Sustainable Initiatives

INVISTA Apparel Planet Agenda
INVISTA Apparel Planet Agenda is a framework for sustainability that builds on our long-standing commitment and touches every aspect of our apparel fiber business. It is based on the belief that INVISTA can help contribute to the sustainability of the apparel industry through delivering insight, technology, processes and products that add value while conserving resources. We believe in responsible use of resources at all levels of the value chain – from raw materials to production to consumer use – and doing our part to ensure we are minimizing waste and improving the environmental, health and safety aspects of our products and processes.

Three Strategic Ambitions

Our first ambition is to continue to evolve our manufacturing technologies and processes in ways that minimize the environmental footprint of our fibres and other textile offerings.

The second is to offer competitive products that meet the needs of apparel markets using fewer resources and to enhance the environmental performance of fabrics.

The third is to protect the health and safety of our workers and communities and participate in local stewardship initiatives.

Minimizing environmental footprint
In all of INVISTA’s apparel fiber operations, we seek ways to reduce our environmental footprint by conserving resources, reducing emissions and eliminating waste. For example, INVISTA’S Maydown, United Kingdom, site – the largest LYCRA® fiber production facility in the world – has reduced the amount of fiber waste going to landfill from 7 percent in 1990 to less than 1 percent of production today. In 2011, INVISTA’s Tuas, Singapore, spandex joint venture reduced site-specific energy consumption by 0.17 million BTUs (British thermal units) per ton of production by optimizing cooling tower performance.

20 by 2020 energy goal
Efficient energy use continues to be a top priority – in fact, INVISTA has committed to reducing its energy intensity (amount of energy used per ton of product) 20 percent by 2020, through optimizing its current energy practices and capital investments.

Internal assessments and verification
INVISTA works to achieve the highest level of environmental and safety performance in its global operations, with a goal of zero incidents. To support our drive toward environmental and safety excellence, we conduct periodic audits and implement programs and training to ensure safe work practices and environmental performance.