Kahramanmaraş-based yarn manufacturer Karacasu Tekstil contributes to the transformation of the textile industry with its more sustainable and innovative solutions. The company, which is the supplier of many important fashion brands with its experience of more than 20 years, has been responding to the new demands of the sector by using sustainable raw materials in its products since 2016. Karacasu Tekstil Sustainability and Corporate Communications Manager Mustafa Işık, who told Textilegene about the R&D studies and collaborations they carried out in this context, said that they are working to become a world brand that makes a difference by developing innovative textile technologies with the principle of sustainability.
Karacasu Tekstil, which started its operations as a company that produces yarn with ring spinning technology in Kahramanmaraş in 1996, was awarded the Invista / Lycra Assured certificate by DuPont in 1999, due to its high quality standards and being the first company in Turkey to produce core spun yarn. Afterwards, the Folding & Twisting facility was established in 2007, and the Open-End Facility was established in 2008 in order to expand the production range. In 2018, an R&D center approved by the Ministry of Industry and Technology was established with the vision of becoming a company that makes a difference by offering innovative solutions in the field of textile technology with the principle of sustainability. The company, which is on the list of 'Turkey's Top 1000 Industrial Enterprises' determined by ICI in 2020, was entitled to be included in this list for the 7th time in a row.
Mustafa Işık stated that Karacasu Tekstil has been advancing with the mission of producing innovative textile products that create added value since its establishment; “Since then, we have been producing yarn on demand with a customer-oriented service approach. Since 2016, we have made many collaborations by choosing sustainable raw materials and brought them to the sector.” Indicating that they have also taken steps in energy saving, Işık stated that they meet approximately 50% of their daily energy consumption from the Solar Power Plant (GES) they have installed on the roof of the company.
Karacasu Tekstil will contribute to sustainability with its own technologies
Reminding that Karacasu Tekstil has been working in the field of sustainability since the first day, Mustafa Işık stated that their first nationally resonant project was to recycle used denim trousers in 2009 and bring them to the industry as yarn. Stating that they have been collaborating with many sustainable raw material producers for about 12 years, Işık continued his words as follows: “These studies have accelerated since the day we received the R&D center license in 2018. These manufacturers transform the products that are in the form of waste in nature and turn them into raw materials again. As a result of our work with hemp, which has strategic importance and is the most environmentally friendly raw material found in nature, we have become the company that uses this raw material the most in Turkey. The fact that our R&D manager Neslihan Bozan's graduate project was on hemp made our work easier in this sense.”
Stating that they have been working on many projects on machinery, industry and software in their R&D centers, Işık said that they have been working on 49 projects with innovative technological solutions that serve the principle of sustainability with a staff of 30 engineers from various disciplines. Işık: “30 of them, 5 of which are TÜBİTAK projects, have been completed and implemented. We are actively working on 19 projects. Among the completed and ongoing projects, we have applied for 12 domestic and international patents and 1 trademark. Our 4 national and 1 international patents have been approved”.
“We will start using our own sustainable product as of November”
Emphasizing that sustainability is an important issue that will shape the future of humanity, Mustafa Işık pointed out that they are not only collaborating but also trying to develop their own technologies in order to be a pioneer in this regard. Explaining that they aim to become a technology company with their own inventions in the following years, Işık said; “We have an invention that makes dyeing processes more environmentally friendly. Our project, which we have been carrying out since 2008, has reached its final stage this year. We will start to use this industrial product within our own structure as of November.”
Sustainability target at Karacasu Tekstil: 2030
Stating that for now, recyclable fiber constitutes approximately 30 percent of their product range, Mustafa Işık stated that they aim to increase this rate to 50% in 2025 and to produce fully recyclable fiber in 2030. Stating that they have sustainable and traceable certificates such as FSC, GOTS, OCS, GRS, RCS, BCI, OEKO-TEX, STEP, Işık stated that they are in the position of supplier of world-famous fashion brands in line with their cooperation.
Stating that they are one of the 6 alpha partners of the company's acetate-based and sustainable Naia fiber within the scope of cooperation with Eastman Chemical Company, Işık explained their other collaborations as follows: “Our work with SEAQUAL, a social enterprise that turns plastics collected from the oceans and seas into fibers. We attach the same level of importance to unity. This initiative also supports communities that help collect waste. Therefore, this is a collaboration that touches both the environment and people. Agroloop technology, which is produced from the waste of CBD hemp produced by Circular Systems, is a project that we started this year and we believe will come. We care about this as a product range including food wastes will be reached in the coming years.”
Lastly, Işık touched upon their collaboration with Movement company and stated that the carbon footprint of synthetic fiber is very high, but the company's Polylana fiber contains 50% recycled plastic bottles, thereby reducing this rate. Işık said, “For Karacasu Tekstil, sustainability is not a trend issue, it is a responsibility” and added that they will continue to work to increase the number of projects within this scope.
Source: www.textilegence.com
