Environment-friendly eco textiles, recycled fabrics and recycled textiles
Taiwan manufacturer LIBOLON’s commitment to environmentally-friendly and sustainable production practices led to the development of the company’s many eco textiles made from recycled fabrics and recycled textiles. The dedication to manufacturing eco textiles has turned LIBOLON into Asia’s largest rpet producer. The LIBOLON value system:
 1. LIBOLON emphasizes two concepts – “producing more from less”, and “upgrading resource productivity” – to reduce material and energy consumption when manufacturing its eco textiles from recycled fabrics and recycled textiles. LIBOLON is dedicated to eliminating wasteful consumption of unnecessary raw materials, processes, and energy, as well as lowering the amount of waste created during the production process.
2. LIBOLON “designs for the environment” – with eco friendly practices being conceptualized during the development of each new eco textile product. In 2000, the Taiwan manufacturer created its first dope dyed fiber. One special feature of the fiber is that no dyeing process is needed after weaving, thus not only reducing consumption of water and energy, but also cutting down 70% to 82% in emissions of wastewater and CO2.
3. LIBOLON designs with the complete “life cycle” of its eco textiles in mind. Starting from 2003, LIBOLON used recycled yarns and other recycled fabrics to create finished fabrics for its office walls. In addition, in 2006 Chunghua Polyester Fibers Factory commenced production of the LIBOLON RePET brand eco textile from post-consumer bottles. Future plans will utilize waste fabrics and yarns from LIBOLON weaving factories to manufacture other recycled textiles and eco textiles.
4. LIBOLON has reduced or eliminated toxic materials in all of its production processes, and has extended this environmental policy to all of its subcontractors. The Taiwan manufacturer has obtained Oeko-Tex 100, OHSAS18001, and ISO14001 certifications in 2000.
LIBOLON celebrated the year 1999 by creating a goal of Sustainability, and has pursued sustainable operation with vigor since that date. Since 2008, to achieve its “Design for Environment” and “Product Life Cycle” concepts through its production processes, and to demonstrate its commitment as the leading Taiwan manufacturer of environmentally-friendly eco textiles, LIBOLON has announced its “EcoFlying Plan”.
The first stage of the “EcoFlying Plan” will last from 2008 to 2010. Key steps include: 1) classification of wasted yarns, grey and abandoned yarns from the warping and weaving process, and grey and colored cloth ends from the dyeing process; 2) implementation of LIBOLON’s proprietary recycling technology; 3) re-polymerization and drawing of yarn; or 4) utilization of compound technology to mix abandoned wood with the recycled fabrics to produce WPC (Wooden Plastic Products), reducing the need to cut down trees.
The second stage of the “EcoFlying Plan” will launch in 2010. At this time, all final products from LIBOLON will go through the recycling regeneration system, creating a full line of eco textiles from recycled fabrics and recycled textiles.
Environmental protection achievements
 Reuse & Recycle
Principles:
 Design for Environment
 Product Life Circle
Measures:
 Recycle and restore product package and carrier materials
 Avoid use of disposable bowls, chopsticks, plates, and paper cups in the entire factory
 Double-sided printing for all documents
 Reuse of internal file bags and envelops until completely worn
 Cooperate with recycling companies to implement classified recycling
 Reuse of chemical agents
Achievements in 2007:
 Avoid using disposable tableware – reduced 52.6 tons of trash
 Saved 2105 tons of packaging cartons in the whole factory
 Reused 56324 pallets in the whole year
Suppose a tree is 8m tall, the environmental protection measures were able to reduce the logging of 35,494 trees. If a tree could absorb 4.5kg of CO2(http://greenmark.epa.gov.tw/declare/inform.asp) per year, 160 tons of CO2 could be absorbed.
 Reduce
Principles:
 Producing more from less
 Increase resource productivity
 Reduce material productivity
 Decrease energy productivity
 Minimize trash
Measures:
 Rationalizing of Production Processes (Rationalizing) ：To get rid of the unnecessary production processes
 Optimize production conditions: Dedicated to get rid of the consumption of unnecessary raw material, processes, and energy, also producing the lowest quantity of
waste stuff.(Readjust)
 Recycle and reuse of water resource and heat source(Recycling)
 Upgrade energy-saving equipment and replace incandescent lamp with energy-saving bulbs/tubes, (Replace)
 Maintain output and deliver efficiency of energy and water resources (Remain efficiency)
 Remodel management and auditing mechanisms (Remodel)
Rethinking and cultivating new habits (Rethinking)
Re-building the new value(Revalue)
Achievements from 2007 to the First Half of 2008:
 Saved energy of 12,000,000 watts in the entire factory area, equivalent to reducing 7,656 tons (*1) of CO2 emission.
 The dye factory, which is the most water-consuming plant, has reduced water usageof 145~130 tons per ton of fabrics to 105~110 tons.
 Average weight of waste sent to the landfill has reduced by 63.5%.
Take the YangMei factory (weaving, dyeing and finishing) as examples, contains the dormitory area and the life reject equally to 2008 first half year, each person of daily total quantity of refuse is 0.22 kilogram.
In the effort to reduce the raw material denseness, reduce on industrial discard’s output which from attrition rate 0.4%~1.5% in each step, 2007~2008 year first half year the twists factory and Chemical fiber Factory reduce the consume quantity 35 tons/months approximately regarding raw material, weaving factory 5 tons/months, dye factory 11 tons/months, totally 51.2 tons/months. Is equal consumes the energy 260157KWH/month electricity consumption in the reduction, reduces CO2 to discharge for 166 tons/months.
(*1): According to the announcement by Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economics in 2007, the conversion coefficient is 0.637 kg/kwh.
 From 2007 to the First Half of 2008 sales volumes of environmental products
 Recycled polyester yarn (RePET®): 927.1 tons
 Recycled polyester fabrics: 600 thousand yards
 Ecoya® Nylon / Polyester yarn: 4780 tons
 Ecoya® Nylon / Polyester fabrics: 1646 thousand yards
Environmental production activities
As abnormal weather patterns caused by global warming continue to affect the natural ecology of the planet, not only are the life and comfort of people under threat, but many animal species, such as polar bears and penguins, are now facing the danger of extinction. Therefore, maintaining the natural environment, achieving a harmony with the earth’s natural ecology, and reaching sustainable management should be important goals for all businesses.
During the past several years, Taiwan manufacturer LIBOLON has dedicated itself to implementing many environmentally-friendly practices and protection activities. In addition to developing various energy-saving eco textiles, such as RePET® and Ecoya®, LIBOLON’s factories have established energy-saving measures through production improvements. In 2008, LIBOLON sponsored the design of fabrics made by RePET® , a brand of recycled fiber reclaimed from recycled plastic bottles, in coordination with the “Fashionable Environmental Protection Creativity Contest – Design Contest of Environmentally-Friendly Products”. The goal of the contest is to contribute to the environmental production and recycling actions in Taiwan, and promote environmental production into our daily life.
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