SUSTAINABILITY
ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Bio-based
YKK’s sustainable products make use of plant-based materials and contribute to reducing GHC emissions and fossil fuel use.
Drawing from nature, GreenRise® products help reduce CO2 emissions by using plastics made from plants. The production of this bio-based materials emits less greenhouse gases than materials made from petroleum and also creates new possibilities for agricultural products.
Indistinguishable from products made of virgin plastics, GreenRise® offers YKK quality and performance with a lower carbon footprint.

Bio-based products

GreenRise®
GreenRise® zipper is partially made with the by-product of sugar production which allows for a reduction in its petroleum usage and the associated C02 emissions.
- Around 30%* plant-based material used.
- Around 30%* reduction of petroleum use.
*In the case of Coil chain.
*Bio-based synthetic polymer content ratio.

Climate Change

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bluesign® approved
The bluesign® system is a solution for the sustainable production of textiles, accessories and trims.
bluesign® approved products meet one of the highest standards for sustainable production. Products approved by bluesign® ensures that less harmful substances or processes were used in its production. Every chemical and process are reviewed and evaluated by bluesign® to ensure that they meet one of the highest standards for safety and environmental impact.
bluesign® approved products

Bluesign® Approved Zipper
bluesign® Approved Zipper are now available from YKK!
bluesign technologies ag provides independent auditing of the textile supply chain to approve chemicals, processes, materials, and products that are safe for the environment, workers, and end customers.
“bluesign” is a registered trademark of bluesign technologies ag.

Chemical Management

bluesign® Approved Plastic Parts
bluesign® Approved Plastic Parts is now available from YKK!
bluesign technologies ag provides independent auditing of the textile supply chain to approve chemicals, processes, materials, and products that are safe for the environment, workers, and end customers.
“bluesign” is a registered trademark of bluesign technologies ag.

Chemical Management

Circularity
This product is considered not to be prevented from becoming resources.
Designed to be reused or remade, YKK circular products help to enable the circular economy. Breaking the conventional “Take, Make, Waste” linear economic system these products can be reused or remade into new products keeping valuable resources in use. The use of YKK circular products not only save valuable resources but also reduce CO2 emissions and energy use as they continually get remade or reused.

Circularity products

TouchLink® Slider
YKK’s Touchlink zipper makes digitally connected garments a reality. See how this digital zipper can enable new businesses, richer customer experiences, and help reduce the barriers to a circular economy.

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VISLON® Nylon, Mono-plastic Material
YKK presents the first recycling friendly zipper. A zipper is a complicated accessory, consisting of multiple elements that are difficult to separate.
Due to the almost entirely polyamide structure, this new zipper can be easily recycled together with the nylon garment on which it is sewn, without the need for removal.

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Flame Retardant Mono Plastic Snap
Flame Retardant Mono Plastic Snap is made entirely from mono plastic material. Ideal for workwear and multi-standard protective clothing. It complies with relevant certifications and is also suitable for automotive and technical applications. This item is resistant to electric arcs, it is anti static, waterproof and recyclable. Made entirely from mono plastic material and therefore recyclable.

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Eco-friendly metal finish
YKK offers eco-friendly finishes which contribute to reducing the environmental impact as compared with conventional electroplating.
YKK eco-friendly metal finishes offer an environmentally sound alternative to traditional electro plating metal finishing. Requiring less water and energy, and eliminating the hazardous chemicals used by conventional plating process, YKK’s eco-friendly metal finishes achieve the same appearance as conventional plating.
Eco-friendly metal finish products

Eco-friendly Finish Snap & Button
YKK offers Eco-friendly surface finishing that utilizes chemical conversion treatment techniques to make the most of the base material color.
Similar to AcroPlating® finishing, electroplating is not used, which greatly reduces the environmental impact when compared to conventional electroplating.

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Snap Button Finished with AcroPlating®
While electroplating is known for its superior decorative appearance and excellent corrosion resistance, the use of this technology is not without issues. The process involves the use of large amounts of water and electricity, as well as hazardous substances (our wastewater treatment and discharge are compliant with all local standards and legal regulations). To deal with these issues, YKK developed AcroPlating® finishing technology, an innovative technology that does not require the use of hazardous substances, such as cyanogen and chromium. This new, sustainable finishing process also conserves water and electricity and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

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YZiP® Slider Finished with AcroPlating®
YKK is proud to introduce our new AcroPlating® finishing technology, an innovative technology that does not require the use of hazardous substances, such as cyanogen and chromium. This new, sustainable process also conserves water and electricity and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

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Natural fiber
It is our responsibility to use materials with lower environmental impacts in order to achieve sustainability.
Natural fibers provide a renewable and sustainable source of material for the textiles used in zippers. YKK zippers with natural fiber woven tapes help to eliminate the CO2 emissions associated with the production of synthetic textiles. These plant-based materials are renewable and can be grown regeneratively helping to reduce resource depletion and contributing to a healthier environment.

Natural fiber products

Lyocell Zipper from TENCEL™ Fibers
TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers is used for 94% of the tape, which are manufactured in a closed loop production process that transforms wood pulp into cellulosic fibers with high resource efficiency and low ecological impact.
“TENCEL” is a trademark of Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft.

