Tokyo-headquartered Asahi Kasei has received the 2021 Synthetic Fibre Prize from Senken Shimbun, the Japanese daily fashion newspaper, for its Roica V550 stretch yarn.

Roica V550 is a significant development, having achieved a Gold Material Health Certificate from Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute, as well as Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certification, proving it is able to break down without releasing harmful substances into the environment at end of life.

The benefits of stretch in garments are indisputable, but the inclusion of just 1% of elastane fibre in an otherwise all-cotton t-shirt, for example, is said to be currently sufficient to see it rejected at the recycling sorting plant.

Roica V550 is an addition to Asahi Kasei’s Eco-Smart family of stretch yarns that also includes Roica RF, the first to achieve GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification, being based on 50% pre-consumer recycled content. Introduced in 2018, Roica RF is a previous recipient of the Senken Shimbun award.

www.asahi-kasei.co.jp