ERCA TCS is very pleased to announce a new partnership with YKK, the world’s leading manufacturer of zippers, snaps and buttons. Since the company’s founding in Tokyo in 1934, YKK has always set industry standards for quality, innovation and sustainability in the production of zippers, plastic hardware, hook and loop fasteners, webbing tapes and snap and buttons. And at ERCA TCS, we are privileged to witnesses just how the words “setting new standards in innovation and sustainability” mirror reality. ERCA, YKK Vietnam and Patagonia® recently announced the successful implementation of ERCA’s REVECOL®, a breakthrough innovation that upcycles a critical waste material, – such as exhausted vegetable cooking oil, – into a complete, safe, certified and high performing new generation line of chemical auxiliaries used in YKK’s dyeing processes at their Vietnam facilities.
As part of their Sustainability Vision 2050, YKK is constantly working to deploy more sustainable chemical processes in their production. The ability to replace a commonly used dye chemical with a lower impact version was a no-brainer for YKK’s Vietnam management. REVECOL® is not only more sustainable, it is also more efficient, reducing the use of the dyeing auxiliary by 20% to 30%, thus helping to lower YKK’s overall chemical usage.
“We are thrilled to be part of this unique 3-way collaboration, exemplifying how true upcycling on a mass-production scale is made possible at the center of garment manufacturing. We look forward to the expansion of REVECOL® across the entire textile industry”, says Mike Maekawa, Sales and Business Development Manager of YKK Vietnam.