Material Resources

Organic Cotton Tape Zipper
Organic Cotton Tape features tape made of organic cotton fibers.* The farming of the cotton is certified by a 3rd party, offering traceability & compliance with requirements for chemical use, water stewardship & fair labor practices/ human rights.
*Usage rate differs depending on products. For details, please contact your local YKK staff.

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Non plated
YKK focuses it’s attention on using the naturally silver colour of stainless steel and aluminium to offer items that eliminate the need for electroplating.
YKK’s un-plated metal snaps allow the natural color of the metal to show through, eliminating the need for plating or finishing. These aluminum and stainless-steel metal snaps allow the natural beauty of the material to shine without requiring an additional processing. They offer an eco-friendly alternative to traditional electro-plated finishing.
Non plated products

Stainless Steel Snap & Button
To achieve silver-colored products, electroplating is conventionally carried out on brass materials.
YKK focused its attention on using the naturally silver color of stainless steel to offer items that eliminate the need for electroplating.
Stainless steel has better corrosion resistance and is lighter than items made of brass.

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Aluminum Snap & Button
To achieve silver-colored products, electroplating is conventionally carried out on brass materials.
YKK focused its attention on using the naturally silver color of aluminum to offer items that eliminate the need for electroplating.
The light weight of Aluminum is also an appealing characteristic.

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Recycled
Designed for customers who want to increase the recycled content of their products.
YKK has long understood the environmental benefits of recycled materials. With lower CO2 emissions compared to zippers made from virgin material, YKK NATULON® products offer the YKK quality and performance with lower environmental impacts. Since creating our first NATULON® recycled zipper in 1994, we are constantly expanded the NATULON® collection to offer these benefits to an ever growing range of products.

Recycled products

NATULON® Mechanically Recycled
NATULON® product lines are designed for customers who want to increase the recycled content of their products. NATULON® Mechanically Recycled are made from recycled materials such as PET bottles using Mechanical Recycling technologies.The yarn used in the tape of NATULON® Mechanically Recycled zipper is made from more than 99% post-consumer recycled material.

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NATULON Plus®
NATULON Plus® zipper features a higher ratio of recycled material by utilizing both recycled tape and elements. NATULON Plus® zipper has the highest level of recycled material offered by YKK and can be further increased by pairing with a recycled diecast zinc slider!
The material used in the coil zipper chain of NATULON Plus® zipper is made from 100% post-consumer recycled material.
The material used in VISLON® zipper chain of NATULON Plus® zipper is made from more than 59% post & pre-consumer recycled material.

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NATULON® Ocean Sourced™
NATULON® Ocean Sourced™ zipper diverts ocean bound plastic from waterways and waste streams within 50 kilometers of coastlines in countries that do not have well established municipal waste management or collection systems, addressing one of the primary sources of ocean bound plastics.
The yarn used in the tape of NATULON® Ocean Sourced™ zipper is made from 100% post-consumer recycled material.

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NATULON® Chemically Recycled
NATULON® Chemically Recycled is made from chemically recycled polyester, it is perpetually recyclable.
NATULON® Chemically Recycled reduces the need for new materials by employing advanced chemical recycling technology.
The yarn used in the tape of NATULON® Chemically Recycled zipper is made from more than 95% pre-consumer recycled material.

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SOFIX® NATULON®
SOFIX® is an innovative product that incorporates plastic injected snaps onto the tape. The snap parts are injection molded onto the tape ensuring a secure fit. Attaching machines or attaching dies are not required. The tape is knitted for a soft touch and feel. The tape is also made using recycled PET which is the same material as our NATULON® zippers. Using SOFIX® NATULON® can help reduce the environmental impact of plastic bottles. For example, 10,000 SOFIX® NATULON® of 20 cm length end up recycling 2,910 plastic bottles (29 g/bottle). The yarn used in the tape of SOFIX® NATULON® mechanically recycled fasteners is made from 97% post-consumer recycled material.

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Water saving
YKK commits to reduce water intake through efficient usage and the development of new water saving production methods.
Water is a valuable resource and YKK takes conserving it seriously. To combat water depletion and degradation, YKK has developed new production processes and products to help reduce water usage. New processes like ECO-DYE® waterless dyeing help to reduce the amount of water used in the zipper dyeing process to almost zero.
Water saving products

Zipper Dyed with ECO-DYE®
As part of our environmental activities, YKK has developed ECO-DYE® technology that—utilizing supercritical fluid dyeing (“SFD”) technology—allows for the reduction of the amount of water used in the zipper dyeing process to almost zero.
This technology enables us to manufacture the same high-quality products while reducing the burden on the environment.

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Solution Dye Black Zipper
Often times also referred to as “dope-dye”, Solution Dye Zipper features material components that are produced with pigment prior to zipper production process, which eliminates the need for traditional water-dye processing & greatly reducing the amount of water used in the overall production process.

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No Dyestuff Zipper
No Dyestuff Zipper features zipper tape & elements in their natural colors, allowing for significant reduction in water usage.

Climate Change

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Chemical Management
As the threat to our oceans increases YKK is harvesting plastics from beaches and waterways, recycling PET bottles to create high quality products. This isn’t a trend. It is a belief that the changes we make today are only as meaningful as the impact we create for generations tomorrow.