The first advantage is new technology. I am constantly in pursuit of the newest technological innovations and this leads to the development of many patented technologies and original products every year.

The second advantage is our understanding of the market needs and having the drive and ability to transform these concepts into actual product. Our state-of-the-art production facilities include many unique machines that enable us to satisfy our customers’ desire for innovative new products.

Quality and service is also a foundational value at Advance Denim. We have adopted a three-level inspection system to control quality at every step of the production process. We also have a well-equipped laboratory that has been accredited by many renowned international brands. We have several offices around the world (Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York and Amsterdam) that are focused on customer support and product development for their respective markets. These offices ensure rapid feedback and provide customer-oriented services.

Last but not least, green production is an advantage for both our customers and the environment. In addition to selecting environmentally friendly and sustainable raw materials and practising sustainable low-carbon production, we have also joined organisations such as HIGG, BDC, ZDHC, Bluesign and many more that ensure we are as green as we can be. Advance Denim has become one of only two Green Certified mills in China, and is the only denim mill that is certified as a Printing and Dyeing Standard Enterprise. We are also one of the founding initiators of the denim zero-carbon initiative in China.

As you have built your workforce, what kind of values do you instil in your employees, and what are the main things you teach?

Our core values are environmental protection, innovation, people, quality and service. I often convey the company’s vision and mission to my staff: product innovation, sustainability, consistent quality, competitive products and exceptional service. These foundational principles are to create maximum value for our customers while making denim one of the world’s most environmentally friendly fabrics.

Advance has concentrated efforts and investments on improvements in dyeing, with an aniline-free dye, BigBox dye system and BioBlue Indigo. Can you explain a little about these and why it is important to improve the dye process?

It is crucial to study all stages of denim development especially the traditional dyeing chemistry, equipment and technology to make the most sustainable products possible.

Traditional indigo dye contains aniline. When we discovered that Archroma had the developed aniline-free indigo, we decided to adjust our existing dye formula and immediately introduce this cleaner, safer and more environmentally favourable indigo that achieves the same quality as traditional indigo.

Bigbox uses only one very big box instead of the traditional 8-13 boxes for dyeing. Traditional indigo dyeing requires more than 10 times the padding and oxidation to let the dye penetrate deep into the yarn, but Bigbox dyeing uses inert gas, in which yarns can be dyed to the desired depth in the dye box with given time. The machine is also equipped with a device that can control the penetration of indigo dye into the yarn, so that you can get different levels of white core in the yarn. The Bigbox dyeing is certified by third party audit and can save up to 93% of water, 45% of energy as well as 25% of chemicals compared with a traditional dyeing machine.

BioBlue is another breakthrough and is our ability to dye indigo without the use of sodium hydrosulfite. Sodium hydrosulfite has been the traditional way to make indigo soluble in water, but it is a harsh chemical that has adverse impacts on the environment and is also dangerously flammable. In looking at new ways to replace sodium hydrosulfite, we investigated a method that used electricity to aid in the indigo reduction but found the cost of machinery very high and the productivity was low. Looking further into the potential of using electricity, the machines not only took up too much space but used the equivalent power of 9 dyeing ranges just to run the machine, the carbon emissions very high as a result. BioBlue is a specially designed technology that detects and adjusts the technical parameters in the entire production process to completely replace sodium hydrosulfite. The effluent from indigo reduced with the BioBlue indigo dyeing system has 70% lower COD [chemical oxygen demand] and 55% lower BOD [biological oxygen demand] values compared with sodium hydrosulfite. BioBlue is also free of all banned chemicals and APEO (alkylphenol ethoxylates).

Is it easy or difficult to persuade customers to choose a product with a higher price but with better sustainability?

I think the increased demand for sustainable products is a global trend and we should be aware of the negative impact of the fashion industry on the environment over the years. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all carbon emissions.  The governments of various countries around the world understand the importance of protecting the environment and sustainable development.

Many major international brands have set sustainable development goals and have pushed for implementation in their supply chain to achieve these goals. Some brands understand that costs have increased and will pay the rational increase because they have the DNA of pursuing sustainability and have done a lot of research and have encouraged their suppliers to invest in sustainable innovations.

I believe that as consumers and governments demand environmental and sustainable innovation, brands that do not pay for sustainability will find it difficult to adapt to future development and will be abandoned by consumers. I believe that more and more brands will pay attention to it.

Advance has set a goal that by 2023, 90% of raw materials will be ‘environmentally friendly’ – why was this target set and how close are you to achieving it? Which raw materials are the most difficult to make or replace with ‘eco’ versions?

Advance Denim has a long-term sustainable development plan. As early as 2010, we launched the “GreenLet” environmental protection project that created sustainable process and standards.

Green products first require green materials. According to a research report by McKinsey & Company, in the entire clothing production process, about 38% of carbon emissions come from the production of materials. To reduce the environmental impact, we must first start with the raw materials. Therefore, five years ago, we set the target of using more green fibres every year with the goal of using 90% of our fibres from green sustainable sources by 2023. Now we have significant partners and brands that insist on sustainable fibres such as Tencel, organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled cotton, hemp, biodegradable polyester, nylon, etc, in their major programmes. We believe that our goals will be achieved on schedule.

I think the most difficult raw material to convert to an eco fibre is spandex. It is difficult to maintain the elasticity and resilience of spandex in a degradable form. There are also issues of whether or not the degraded polyester is truly environmentally friendly or will just increase micro polyester pollution.

There has been some global political turmoil in recent years, including problems with trade relations, and with cotton sourcing (not to mention the pandemic!). How has Advance Denim worked around any issues?

I think that the political turmoil, including trade relations, global cotton sourcing and of course the pandemic are all part of the macro environment. We feel helpless about the impact of macro trends on the entire fashion industry. Having said that, we are still doing our best and proactively co-operating with our customers to fulfil their needs as best we can. In the ever-shifting global cotton sourcing challenges, we have joined some third-party verification platforms to ensure the traceability and transparency as to the origin of our cotton.

In addition to China, we also have a production facility in Vietnam. Our Vietnam facility can work closely with our customers growing supply chains in both Vietnam and surrounding countries as well as take advantage of free trade agreements with various countries (EU, Japan, etc)

What’s Advance’s attitude towards R&D and is there anything that you are working on that you can tell us about, in terms of what will be important in the future?

Our attitude is to keep going with our tireless research and development efforts. We will continue to overcome difficulties, focus and concentrate, be professional and keep investing in cutting-edge equipment and technology as well as attracting the most talented people.

In terms of what we are working on, we are now doing research and development on carbon reduction finishing methods and some new stretch technologies, such as bare Lycra. Some projects are very large and capital intensive and some are relatively small but they all have the same importance.

How do you switch off from work and relax?

I like walking, talking with my husband and parents as well as listening to music. All are very relaxing. I have four kittens and I enjoy feeding them, taking care of them and watching them play and that relaxes me as well. I also find relaxation in cooking for my family and friends. There are many ways to relax, but I believe that I have merged my work into my life. I don't find work very tiring, but endlessly exciting and interesting.

Amy Wang is general manager at Advance Denim, based in Shunde in the Pearl River Delta. The company develops 500 products each year and has 35 patents, with more pending.
Photo: Advance Denim