You will be redirected back to your article in seconds
Skip to main content

Garmon Chemicals Renews Commitment to Sustainability

Through product innovations, thought leadership and new certifications, Garmon Chemicals is reinforcing its commitment to an increasingly green and transparent use of chemicals.

The chemical company, which became part of the U.S. Kemin Industries Group in January, is embarking on a three-part “journey towards sustainability” by integrating eco-friendly innovations with strategic business actions.

“We firmly believe in developing sustainable chemistry,” Donald Mulazzani, Garmon Chemicals marketing and business development director, said. “Not only in terms of product, but also as evidence of our responsible approach on several levels. In this way, we want to contribute to disseminating what will need to be the best practices in the future, for the whole industry.”

Here’s a look at how Garmon is cleaning up the business of chemicals and, in the process, making jeans more sustainable.

Working with Alliance for Responsible Denim

Garmon is helping denim brands adopt best practices for sustainable manufacturing. In June, the company teamed up with the Alliance for Responsible Denim to host “doctor visits” with six denim brands.

Each brand brought the finishing recipes of their core styles to the workshops, where Garmon offered sustainable recommendations and alternatives. The goal was to show the brands new possibilities to adopt more responsible finishing and highlight how eco-friendly innovations can improve the overall quality of their products.

Improving sustainability of stretch fabrications

Garmon is also rolling out “Stretch Care,” a product line of innovations designed to enhance the qualities and performance of stretch denim fabrics. The special formulations developed for this line are especially suited for treatments with a high eco-compatibility rate, Garmon said.

Related Story

The Geopower NPS, a compound which helps eliminate the pumice stone from denim washings, reduces environmental costs and impacts. And Avol Oxy White, a bleaching agent, is designed to achieve localized effects on denim.

“Thanks to its composition it is an ecologically advanced product whose environmental impact has been reduced to a minimum, a real challenge to the use of potassium permanganate which tends to be pervasively used as part of industrial processes,” the company noted.

Elevating International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications

The company recently received two important certifications for compliance with the ISO international standards that underscore its commitment to environmental management.

Garmon received the ISO 9001:2015, a certification which sets international criteria for quality management systems, and most notably, to ISO 14001:2015, a standard acknowledged worldwide stipulating all requirements for an environmental management system.

This certification, Garmon said, helps organizations improve their environmental management performance levels through a more efficient use of resources as well as by reducing production waste.

The certification assesses air pollution, managing water resources and discharge, waste management, soil contamination, mitigation and adjustment to climate change, as well as an efficient use of resources.