Cone denim grows partnership with hemp Innovator Bastcore
Cone Denim has expanded its partnership with hemp processing innovator BastCore, following the former’s recently launched U.S. Hemp Collection.
BastCore has created patent-pending technology and a proprietary process that produces clean, mechanically processed, Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified and U.S. Department of Agriculture bio-preferred hemp fiber out of its operation in Montgomery, Ala.
“Cone is extremely proud to work closely with an industry-recognized company like BastCore as we advance our commitment to provide more sustainable, alternative fiber options to our denim community,” Cone Denim president Steve Maggard said.
“With a shared goal of pushing new sustainability levels, our partnership with BastCore is creating exciting opportunities that support U.S. agriculture and its use of world-class practices and responsibly sourced products,” Maggard added. “Cone does not take its leadership in sustainable innovation lightly and is always searching for new ways to collaborate across the industry to drive innovation, increase traceability and lessen environmental impact.”
Cone envisions the evolving partnership as opening new opportunities for collaboration between likeminded companies providing increased sustainable denim offerings to customers.
“When BastCore began working with Cone, it was clear to us that they had the expertise to develop an industry-leading hemp denim product,” BastCore CEO Coleman Beale said. “Just as important to us was Cone’s commitment to sustainability, traceability and support of local farmers here in the United States.”
Cone recently launched its U.S. Hemp Collection with BastCore at the Kingpins Amsterdam Show in April and July. This collection includes a range of fabrics from classic 3×1 and comfort stretch to modern workwear constructions. Using BastCore U.S. grown hemp, along with other locally sourced materials, including natural indigo and U.S. cotton, Cone maintains close proximity to its manufacturing operationsin Mexico and continues to reduce its environmental footprint.
Cone said working with BastCore allow it to incorporate U.S. grown hemp and utilize it for its many advantages, such as more than 50 percent water savings compared to conventional cotton, no chemicals, wet processing, pesticides or herbicides used, and high rates of carbon sequestration that benefits soil health and the environment overall.
Cone promotes sustainable practices through its Sustainblue denim fabrics representing the highest standards in responsible manufacturing and Cone’s commitment to making a positive impact in its communities. From performance denims and superior S Gene technology to vintage re-creations of Cone Deeptone Denim reaching back to the early 1900s, Cone offers collections of performance, stretch, selvage and Distilled Indigo denims crafted out of the Cone3D R&D incubator.
Cone Denim operates as part of Elevate Textiles Inc., with manufacturing capabilities in Mexico and China and a global network of sales, product and merchandising professionals based out of Greensboro, N.C., New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.
BastCore innovates using hemp, a low input, high-yielding crop, by transforming it into numerous sustainable biobased products from the bast and hurd (wood) and expands the use cases for the full hemp plant that benefit producers and manufacturers in construction, as well as the woven and nonwoven textile industries to bridge the gap between farmers growing hemp and industries demanding cost-competitive, sustainably produced raw materials.
