BARCELONA – In a real-world example of how Planet Textiles 2019 in Barcelona will address some of the practical environmental challenges faced by the textile industry, Nike will explain how working together with a Mexican textile supplier, it's managed to slash the use of water during cotton dyeing to just 20 litres per kilo of cotton – ultra-low levels by conventional textile industry standards.

John Rydzewski, Director of Water Programs, Nike Inc. and Omar Kuri Director General, Vertical Knits S.A. de C.V will take to the stage in Barcelona to reveal some of the measures and innovative techniques that the Mexican knitted fabric supplier has taken to reduce its water use by a massive 85 per cent per kilogram of fabric – while halving its energy bill in the process.

In the joint presentation to Planet Textiles delegates, which takes place at the forthcoming ITMA exhibition on 22nd June in Barcelona, Rydzewski and Kuri will present for the first time in public a joint case study on: ‘A Journey to World-Class Water Efficiency for Cotton Dyeing.’

“Studies have shown that, on average, it takes approximately 200 litres of freshwater to dye and finish a kilogram of cotton,” Rydzewski told Ecotextile News. “Through innovative water recycling and manufacturing process improvements, over the past two years, our supplier Vertical Knits has reduced its freshwater by approximately 85 per cent to just 20 litres per kilogram of fabric.”

In addition to water savings, Vertical Knits claims it has also realised an almost 50 per cent reduction in energy savings.

Reserve your place at Planet Textiles here to avoid disappointment – places are now being snapped up fast. Full price ticket includes a discounted 7-day free pass to ITMA.

“In our presentation, Vertical Knits and Nike will share how we were able to achieve these dramatic savings through close collaboration and a multi-faceted approach,” noted Rydzewski.

Located in Mérida, Mexico, Vertical Knits is just that – a vertically integrated knitted fabric operation, which produces around 300 tonnes per month of knitted and dyed fabrics. Together with his brother and father, Omar Kuri helped to start the company in 2003 and has worked with brands such as Nike, Patagonia and others. “In 2014, I took the lead on an internal project to improve the manufacturing and water treatment processes, to reduce the footprint on energy and water consumption,” Kuri told us.

Planet Textiles 2019 takes place June 22nd in Barcelona as part of the ITMA event and looks set to sell out even quicker than last year’s event, with only 420 tickets available in total. Register now to avoid disappointment.

Speakers and some delegates may be invited to partake in filmed interviews in the Planet Textiles Pod. Interested to be interviewed? Get in touch.

For more detailed information about the event, please visit: www.planet-textiles.com