A consortium of seven companies across five countries has jointly established a supply chain for more sustainable polyester fiber. Instead of fossil materials, renewable and bio-based materials, as well as carbon capture and utilization (para-xylene based on capture CO2), will be used in the manufacturing of polyester fibers for The North Face brand in Japan. The consortium parties are Goldwin, in the role of project owner, Mitsubishi Corp. (Tokyo, Japan), Chiyoda Corp. (Yokohama, Japan), SK geo centric (SKGC; Seoul, South Korea), Indorama Ventures Ltd. (IVL; Bangkok, Thailand), India Glycols Ltd. (Uttar Pradesh, India) and Neste Corp. (Espoo, Finland).
Neste will provide renewable Neste RE as one of the required ingredients for polyester production. The polyester fiber produced in the project is planned to be used by Goldwin for a part of The North Face products, including sports uniforms, in July 2024. After that, the launch of further Goldwin products and brands will be considered.
The seven companies apply a mass balancing approach to ensure credible traceability of material streams throughout the supply chain and will jointly continue to proactively promote the defossilization of materials
“This consortium has great significance as it is the first case where multiple companies gather under the same of reducing carbon by making sustainable polyester that will eventually be used in clothing products in the final stage,” said an official from SK Geo Centric. “This is just the beginning. We will strive to keep creating greater synergy through cooperation with global companies.”
An overview of the full partnership value chain (Source: Neste)