Crystal International says it plays a vital role in leading the sustainable fashion chain globally and is determined to take part in different industry programmes to foster global engagement within the fashion industry.
The company explains it is collaborating with the Partnership for Cleaner Textile (PaCT) programme led by the International Finance Corporation, the Clean by Design (CbD) programme managed by the Apparel Impact Institute, and Higg Index certified by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).
Through these industry partnerships, Crystal International hopes to explore the potential opportunities surrounding sustainable production with a lower environmental impact.
The company points out it has been a longstanding member of SAC since 2012 and has adopted SAC’s Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) as a standardised way of assessing and improving its environmental performance.
Crystal International says its average score in 2023 reached new heights with 5 factories exceeding 90. It adds this is an outstanding performance that only five global factories with verified HIGG FEM have achieved and demonstrates its commitment to energy and water efficiency, carbon reduction and chemical management.
In addition to this, the company emphasises transparency on responsible production and recognises the significance of sustainable material certification and product verification in ensuring product integrity.
The denim team conducted an extensive analysis of various washing techniques, including enzyme treatment, acid washing, bleaching and tinting process, aiming to fulfil the stringent testing criteria to obtain the certified label, which provides high product safety and confidence to customers.
Crystal International says product transparency enables consumers to trace supply chain via a unique ID and QR code.
Commenting on the strategic partnership with SAC, Catherine Chiu, vice president of global sustainability at Crystal International says: "We are always keen to participate in industry initiatives. For example, we recently contributed to the latest development of SAC’s Higg FEM 4.0 from version 3.0, bringing our expertise into value."
Meanwhile, Crystal Denim's assistant general manager Miles Lam expressed his views on ramping up verification of denim products. Lam says: "With the increasing awareness, we envision transparency on product verification will drive change in the denim industry. We are planning to expand the verification scope to continue delivering sustainable products with quality assurance and high standards of certification."
The company adds it is looking ahead to advancing sustainable garment production and creating a collective force on a global scale.
The company said at the time that being a member would help it to explore the potential of using textile waste for circular processes while gaining access to the supply of Circulose, which is certified with the Recycled Claim Standard.
