Tavex Denim Care® project is exemplary sustainable initiative

The Tavex weaving company, founded in 1846, has clients in over 50 countries and factories on three continents and has worked with Diesel, Levi’s and Zara; moreover, it seeks to apply sustainability throughout its production process. The Denim Care® project is an initiative to implement innovations in stages ranging from cotton spinning to finishing, while also considering post-production and recycling of scraps.

Lilian Yumi Kurosaki, the jeanswear marketing manager for the company, believes that sustainability should be considered and put in practice immediately to avoid irreversible problems in the future. “The water crisis in São Paulo is a huge example of this. Tavex has been working with reusing water for over eight years; so, even now, while many companies are having to stop production, we have yet to be affected adversely by this, since we already went through a long process to be able to reuse this natural resource. Through the Aquasave® project, we save over 300 liters of water every day,” she adds.

Other company initiatives also cover areas that require changes. In addition to its conventional cotton, Tavex also offers organic cotton, recycled cotton or Origin cotton, which is naturally colored and produced by the Coopnatural sustainable farming coop. And the starching process for the company’s fabrics only uses natural starch that comes from food industry waste.

The finish on the company’s fabrics is hypoallergenic, biodegradable and silicone-free. The finishing product is extracted from the seeds of the cupuassu plant, native to the Amazon, and can be recognized by the Arawa® by Tavex tag, another program that directly benefits around 700 families whose income comes from cupuassu production.

In addition to supporting the community with this tag, Tavex helps to preserve the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest, preventing deforestation and uncontrolled exploration of its resources. It also helps to control local natural resources in an economically sustainable way, combining development, income generation and conservation. The company also considers sustainability in the post-production area, with all fabric and cotton scraps being reused to make new fabrics. In addition, all items made by Tavex for trade shows and showrooms are donated to NGOs and other charity projects.

Oftentimes focusing on ethical and sustainable production causes the price of the end product to be higher. According to Lilian Kurosaki, some sustainable procedures are still expensive; however, solutions for reusing and recycling can be cheaper than traditional processes. “Organic cotton is one of Yet, on the other hand, working with natural starch and the cupuassu finish simplifies the entire production line, which means costs remain steady and the final price of the fabric does not go up,” she says in closing, providing support for the idea that the Denim Care® project is proof that sustainability can be financially viable and put into practice. A video with a better explanation of the movement can be seen at https://vimeo.com/118596300.