Kontoor Brands expands water-saving certification in textiles production globally

American clothing company, Kontoor Brands, Inc., has announced an expansion of its water-saving manufacturing program, Indigood™ Facility Certification. This expansion is part of Kontoor’s strategy to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and accelerate sustainability efforts, which include setting science-based carbon emission targets, reducing freshwater consumption during manufacturing, increasing renewable energy adoption, and switching to sustainable raw materials sourcing.

The Indigood™ program, which began in 2019 with the groundbreaking launch of foam dyed denim, has since expanded to incorporate new freshwater-conservation technologies utilized in textile manufacturing. Kontoor is encouraging textile mills all around the world to embrace fundamentally new water-saving technology through the Indigood™ Facility Certification program. Textile manufacturing plants that use 90% less freshwater than traditional fabric manufacturing plants may qualify for full certification.

Jeff Frye, Kontoor Brands’ VP of Procurement, Product Development, Innovation, and Sustainability, said that they think that organizations have a responsibility to use resources responsibly, develop sustainable innovations, and conserve and protect the world. They must push and encourage their end-to-end supplier network and other retail brands to implement these concepts into their operations whenever possible. They view expanding our Indigood™ partnerships to textile mills all across the world as a critical step toward greatly improving the garment industry’s freshwater conservation efforts.

Through programmes like Indigood™, Kontoor Brands has saved more than 8 billion liters of water as of March 2021. Kontoor Brands is analyzing denim production facilities around the world to broaden its effect, certifying those that utilize procedures that use less freshwater. This effort aims to identify and recognize factories that have taken steps to reduce their water footprint or are actively working to do so.

The Indigood™ Facility Certification program began last fall with Arvind Limited’s Naroda Facility in India, which was the first textile mill to be accredited. On a bi-annual basis, Kontoor will survey program participants to ensure continuous compliance with certification standards.

Aamir Akhtar, CEO, Arvind Limited, said that Indigood fosters the advancement of sustainable denim manufacturing practices. By encouraging the use of fabrics made by mills that value water conservation, Kontoor Brands has bridged the gap between sustainability and sourcing. It is an honor for them to be the first mill to achieve the Indigood™ standard.