China hosts circular denim conference
25/07/2022
EMF is headquartered in southern England. Its Beijing office was recognised as an international non-governmental organisation by the Chinese capital’s public security bureau back in January.
Significantly, vice-president of CNTAC, Zhaohua Yang, officially announced a nationwide jeans recycling development plan, news of which was well-received by attendees. Later, others delivered speeches on how denim fits with the country's wider strategy to recycle at least 25% of its textile waste by 2025; the eco-friendlier “upgrading” of Xintang, China’s jeans production locus; the impact of Xinjiang cotton-related sanctions on national denim manufacturing; plus, how to make sustainability more fashionable among consumers.
EMF’s Make Fashion Circular lead, Laura Balmond, also presented on the charity’s own Jeans Redesign project, a series of guidelines which suggest minimum standards for jeans across four areas: durability, recyclability, traceability and material health. (Read more about the initiative in Inside Denim issue four here.)
Separately, chief representative of EMF in China, Yisong Guan, said that the organisation looked forward to supporting CNTAC in promoting the “circular” transformation of the Chinese jeans and broader textile industries.
Beijing’s Huairou district. Credit: Jason An.
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