RENMEN
2 products
About RENMEN
The textile industry, which produces clothing and bedding, has a significant impact on the environment, from the procurement of raw materials to the manufacturing, transportation, and disposal of fabrics and products.
The production of textile products requires large amounts of energy and water. The fiber manufacturing process emits a huge amount of CO2, and the cultivation of raw materials such as cotton and other plants consumes large amounts of water resources. The amount of CO2 emitted per piece of clothing is approximately 25.5 kg, and the amount of water consumed is 2,300 liters*1. Each process such as spinning, dyeing, cutting, and sewing places a burden on the environment, and cutting waste and scraps are generated during the manufacturing process. Approximately 1,300 tons*1 of clothing is incinerated or landfilled per day in Japan.
Approximately 1.4 million items of bedding are collected as bulky waste*2 in Tokyo's 23 wards each year. I can't find any data on the amount of bedding discarded in Japan as a whole, but if you multiply the amount of discarded bedding per person in Tokyo's 23 wards by the population of Japan, you will find that a large amount of bedding, approximately 18 million items, is collected annually. It will be. Most of the bedding sold in Japan is manufactured overseas. In addition to the environmental impact at the production site, the domestic environmental impact associated with disposal and incineration is not small.
The most effective way to reduce waste is to extend the lifespan of products, such as by designing them with durability and recyclability in mind, and by making them easier to maintain. Cooperation between consumers and companies is essential for the transition from "mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal" to "appropriate production, appropriate purchase, and recycling."
We have launched a new project to help ensure sustainable bedding production and consumption. We will work to reduce our environmental impact through effective use of resources, local production for local consumption, recycling, upcycling, use of renewable energy, reviewing production processes, and reducing and recycling waste. We named this project ``RENMEN®'' with the hope that the connection between creators, users, and the earth will continue for a long time.
Iwata is working on the following RENMEN projects.
RENMEN Cotton
Bedding is manufactured by sewing fabric and filling it with batting, but any areas that are found to have weave flaws or stains during the fabric inspection process are removed at the time of cutting. In addition, fabrics that are not long enough or edges of fabrics may come loose. Instead of throwing away these cutting waste, we collect them and re-spun them into yarn.
RENMEN Bagasse
Bagasse is the sugarcane waste produced during the sugar manufacturing process. It is estimated that approximately 200,000 tons are generated annually in Okinawa. This "bagasse" is processed using Japanese paper manufacturing technology. By twisting bagasse washi paper and cotton into thread, we create a fabric with a smooth texture.
RENMEN Down
Feathers have a high ability to retain heat and are a gift from nature that allows us to get warmth without relying on fossil fuels. We collect old down comforters, extract the precious down resource, wash them, and then use our unique ionization technology to improve their cleanliness. This is a new attempt to reuse feathers that are no longer used and connect them to circulation.
RENMEN Woods
A thinning operation that removes some overcrowded trees to encourage forest growth. We made effective use of thinned coniferous wood obtained when preserving Japan's forests. The thinned wood is turned into pulp and processed into Japanese paper. The washi paper is cut into thin pieces, twisted to create thread, and then woven into textiles.
RENMEN Natural Hair
At Iwata's Shiga factory, hair fragments and dust are generated as garbage during the process of turning natural hair such as camel hair, yak hair, and horse hair into products. Collect it and take it to a specialized fertilizer factory. Impurities in natural hair create an organic fertilizer that promotes healthy plant growth.
RENMEN Cotton - Sakiori
The scraps that occur during the fabric inspection process are transformed into beautiful cloth. The cloth is torn into thin strips to create weft threads, and then carefully woven by hand, step by step, using a loom that threads the warp threads. This is a traditional method called "sakiori". Through human hands, the feeling of loving things is also woven into the fabric.
*1 Fashion and Environment https://www.env.go.jp/policy/sustainable_fashion/ (Ministry of the Environment)
*2 Annual cleaning business report (Tokyo 23 Wards Cleaning Department Association)
"reference"
Number of bulky bedding items in Tokyo's 23 wards (2021) 1,419,306 items (including 1,034,811 futon items)
Population of Tokyo’s 23 wards: Approximately 9.72 million people (Reiwa 3)
Number of oversized bedding items per person in Tokyo's 23 wards: 0.146 pieces (including 0.106 futons)
Population of Japan: 124.47 million (April 2020)
Estimated number of bulky bedding items in Japan: 0.146 pieces x 124.47 million people = 18.17 million pieces
(0.106 inner futons x 124.47 million people = 13.19 million)
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