotton® yarns can also be found in larger mass-market settings for apparel, handknitting, upholstery, and kitchen and bath textiles as well as in fiber forms for pillow fill, nonwovens, sponges, under-carpet pad, automotive sound insulation, and mattresses.
“Major retailers and corporations that are on the cutting edge in addressing environmental issues, are pursuing ECO2Cotton® for use in their applications,” Ms. Zeldin said. Martex Fiber, for example, has worked with Bonded Logic Inc. (Chandler, Az.), to utilize recycled fibers to manufacture decorative eco-friendly, sound-insulating wall and ceiling tiles, which are growing in popularity for large corporate lobbies and restaurants.
“It is our goal to position ECO2Cotton® worldwide,” Zeldin said. “When a consumer sees ECO2Cotton®, he or she will immediately recognize the environmental value of selecting that product over one that is less eco-friendly.”
About Martex Fiber/Jimtex Yarns Martex Fiber Southern Corporation is an established Spartanburg, SC-based textile company specializing in textile recycling and textile waste removal for more than 35 years.
The Jimtex Yarns division was formed in 1998 to provide an eco-alternative yarn. Jimtex Yarns’ 200,000 square foot facility in Lincolnton, Ga., produces eco-cotton blend yarns for socks, sweaters and apparel manufacturers, as well as for upholstery and crafts. The cotton component is made from recycling pre-dyed new cotton clippings, which are then blended with acrylic or polyester fiber. Jimtex Yarns is the only US manufacturer exclusively dedicated to producing recycled open-end cotton blend yarns for these markets.
Eco-Wipers™, offering a wide range of wiping rag products, is affiliated with Martex Fiber Southern Corporation.
For more information visit www.MartexFiber.com or www.JimtexYarns.com, or call the companies’ sales office in Philadelphia at 215-928-1767. (Photos and emailed copy are available upon request.)
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