As director of one of China's most advanced and respected textile factories, Zhou Lian Ya ought to be a very happy man: his printing and dyeing company in Shenzhen is supplying textiles to some of the biggest brands in the world. And with global textile quotas abandoned this year, China is set to make its mark as by far the largest textile manufacturer in the world.
However, Zhou Lian Ya of Shenzhen Xinlong Linen Textile Bleaching & Dyeing Co. Ltd. is looking beyond the short-term benefits. "The textile industry will probably gain in the short run, but an increase in output will aggravate the problem of pollution," predicts Zhou Lian Ya, whose company is an industry leader in linen printing and dyeing in China. The company exports 70% of its high-quality linen to international fashion retailers such as Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), Marks & Spencer andWal-Mart.
Pollution may dampen economic growth
Due to China's rapid economic growth, about 90% of the rivers flowing through its cities have already been heavily polluted. Scarcity of clean water has doubled the price of water in Shenzhen over the past five years, and this is a major concern for Zhou Lian Ya. He expects the price to increase further; not only because of the scarcity of water, but also due to more stringent pollution control.
The central government is afraid that pollution will put a damper on economic growth in the future. Apart from increasingly scarce resources, funds will be diverted by the growing cost of the health sector, not to mention the human cost in terms of illness and reduced working time. "Water pollution is one of our most serious issues," says Pan Yue, deputy head of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), in an interview with The Economist. The textile industry is responsible for about 7% of total water pollution, with dyeing and printing responsible for half of that figure. The media is increasingly focusing on pollution, and this is putting pressure on the government to act.
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"People no longer buy clothes for simply practical reasons. They want added values like look, feel and image," says Zhou Lian Ya, director of Shenzhen Xinlong Linen Textile Bleaching & Dyeing Co. Ltd. |
Testing Scourzyme®
Shenzhen Xinlong is already more than living up to the government's current envir-onmental standards. However, with a view to a cleaner production method as well as saving water and energy, Zhou Lian Ya has been using Novozymes' Scourzyme since 2004.
Using Scourzyme reduces the consumption of chemicals and water, and the enzyme can work at lower water temperatures than a chemical process, thus saving energy - all of which benefits the environment. "Shenzhen Xinlong is known as a pioneer in the textile industry, and it shares Novozymes' corporate philosophy when it comes to protecting the environment," says textile industry manager Nancy Zhou from Novozymes in Shanghai. She is working closely with Shenzhen Xinlong to implement Scourzyme in production.
Novozymes is already selling a wide range of other enzymes to the Chinese textile industry, where the company has a high market share. "But most com-panies are still focusing on the productivity bene-fits of using our enzymes, rather than on the environment," says Nancy Zhou, adding that Scourzyme in itself is more expensive than chemicals. However, using Scourzyme is often cheaper overall than using traditional chemicals, due to shortened process times and lower energy consumption.
As well as being ahead of the anticipated tightening of Chinese pollution standards, Zhou Lian Ya of Shenzhen Xinlong is also preparing for scrutiny from abroad. The co mpany's European and American customers have started to ask about SA 8000 certification, which includes social responsibility. "Using Scourzyme will help us to achieve this," says Zhou Lian Ya, adding that Shenzhen Xinlong is in the process of acquiring SA 8000 certification.
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Zhou Lian Ya, director of Shenzhen Xinlong Linen Textile Bleaching & Dyeing Co. Ltd., and Nancy Zhou from Novozymes. |
Novel textiles with unique fabric quality
Shenzhen Xinlong also wants to work with Novozymes to develop new kinds of textiles. Thanks to its high-quality textiles, the company has already won the China Fashion Fabric Competition every year since 1989, as well as taking first prize for its designs, and the government has designated Shenzhen Xinlong as a national linen production centre for the development and testing of new production methods. "By using enzymes we hope to develop textiles with novel properties. This way we can increase our core competitiveness," says Zhou Lian Ya.
Experimenting with Scourzyme has already brought proven new and unique qualities to the linen fabric. There is less weight loss in the process, which gives the textile a thicker feeling, and the textile retains its stretching ability better. The colour yield is also higher, giving the fabric a deeper shade. "People no longer buy clothes for simply practical reasons. They want added values like look, feel and image," explains Zhou Lian Ya.
Shenzhen Xinlong Linen Textile Bleaching & Dyeing Co. Ltd. in Gaungzhou province is a leader in the linen textile printing and dyeing industry. It was established in 1989 and exports 70% of its textiles to leading international fashion retailers. It was the first Chinese linen textile company to gain ISO 9000 certification in 2001.