TRIGEMA Production
The TRIGEMA Change® Production Process
Producing textiles according to the Cradle-to-Cradle® principle requires that all components can be returned into the ecosystem without any harm or residue. TRIGEMA Change® garments are based on organic cotton, which is a natural, biodegradable vegetable fibre. Eco-effectiveness, furthermore, requires that all other ingredients must be composed of a similarly biodegradable material.
The Production of Fabrics
The organic cotton used in all our TRIGEMA Change® garments is sourced from a GOTS-certified family company in Turkey, which cultivates cotton along with organic fruits and vegetables near the city of Izmir. After being harvested in Turkey, our organic cotton sets out on a journey to the North, into neighbouring Greece. Here, the fibres are cleaned, combed, and spun into yarn. Once processed into fine yarn, the cotton is shipped to our headquarter in Burladingen, where our fully automated knitting machines turn them into flexible and light jersey or sweat fabric. Here a thread is transformed into a textile surface whose initial fibre is still clearly visible thanks to its brownish-white hue.
Finishing
At the next stage of production, the fabric is dyed and finished. Prior to that, the fabric needs to be bleached. We only use so-called hydrogen peroxide bleaching agents for bleaching as they are environmentally sound. This is followed by a treatment with Cradle-to-Cradle-optimised dyes and finishes. The process involves several stages during which the fabric is subjected to baths, machines and tenters before it is wrapped around rollers and made ready for cutting.
Cutting and Garment Assembly
We employ a digital cutting process. Using a specialised CAD programme, we arrange the individually cut pieces on the computer in such a way that the textile surface is utilised most efficiently, keeping waste at a minimum. For this purpose, long panels of fabric are stacked on large tables in layers of up to 150 plies before being cut with a fully automated mechanism at a rate of 18 to 20 metres of fabric per minute. Sorted by items and tagged with production cards, the cut pieces are then transferred to the sewing shop where 700 experienced seamsters and seamstresses make finished products from single cut pieces. The yarn, buttons and tags we use in our Cradle-to-Cradle-certified garments are delivered to us from authorized suppliers based in Switzerland and Germany. At the sewing shop, the ingredients are managed to ensure that the Cradle-to-Cradle products are stitched together with the correct yarn and other relevant components.
Quality Control and Storage/Sale
When completed, each product is subject to a thorough quality inspection before they are folded and prepared for shipping. Before they are shipped, the garments are sorted by item number, colour, and size in our warehouse, which stretches over three storeys at our main plant. As soon as we receive your order, our sales staff request the respective product from our warehouse from where it is transferred to our shipping department. There, the item is packaged, addressed and shipped out to you.
